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They’d debriefed after the mission, at Cap’s insistence, which is what made it much funnier (more irritating, Clint insisted) that the blond superhero had fallen asleep on them. Steve had fallen asleep, slumped against the armrest, and they’d continued on without him, but now-
Now the meeting was over and the others were on their feet; nobody knew quite what to do with their super soldier. Thor had offered to carry him to his quarters; Tony had thought that might be disorienting. Despite himself, he was concerned that Steve had been hurt in some hidden way. He made Jarvis scan him- the scan showed nothing majorly wrong.
He stared at the blond, pondering the best options. What would Steve want? Why was he in charge of this?
“I would just leave him. He’s young. Couch is comfy.” Clint raised an eyebrow. He headed for the kitchen.
“Maybe just get a blanket to cover him,” Bruce said, getting to his feet. “Night, all.” He and Thor walked off, waving them off.
Tony looked over at Natasha. She’d curled into his side somewhere along the way. “I’m going to wake him up,” he decided. “The couch isn’t that comfy. Are you going to bed?”
She hummed. “I should.” But she made no move to get up.
He half laughed. Brushing his lips against her forehead, he mumbled, “You’re not moving anywhere.” A teasing half lilt to the statement.
She nuzzled his shoulder. He wasn’t even sure she was aware of the movement but it felt like a fire had been lit in his chest. “You’re really comfy,” she murmured. “I like the way you smell.”
He laughed outright at that. “It’s just my cologne.”
She roused herself a little. “I guess we have to get up if you’re going to go to bed.”
Tony shrugged. He kind of liked being crowded by the team’s youngest members. He squeezed her shoulders. “Alright, up you go. You don’t have any injuries you’re hiding, do you?” She shook her head and he sighed.
He picked up Steve’s feet so he could slide out. “Steve,” he called, bending over the younger man. “Come on, Steve. Meeting’s over.”
The super soldier groaned. “Oh, what?”
“On your feet, soldier. The debrief ended a half hour ago.” He shook Steve’s knee.
“Oh.” Steve rolled off the couch, stumbling to his feet. He half grinned at Tony. “Did I fall asleep? That mission today…” He yawned. “It was more than I expected. Hey, Nat.” Pulling her into a hug, he swung her in lazy circles.
“Put me down, you oaf.”
“Was it a good debrief?”
“It was hard to hear over your snoring-”
“I don’t snore-”
“Kids,” Tony interrupted at last. He’d set the room straight, listening to them banter. “Get in the elevator. We’re going upstairs.”
“Are we your kids?” Natasha teased, slipping her arm through his.
“No, you’re just nuisances.”
She quirked her lips at him. “You love us,” she said softly. And, unexpectedly- “That’s fine. I love you.”
He slipped his arms around her, holding her close. His throat felt tight, all of a sudden. “I’m fond of you,” he allowed. The elevator dinged. “This is our stop. Come on, little miss.”
They dropped her off at her room. Tony gave her one final peck on the cheek and was ready to go, but Steve made a show of holding out his arms wide for her and she hugged him, murmuring something in his ear.
Tony was already halfway down the hall when Steve came jogging up behind him. “Will you come talk to me for a little bit? Are you tired?”
And he was tired, but he found himself saying, “I’ll come in with you.”
He sat cross legged on Steve’s desk while the blond ricocheted around the room. There was something weirdly intimate in watching the younger hero get ready for bed. Made him seem more vulnerable, less of a super soldier. “You guys make me feel a million years old,” he said at last.
“You are-”
He spluttered. “Get in bed. I thought you were tired.”
“Tony, I’m so tired.”
“You seem more tired than usual, Cap. I think you might be doing too much.” He hopped down from the desk and strode over to the side of the bed, looking at Steve like it was no big deal that they were here like this.
“I don’t know why everyone looks to me,” Steve said softly. “I’m not any better than anyone else.”
“Are you feeling overwhelmed?” Tony asked, examining a drawing that Steve had pinned to the wall. Tried to cover the sound of worry in his voice.
“Sometimes, a little,” Steve admitted. He rolled onto his side, watching Tony. When the engineer looked down at him, he smiled a little.
Tony sighed. Pushing Steve over- the captain scooted gamely over- he sat on the side of the bed. “You need to tell us when you’re overwhelmed. Take less missions. There’s always going to be too much to do. You need to be your own priority. Okay, Steve?”
Steve struggled with it. Tony could see the emotions flitting across his face, the thoughts practically written on his forehead. He waited, one hand resting on Steve’s shoulder, more patient than the others gave him credit for. “Okay,” Steve said at last, resigned.
His lips quirked. “Good boy,” he said, leaning over the man.
“Tony?”
“Yeah, bud?”
“Sometimes I miss my mom,” Steve said softly.
He worked his jaw reflexively. “Me too,” he admitted. A half a dozen empty phrases flooded his thoughts then, gifted to him by dozens of well intentioned idiots. They wouldn’t help Steve. Still, for the first time, he understood why people felt compelled to say them. Nothing could bring back the ones they loved. But it was hard to see someone you cared about struggling.
“Tony? I love you. You know that right?”
He mouthed a little. He’d suspected it; loved the captain himself in his own way. But he wasn’t good at giving or receiving affection. “Is that so, Captain Rogers?”
“That is so, Anthony Edward.”
Steve was grinning up at him, his eyes mostly closed, laugh lines appearing at the corners of his eyes. He was sixteen years younger than Tony and yet when Tony saw him, saw Natasha who was somehow only a year older than Steve, when he saw them, he had the strange sensation that he’d skipped a step on the way up. “You think you’re so clever,” he said accusingly.
“I am the team tactician…”
“You’re a shithead, Cap.” Steve laughed outright at that, his booming laugh that Tony could hear from five rooms away. Bending over, he pecked Steve on the cheek. “Night, kid.”