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“Any eyes on the potential breach? One who has a Mungo Jerry-like beard?”
Tony froze, the briefcase containing the Tesseract almost slipping through his nervous fingers.
Damn it . They’ve been caught. He needed to find Steve and get out of here, fast. He managed to get the Tesseract without being spotted but he wasn’t sure if Steve had the same luck with the Pym particles.
Now, if I were a supersoldier, where would I go?
Tony quickly scanned the doors with his glasses for Steve. He spotted his figure behind the door labeled Margaret Carter, Director .
Of course. Where else would he be? Tony thought wryly.
Shaking off his initial uneasiness, Tony darted into the room with Steve, just barely before the guards searching for him passed by. Tony was about to call for Steve when he noticed who he was staring at. He tentatively walked up closer and could practically feel the longing rolling off him in waves. Tony could easily explain why Steve is looking at Peggy Carter like she’s the answer to everything. What he couldn’t explain was his reaction to seeing Steve looking at Peggy Carter like she was the answer to everything.
Tony clears his throat. Loudly. “ Ahem . We’re kinda in a hurry here, Cap. They’re onto us.” He couldn’t keep the annoyance out of his voice. Why the hell was he annoyed?
Tony would’ve thought Steve heard Thanos instead with the way he practically jumped 6 feet in the air at the sound of his voice.
“Tony…yes, of course. Did you get the Tesseract?” Tony bristled in anger at the way Steve kept looking back in the direction of Peggy. He may as well be invisible. It was ironic, really. Tony Stark, a man who was never ignored by anyone, constantly vying for the attention of Steve Rogers, a man that used to be constantly overlooked. But not by Bucky Barnes. Or Peggy Carter. Tony supposes he should understand why Steve was struck by them. They saw him before the serum and accepted him.
As if they could’ve been the only ones , Tony thought bitterly.
“Yes, unlike you, I am laser-focused on this mission. So, if you’re quite finished, we need to get the Pym particles.” Tony turned to leave when Steve grabbed his arm.
“Wait, Tony. Why are you angry? I got the Pym particles. How could you question my loyalty to this mission when I was the one who brought you back in?” Steve’s blue eyes pleaded with him. Tony was always such a sucker for those eyes…
Tony shakes his head. He won’t explain why he’s angry if he’s not even sure why himself. He’s always admired Peggy Carter, as the Director of SHEILD and as his aunt. So why shouldn’t Steve? He also knows about their past together so he’s really not sure what’s wrong with him.
“I’m not angry, we don’t have time for this. Didn’t you hear me earlier? If they catch us, this would’ve all been for nothing.” Tony brushed past Steve to the door. “We may want to exit this timeline somewhere a little less obvious than the Director of SHIED. ”
Tony had his hand on the knob when Steve pulled his arm roughly away. “You say you’re not angry but then your body language and words say the opposite.”
Tony whirled around, vexed by the accusation in Steve’s voice. By the accusation that he knows is true. And he’s unfortunately starting to recognize what pesky emotion it is. Jealously . How much more ridiculous could he be ?
“You don’t need to concern yourself with my feelings , Cap. That’s no one else’s job but mine. Now, can we please just go before I have to explain to Aunt Peggy why her long-lost love from the ice is with her unborn nephew?”
Steve blinked in confusion. Huh , Tony thought, maybe I was a little too obvious with that remark .
“Is this about…me watching Peggy?” Steve looked even more confused than before when Tony said nothing to deny this.
“Tony, I’m just reminiscing on the past while we’re in the past . I never thought I would see her again so excuse me for being sentimental for one second before we charge into our potential deaths, once again.”
Tony rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I get it, you’d rather be here with her than risking your life with the Avengers. Why don’t I just drop you off circa 1942 since that’s clearly where you would rather be?” He ended the casual suggestion with a shrug, but on the inside, he was screaming in agony at the thought of never seeing him again. Tony already went through it once, and look where that got him.
Steve started running his fingers through his hair in frustration. “When did I ever say that? I’ve already moved on from this time in my life, Tony.”
Tony scoffs in derision. “Oh yeah, you seem way over it, practically giving her your famous kicked-puppy look.”
Steve had the audacity to give him the look in question ten-fold . “Why are you being like this? This beating around the bush, trying to hurt each other without actually getting to the root of the problem is the reason we had a falling out in the first place, Tony.”
Tony shrugged indifferently. “Spare me the theatrics, Steve. We’re fine. I just want to focus on the mission. Let’s go .” When Tony tried to leave once more, he felt himself being pulled back yet again.
“ No . I made the mistake of not putting you first before, Tony. I’m not making that mistake again.”
Steve rubs Tony’s arm up and down with his warm palm, making Tony shiver. He slowly turns Tony around and puts his hands on his face. Those damn blue eyes , he thought frantically. They’ll be the death of me. A space titan won’t even have the chance if those eyes have anything to say about it.
Steve strokes his face and in a much more gentle voice asks, “So, tell me, what’s wrong?”
And just like that, the floodgates open.
“I was jealous, Steve, ok?! Is that what you want to hear? That after all our seven years apart I’ve finally realized why I couldn’t stop hating Barnes even after I came to my senses and knew it wasn’t his fault. I hated him because you chose him.”
Steve stopped stroking his face and remained frozen in place.
“And the worst part of it all is, I understand why. Barnes chose you even before you were Captain America when no one wanted you to save the day at all. So did Aunt Peggy. So I get it, Steve. I understand why you're still not over the past and you want to go back in time to be with her. I get it and I’m madly jealous . Because I know I would’ve chosen you too.”
Steve's lips parted in shock at the last confession in particular.
“I know it because I got to know the man behind the shield. The one who would do anything for his friends. The one who is an amazing artist and the one who used to bring me food when I couldn’t stop working to get it myself. The one who wasn’t surprised to see me speeding to the aid of the Avengers with this mission because I could never leave this life, even if it kills me. I’m jealous because I want you to want to stay with me . With us. To stay with the Avengers because I fell in love with you, like an idiot. So there, Steve, there’s your bullshit communication -”
Tony was suddenly cut off by chapped lips on his. It was desperate, lasted about four seconds, and he’s pretty sure Steve accidentally stepped on his toes in the process. It was the best kiss he ever had. When they parted, it was the most breathless Tony ever remembered being, even after escaping death a couple of times. Steve pressed their foreheads together, equally out of breath.
“How could you possibly think I don’t know that? I know where I belong Tony and it’s definitely not in 1942. Don’t you remember what I said to you all those years ago? That I’m home . And I wasn’t talking about the compound. I was talking about the future, with you .”
Tony’s pretty sure his heart stopped for a second. Well, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time his poor heart had suffered from Steve Rogers.
“I would rather run away from death a million times over than have a peaceful life with Peggy if it meant you were by my side running with me.”
Tony's eyes widened at that. “What,” he managed to croak out. Steve resumed touching his face as if he couldn’t get enough contact now that he knew he could touch him.
“It’s true that I loved Peggy in the past, and I really was just reminiscing, not actually wishing to be with her. But I knew that I belonged here in the future the minute you asked me if I’ve ever tried Sharma. Tony, it's you that I’m in love with.”
Tony felt a weight lift off his chest that he didn’t even know was there until it was disappearing. But then he remembered.
“What about Barnes?”
Steve shook his head. “It was never like that with Bucky. I just felt that I owed him after all those times he was there for me. But Tony, I’m sorry if I ever made you feel that I was putting him first. I just didn’t want my best friend and the love of my life to kill each other. I know I didn’t handle the situation right but I swear after we get out of this Thanos situation, I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
Tony laughed tearfully. The weight was gone.
“Do you know how ironic it is that we’re doing this in Peggy Carter’s office?”
Steve laughed, choked up as well. “Well, we did break up all the Avengers for seven years because of our fight. I’d say the dramatics fit us perfectly.”
Tony smiled and suddenly his expression turned serious. “Now, I know I said we shouldn’t escape here but I don’t think we have a choice. They’re coming. Keep running from death with me? ”
Steve’s blue eyes shined from what little light spilled under the crack of the door. “Always.”
They kissed again and by the time the security guards with a confused Peggy Carter in tow burst through the door, all that remained was the curious sight of documents flying through the air to the floor.