Work Text:
one month later
There was something magnificently beautiful about the city at night. Buildings of all heights and widths lit up in bright lights like every day was Christmas. The farther inland the brighter and more colorful each bulb was, chasing away shadows all around. The streets were lined with the blurring rays of headlights and taillights as taxis raced from block to block without a care about the time of night or day.
Somehow it was peaceful being in the city that never slept. The blaring of horns and distant wails of sirens overpowering the otherwise haze of chatter filling every corner and crack.
Tony stood on the balcony, hunched over the protective railing with a half empty glass of whatever he’d grabbed first clasped loosely between his hands. A chilled breeze licked at his exposed skin and ruffled his hair in all directs, and if Tony cared more he would really have on a jacket as the seasons changed regardless of what else in the world was happening.
It had been almost five days since Steve had left to stay in some secret apartment that SHIELD had issued should the team or tower ever become compromised. Apparently the entire team had one, minus Tony, and only the individuals and Fury knew their location. Not even Jarvis could find any information, and no one was stepping up to speak regardless of Tony’s (empty) threats.
Steve packed a bag and told Tony he needed space, then disappeared like he never existed. All of Tony’s phone calls went to a generic voicemail he couldn’t even guarantee belonged to Steve’s phone, and the GPS in the device had been disabled making the man invisible to any traces. He said he wouldn’t be gone long, and that if anything happened he would still be there, but as every minute passed Tony began to lose more and more hope of Steve returning.
Without Steve there, Tony felt like something wasn’t quite right. Like a part of him was missing.
Then again, over the years, Steve had more than managed to work his way under Tony’s skin. The man had broken all Tony’s defenses and fought past all the walls encasing Tony’s mind and spirit until he had a firm clasp on Tony’s soul. They’d gone from Steve and Tony to SteveandTony; one entity between two bodies.
Without Steve, Tony didn’t feel the same. He felt broken, uncompleted, and missing like he had a near lifetime ago, when he was battling to make a name for himself separate from his father. Tony needed Steve like he needed the reactor to keep his heart thriving.
Tony swished around the thin layer of brownish liquid before tipping the glass sideways and dumping it out. In the past few days he’d barely eaten, only what Bruce would essentially force-feed him, and couldn’t even get drunk without knowing it’d probably kill him.
Despite how touch-and-go Tony had been the first few days after the attack, he didn’t sustain much damage. A huge benefit of the suit. The tentacle that hit him had cracked the suit and drove a piece into his abdomen, nicking an artery and resulting in the severe amount of blood loss that had Tony slightly anemic still.
It had also caused Tony to lose his gallbladder (no big deal) and a portion of his liver which mainly meant he couldn’t drink anymore. Tony figured that was a long time coming anyway. His side was still tender though the wound had scarred some weeks ago and due to great surgical talent was barely visible.
As far as broken bones, Tony was fortunate as the only ones that got damaged were his ribs. They’d cracked and bruised in the fall, later broken in the hospital as the surgeon had to work around the reactor to get to Tony’s heart and lungs. That resulted in a roadmap of stitches and scars all over Tony’s chest. It was without a doubt the ugliest thing Tony had ever seen, but at least he was still alive.
Other than that, Tony dislocated a shoulder, sprained an ankle, and suffered a rather significant concussion. There wasn’t a patch of skin not covered in a scrape or bruise of some sort, discoloring his body in yellow-brown and blue-purple tones. Overall, Tony looked far worse than he actually was and felt.
In the hospital Steve visited. He’d come by in the morning and leave in the evening to put Peter to bed. He’d sit in the chair and read a book or sketch the room out or do paperwork that Coulson demanded needed to be done, hardly speaking to or acknowledging Tony unless Tony was the first to speak, or asking if Tony needed anything before Steve left.
Tony wanted to tell Steve that he needed him, wanted to pull Steve into the uncomfortable little bed with him and curl up against the man’s warm, strong body, but Tony would always shake his head and say goodnight. Neither said ‘I love you’ or ‘I miss you’ and it nauseated Tony as much as it upset him.
Steve had every right to be upset with Tony, and the billionaire understood, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.
Tony only stayed in the hospital a little over a week, fighting with doctors and nurses and Fury until one or all of them gave in and released him on strict bed rest. Again Steve stayed close yet distant, bringing Tony food and changing the bandages on his wounds like the nurse had shown him and helping Tony dress and bathe. The more Tony could do by himself, the less Steve was around, so Tony dragged out and exaggerated his recovery until Bruce claimed if Tony didn’t improve faster he’d have to return to the hospital.
No longer having to take care of Tony, Steve packed and left – having only contact with SHIELD in case the team was needed (though Tony was still on house-arrest and wasn’t allowed in the Iron Man suit according to Fury – like that would stop Tony).
Five nights Tony’s hardly slept, and five days he’s barely left his bedroom or lab. He just didn’t care anymore.
With a heavy sigh, Tony stood straight and turned around to head back inside to find Peter standing a foot or two in front of the door, hugging the blanket Steve had gotten him as a baby desperately to his chest. “Peter?” Tony questioned, setting the glass on the flat rim of the railing.
The boy made a sniffling noise and charged Tony, colliding against his father and knocking Tony back against the protective metal. Tony caught himself and picked Peter up, ignoring the residual aches and pains of the wounds because his son came above anything else – including himself.
“Why are you up so late?” Tony asked, moving his arms to support Peter’s weight as the boy wound tight around him.
“I miss Daddy!” the boy cried, warm tears quickly sliding down Tony’s neck and into the fabric over his shoulder. “Why won’t Daddy come home? I’ll be a good boy, Papa! I promise!” Peter sobbed into Tony’s shirt and fuck, Tony should have seen this coming.
Peter wasn’t like Tony. He had parents and people who loved and cared about him. Who paid attention to him. Of course he’d freak out when Steve was no longer a part of his daily routines.
The boy had refused to leave Tony the first couple of days he was home.
(Tony laid on the bed with Peter pressed close against him, lazily stroking the boy’s hair. “I missed you, Papa,” he muttered sleepily into Tony’s chest. “I’m happy you’re okay.”
“I missed you too, buddy,” he whispered and kept petting his son until the boy’s small body relaxed and his chest moved with easy breaths. Steve moved to get Peter to put him to bed but Tony shook his head. “Leave him,” he said quietly because he needed this moment just as much as Peter did.
Steve was apprehensive but settled back in the loveseat and waited for Tony to pass out as well before he headed to the spare room he was currently sleeping in.)
“Pete,” Tony sighed, cradling him close, “This has nothing to do with you. Daddy left because he’s upset with me, but he’ll be back soon.” He kissed Peter’s head and rubbed the boy’s back in large, slow circles. “You’ve been very good, buddy, and a huge help when I was sick.”
“Please don’t leave me, Papa,” Peter begged, fingers twisting in the fabric of Tony’s shirt. “Please don’t leave like Daddy.”
If Tony’s heart was already broken, that was enough to shatter it.
“Hey, I’m not going anywhere,” he assured quietly. “Uncle Bruce won’t let me go anywhere, remember?” Tony tried to lighten the mood, but there wasn’t much he could do to fully convince the six-year-old of his words.
Things were getting horribly out of hand.
Tony adjusted his grip on his son and headed back inside, quietly passing through the dark halls and towards his own room where he settled himself and the boy on the bed. He had Jarvis play one of Peter’s favorite movies - The Incredibles, because Peter loved how it was all about superheroes (“Just like our family, Papa!”) – and let Peter cry himself to sleep; curled against Tony.
It was similar to the times Peter would have nightmares and come seek shelter in the comfort of his parents room. The only thing missing was Steve’s body on the other side, promising the scared child that nothing would ever harm him as long as they were around. Now it was just Tony telling their son that Steve still loved him and would come home soon, even if Tony had no idea if it was even true.
Once Peter was calm and asleep, Tony carefully slid away, tucking him under the blankets and instructing his AI to cease the awful cartoon. Tony helped Peter wouldn’t wake as he slipped through the tower with angry determination. He’d had enough of this little game.
Before long Tony was standing outside one of the many doors, beating a balled up fist against the smooth surface repeatedly until it opened to dim lighting and a pair of sleep-heavy, irritated eyes. “Stark,” Coulson greeted; voice uncharacteristically rough and scratchy.
“Where is he?” Tony demanded.
“Who?” the agent yawned, though his face hardly moved to accommodate the action. He wore the same blank expression as always, only less scary and more annoyed.
Tony wasn’t going to play stupid. “You know damn well who!” Tony’s voice rose. Coulson stepped into the hall and pulled the door shut behind him.
“You don’t have to wake everyone,” Coulson chided quietly. “And I’m unauthorized to tell you that.”
Coulson was quick to block any sort of attack, thanks to rigorous SHIELD training, but Tony had the advantage of being fully awake and was just quick enough to pin the man firm against the wall with a hand digging into his throat.
“My son just came sobbing to me, begging me not to leave him like Steve. He is six-years-old and should be worrying about what toy to play with instead of being abandoned by his parents!” Tony loudly hissed. “So I’m not going to ask you again because we both know you have an emergency plan in place should I ever go dark-side. Tell me where Steve is or I will kill you without a sparing thought.” Of course it was a meaningless threat, and Tony could tell the man knew that, but when it came to Peter, Tony didn’t joke around.
The agent shoved Tony back a few steps and straightened his pajamas out, rubbing his eyes and sighing. “Brooklyn,” Coulson muttered reluctantly, “Near where he grew up. Place over a coffee shop, apartment 3A.” Tony relaxed a fraction. “You didn’t get that from me, and it won’t be there next time you go looking.”
Tony hardly got a, “Thank you,” out before the door was slamming in his face.
-*-*-*-*-
The apartment building Tony found himself in was less than enjoyable in his opinion. Mold was peeling away the ancient wallpaper, and the carpet on the floor looked as though it was dragged through every season a thousand times, and had about every liquid in existence spilled on it at some point. Tony barely wanted to walk on it.
He didn’t trust the elevator and decided to take the stairs, frowning at the ominous creaks the structure made with every step. The lights were dim and the wiring faulty, and the covers appeared caked with hundreds of dead bugs and dust.
But when Tony reached the third floor and saw his destination, his fear of the building collapsing on top of him disappeared as he stormed to the designated door and began pounding on it. “Open up, Rogers!” he yelled at the ancient wood.
It took a moment or two, but the door opened to a confused and sleepy Steve. “Tony?” he asked. “What the heck are you-“ He didn’t get to finish as Tony punched him; Tony wincing and shaking his hand as the action sparked pain through his bones. Stupid super serum.
Steve, mostly unaffected, rubbed at the side of his jaw and grabbed Tony to pull him inside before anyone started bitching. “What are you doing here?” the blond asked, closing the door behind them.
“What are you doing here,” Tony countered, “When you have a perfectly good home and bed that won’t get shot up by the mob, or become home to a family of vicious vermin?”
“Please stop yelling,” Steve replied first, rubbing his face more. “And I told you the other day that I need a little space right now. Time away from the tower and the team and-“
“And your son?” Tony interrupted shortly.
“Peter?” Steve’s face twisted with confusion. “What’s wrong with Peter?”
Tony crossed his arms and glared. “What’s wrong with him is he thinks you’ve abandoned him. He came crying to me, begging me not to leave him like you did. Promising me to be good because he thinks he’s the reason you left.” Regret took over the other man and Tony jabbed a finger in his direction. “You want to leave me – fine. I’ve been dumped one way or another my entire life. But if you don’t fix what you did to that kid, I will make you regret waking up from that hunk of ice.”
Steve’s posture shifted and he leaned back against the door. “I don’t want to leave you, Tony,” he softly corrected.
That, Tony wasn’t expecting. “What?” he asked, an automatic response.
“I don’t want to leave you,” Steve repeated calmly. “I’ve told you before that you’re the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me, and that hasn’t changed. But I can’t be around you right now, Tony, without wanting to punch you in the face for what you’ve put me and everyone else through. And then when the first thing out of your mouth after days of dying and nearly dying was asking me to marry you – like a joke;” Steve sighed and shook his head, looking up at the ceiling. “I’ve seen some really bad things, and been in some pretty terrible situations, but I have never been so afraid and hopeless as I was when I sat by your still and quiet body in the hospital.”
Though the light was awful, Tony could catch the glistening of tears around the edges of Steve’s eyes, and Tony’s stomach knotted. “It wasn’t a joke,” he nearly whispered. “I meant it when I asked you to marry me.”
“Well it felt like a joke, Tony, and it hurt.” Steve brushed his eyes with the back of his hands, looking down at the ground. “These past few weeks I took care of you because I love you, and also I had to know you were okay.”
“I told you I was okay.”
Steve shook his head again and looked up to meet Tony’s eyes. “Not good enough.”
“So now that I’m all shiny and new again, you take off?” There was bitterness in Tony’s voice.
“I needed a little time away,” Steve answered. “You may not understand it, but when you got hurt, I felt like it was my fault. It’s my responsibility to protect you – to protect everyone – and I failed. There was all this blood, and the reactor was in pieces, and-“ Steve stopped again to wipe his eyes. “I’ve watched enough people I’ve loved die, and when the surgeon told me there was a good chance you would too, knowing that you would have been fine if I was quicker at calling a shot or stopping the stupid aliens in the first place…” Steve trailed off, words broken and pained.
Tony stepped forward and gently wiped away the warm tears, putting his hands on Steve’s shoulders. “What happened was my fault. I chose not to listen. You did nothing wrong.” He rubbed his hands up and down Steve’s arms. “I’m sorry I made you feel that way. And I’m sorry I chose the most inappropriate time to propose, but my feelings to do so are entirely real. I’ve been stupid for years thinking you’d get bored of me and leave.”
Steve forcibly laughed, blinking away a few more tears. “You’re far from boring,” he muttered.
“It’s not your job to protect everyone, Steve. We’re a team, we look after each other. It’s not on just one person’s shoulders,” Tony told him. “We couldn’t ask for a better leader.”
Tony put his arms around Steve’s waist and tugged the man closer, pressing his forehead into Steve’s chest. Steve’s arms wrapped around him securely and his wet cheek pressed into Tony’s hair. “I can’t watch you die again,” Steve whispered.
“I’ll work on being less stupid,” Tony answered. It was the best he could offer. Steve softly snorted but his grip on Tony tightened, reminding the billionaire of the damage to his ribs. Tony wasn’t going to complain though.
They stood like that a few long minutes before Tony asked, “Please come home.”
Steve let go and blinked his eyes. “I’ll come home,” he said as he used his shirt to dry his face, “Especially because I should have thought about Peter before leaving suddenly. But I still need some distance from you, Tony.” There was sadness in Steve’s voice that made Tony nauseous.
Tony nodded and stepped back a few inches. It was a start, and that was something.
“I love you,” Tony said, and Steve smiled.
“I love you too,” he answered, “You idiot.”
Maybe they’d be okay after all.
-*-*-*-*-
Pepper’s eyes scanned the piece of paper held in her hand carefully, flicking up to Tony once she’d reached the bottom. “I’m less shocked you’ve finally come to your senses in asking Steve to marry you,” she set the paper down, “And more shocked that you actually compiled a list of ideas in which to do so. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you plan anything.”
Tony stuck his tongue out at her. “I want it to be perfect. Something special to show him that I’m serious.” He rubbed his sweaty palms against his jeans.
The woman leaned over the paper. “As admirable as this list is, half of it won’t impress Steve, and the other half is impossible. Like this one;” Pepper pressed a manicured nail on one of the scribbled lines. “Very romantic, but I don’t think you can pull down the moon for him.”
“Never say ‘never’.” Tony grinned.
“Even if you could defy the gravitational pull and remove it from orbit to hand it over to your boyfriend, many things rely on the moon to stay exactly where it is.” Pepper grabbed a pen and struck a violent line through the idea.
“Diamonds mean nothing to him,” She drew another line while thumbing her own sizeable diamond ring, “And about half of these bands are dead, Tony.” With a short sigh, Pepper created more lines. “Cliché, too crowded, stupid, idiotic, cliché…” The woman kept muttering and crossing out line after line until there was more red than black.
Tony listened with a frown, heart sinking further the more Pepper rejected. She was a woman and women seemed to know about these things. If she didn’t approve, Steve likely wouldn’t either. And the last thing Tony wanted was to be turned down some more.
Sighing again, Pepper shoved the crumpled piece of paper aside and folded her arms on the desk. “You don’t have to impress Steve, Tony. You somehow managed that long ago. That man just wants it to come from your heart. He won’t care where you do it, or who you’re around, as long as you really mean it.”
“So Germany’s a bad idea? That’s where we met,” Tony pointed out.
“I’m sure he’ll love all those memories,” the red-head sarcastically answered. “Between Nazi’s and Loki, I bet Steve couldn’t think of a better place to be proposed to.”
Tony stuck his tongue out again and crossed his arms. “I’m not going to just stroll into the kitchen when he’s making breakfast and drop to one knee to confess my undying love and hope he says ‘yes’ this time.”
“Why not? It’d be the truth.” Pepper leaned back in her chair. “Don’t do anything flashy. Take him to dinner or for a walk on the beach or to the park. Those are all romantic.”
“And cliché,” Tony huffed.
Pepper smiled. “So is wanting to bring down the moon,” she said. “But they’re cliché for a reason. They all work. Steve doesn’t care about your money or your fame. He cares about you. So don’t waste time trying to impress him with things that don’t matter.”
“You’re being wildly unhelpful,” Tony informed his old assistant, standing up.
“I call dibs on maid of honor,” she answered with a grin of her own. “And I want to help you pick out the dress!” Pepper laughed as Tony muttered unpleasant things towards the woman under his breath.
-*-*-*-*-
“Let me get this straight – you want to ask Steve to marry you, and you want my permission to do so.”
“Yes. I’m going to ask him either way, but I’m trying to do it right.”
“And you think asking my permission-“
“Blessing.”
“-Blessing, to ask him, even though we are in no way related, nor is this the nineteenth century, is the right thing to do.”
“Yep.”
“You can do whatever you want, you know.”
“You’re definitely ruining the moment right now.”
“I wasn’t aware we were having a moment.”
“We’re totally having a moment! Don’t you feel us bonding?”
“No.”
“That hurts! I’m deeply wounded!”
“You’ll manage.”
“Do I have your blessing or not, oh great and scary godfather?”
“I’m not a mob boss either, Stark.”
“Fooled me.”
“Why are you asking me anyway?”
“Because you’re the most logical choice.”
“On what grounds?”
“On the grounds that you’re part of Steve’s family.”
“I’ve already told you I’m not.”
“But you live here with us! And we’re all family!”
“That makes me your family too, then.”
“Not unless I have your blessing.”
“Will it make you go away?”
“Probably not.”
“Yeah, sure, ask Steve to marry you. You two practically are already, anyway.”
“Everyone keeps saying that!”
“Because it’s true. If one of you had a vagina, Disney would probably buy the rights and make some ridiculous movie out of it.”
“I didn’t know you knew the v-word!”
“Good evening, Mr. Stark.”
“No threats or warnings that I’ll be sleeping with the fishies?”
“You don’t need me to tell you what will happen if you break his heart.”
“You’re right. Natasha’s totally the mob boss here.”
“Please go away now.”
“You know you love me.”
“I tolerate you.”
“Aw, I love you too.”
Tony turned around and strut out of the office, not missing the small grin on Coulson’s face as he did so.
-*-*-*-*-
The first time Tony asked it was spontaneous and simple like Pepper suggested. Steve was actually making everyone breakfast in the kitchen, because he made the best pancakes ever, and the others were still asleep. Tony went into the kitchen with a firm posture and determination, speech prepared about his undying love and everything.
Except when seeing Tony, Steve gave this stupid grin and handed over a mug of fresh coffee, so Tony’s planned speech came out, “Oh god, I love you, seriously. You’re the best person ever. We should totally get married,” while his eyes rolled back at the smell.
Coffee was Tony’s kryptonite, okay.
Steve sighed and set a plate of food in front of Tony. “I’m going to wake up Peter,” he said. “You eat something solid, and no more than two cups of coffee. Your doctor says its bad for your heart.” Tony pouted like a child and watched Steve walk away, rejecting him again.
The second time Tony asked was even more spontaneous, and had a worse rejection.
“Tony, get down!”
Tony, grinning, adjusted the rings around his wrists. “Marry me!” he chimed, laughing a little.
“This isn’t funny! You’re going to fall and you’re going to die!” There was a worried sort of panic edging Steve’s voice. “So please get down.”
“Why won’t you marry me?” Tony pouted.
Steve crossed his arms. “Why do you insist on putting yourself in danger?”
“Because I’m narcissistic and self-destructive,” Tony answered simply. “I’ll be martyred and they’ll erect a statue in my honor!” He proudly tossed his arms out.
“No, you’ll be a rotting corpse with a tombstone and a lot of pissed people who love you,” Steve corrected with annoyance. “So get off the railing.”
“I like martyr a lot better.” Tony hummed thoughtfully then tipped his weight back so he dropped, hearing Steve yell his name as the air rushed past him. He stretched out and enjoyed the temporary feeling of absolute freedom before his suit was wrapping around him.
Tony was almost a crater in the ground when the suit came online and he shot back up to the top of the tower where Steve was gripping his head in frustration. The faceplate lifted and Tony laughed. “I was only out here to test the new suit, and you thought I was trying to kill myself?”
Tony definitely deserved the dents he had to beat out of his suit later.
The third time Tony asked Steve to marry him, he actually planned it out.
His stunt with the suit only drove Steve further away, and took a good week of apologies and begging to even get the man to talk to him again. To say the least, Tony finally realized that near-death experiences and last-minute random proposals weren’t exactly romantic.
“I’ll punch you if he doesn’t say ‘yes’,” Bruce said as he helped Tony work out the finer details. “Steve’s wanted to say ‘yes’ for years to the question he thought you’d never ask, and now you can’t ask without making an ass of yourself.”
“I was trying to be spontaneous! Thrilling!” Tony defended.
“You were being desperate and stupid,” Bruce answered. “Steve just wants honesty. Not to hear you ask while swan diving off one of New York’s tallest buildings.”
Tony waved the comment off. “Well now I’m going to try cheesy romantic, and if that doesn’t work, I give up.”
Bruce patted Tony’s shoulder with a heavy hand. “That’s the spirit.”
-*-*-*-*-
“I don’t like being blindfolded,” Steve commented, arms crossed stiffly over his chest. “I don’t know why you can’t just tell me where we’re going.”
“Because it’s a surprise!” Tony answered. “Just trust me.” The scoff Steve gave him was hardly reassuring.
“Are you going to throw me off a building this time?” Steve asked flatly.
“Only so I can be the one to catch you,” Tony said. He saw a smile pull at Steve’s lips and counted that as a win.
When they reached their destination, Tony parked and got out, rounding the car to help Steve out. He took the mans hand and grinned when Steve automatically laced their fingers together.
Tony lead Steve inside the structure and chose the most straight forward and steady path – having only dim emergency lights to guide himself. Once far enough in, and satisfied with their location, Tony stopped and turned towards Steve to remove the thin piece of fabric over his eyes.
“It’s dark,” Steve observed. “Are you going to kill me now?”
“Your humor astounds me,” Tony sarcastically replied. A moment later large, bright lights burst to life, causing both to temporarily shield their eyes until they adjusted. Tony spread his arms and walked back a few feet, turning in a circle.
“Welcome to Yankee Stadium,” he said.
Steve slowly turned to look around, giving Tony a confused expression. “Please tell me you didn’t buy this place as some weird apology gift because really, Tony, I forgive you. And I don’t want an entire stadium.”
“I didn’t buy it, I rented it. And just for the evening.”
Steve’s face grew more apprehensive. “Why?”
“Because where else do you take America’s favorite hero than to the home of its favorite pastime?” Tony grinned. Steve rolled his eyes. Tony sighed and dropped his arms. “Look, Steve, I’ve been really stupid lately. You’re the best thing – person – in my life, and I don’t want that to change because I’m too oblivious to see what’s in front of my face.”
He walked back to Steve and took one hand into his, staring into the ever-loving blue eyes Tony’s become addicted to. “I don’t know how I got lucky enough to get your love, or what I’ve done right in my life to have someone as amazing and perfect as you, but I’m glad that whatever happened did. And I know I’m all shades of messed up, and that I’m the biggest hazard to myself, and I probably destroy more than I create or fix, but I’m so ridiculously in love with you, Steve Rogers, that for the first time in my life there’s hope and happiness where there was only darkness.”
Steve’s expression softened and he gripped Tony’s hand gently. “I’m also really bad at speeches,” Tony laughed nervously. “I could tell you a million times that I love you and it would never be enough. I’ve got a bottomless bank account that could get me just about anything I want, but all I want is you. Because you make me feel rich in a completely different way.”
Soft music started and Steve looked around for the source when Tony supplied, “My money does let me hire people to sing in the background.”
In the distance, a sweet voice started to flow in sync with the music.
For you, there’ll be no more crying. For you, the sun will be shining. And I feel that when I’m with you, it’s all right. I know it’s right.
Tony took Steve’s other hand into his. “I know a lot of stuff about a lot of different things, and can learn new information at record speeds. What I don’t know is how I have missed seeing what’s been in front of me for years.”
To you, I’ll give the world. To you, I’ll never be cold. ‘Cause I feel that when I’m with you, it’s all right. I know it’s right.
“I’ve been looking at marriage as something destructive. That if you married me, you’d start to hate me and feel obligated to me and want a divorce.”
“Tony-“
“But really,” Tony continued, “I see now it would only bring us closer together. There’s never been a doubt that if anything ever happened to me that you and Peter wouldn’t be taken care of. I set up private accounts years ago for that. But I want the world to know that I love you, and I care about you, and everything I have is yours just as much as it is mine.”
And the songbirds are singing, like they know the score. And I love you, I love you, I love you, like never before.
Steve pulled his hand away from Tony to quickly brush away gathering tears. “I can’t promise that it will be easy – but what in our lives is? And I’m sure I’ll do more stupid stuff to make you mad, and that we’ll argue at least once a year.”
“Once a month,” Steve said with shaky laughter.
“That just makes us us,” Tony said. Steve nodded.
And I wish you all the love in the world, but most of all, I wish it from myself.
“And you’ve given me a family, which I never thought I’d have.” Just then, Peter started running onto the field; dressed in a three-piece suit and hair combed neatly unlike its normal mess.
“We’re not a conventional bunch,” Tony pointed out and Steve laughed more, “But we are a family.”
And the songbirds keep singing, like they know the score.
Peter collided into Steve because the boy possessed no brakes in his energy, and as Steve let go of Tony to pick his son up, Tony got down to one knee and took the box that Peter had been carrying.
“Steve Rogers,” Tony began, opening the box to reveal the hand-crafted twisted blue-and-gold ring, “Will you do me the greatest honor of becoming my husband, and save me from dying a horribly miserable and lonely life of a genius-billionaire-formerly-playboy-philanthropist?”
Steve laughed harder, holding Peter with one arm and using the other to wipe away his free-flowing tears.
“Say ‘yes’, Daddy!” Peter exclaimed. His small hands gripped Steve’s jaw and his fingers moved Steve’s lips as he said in a play-voice, “Yes, Papa, I will marry you.”
And I love you, I love you, I love you, like never before.
Steve pulled his face from Peter’s grip, kissing the boys forehead. He then looked back to Tony and sniffled, nodding as he answered, “Yeah. Yes, I will marry you, you crazy idiot.”
Like never before.