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“Don’t think this is going to become something we do regularly. It’s only this one time” Steve says as he takes his shirt off, his cheeks faintly pink. Then he gets to his pants, first unbuckling his belt.
“Yeah Cap, I know, I know. You’ve said it a million times. Now get on with it so we can get to the good part.” He rubs his hands eagerly and watches Steve take off the rest of his clothes.
Sensing the tension in Steve’s whole demeanor, Tony moves closer, takes his hands into his own. “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to Steve, okay? This is supposed to be something you enjoy, not dread.”
Steve takes a deep breath and closes his eyes like he wants to gather his thoughts. “Look, Tony. I love everything this new century offers but back in my time this wasn’t something men ever did.”
Tony knows there is no judgment behind his words, no ill intent, Steve is just trying to get over his own prejudices but his face scrunches up involuntarily even so. And since he was the one who suggested the whole idea, he kinda feels bad for maybe forcing Steve into something he wasn’t ready for.
A comforting hand on his chin lifts his head up, and when he meets with those blue eyes the eagerness he sees calms him a little bit, getting him excited again. A little kiss finds its way to his lips and this time he knows he’s blushing too.
“But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to try it.” he reassures Tony. “Just don’t expect it to happen again.”
Rising on his tippy toes, Tony steals one more kiss. “I’m happy to take whatever I can get.”
Fifteen minutes later, Steve is laying on his stomach when a moan he’s been trying to suppress since he first laid down escapes his lips. “Oh Tony, this feels wonderful.”
Lifting his head from the little hole in the bed, Tony turns to his side to look at Steve who is getting his calves massaged and smiles before letting his head rest back inside the hole. “Told you, you’d like a spa day. Maria dear, could you please book mani-pedis for Captain Rogers and I after our massage too?”
Tony hears a faint protest coming from his right but it's drowned by another groan. He knows he won this battle the moment Joe put on that eucalyptus oil on Steve’s body.
Once they are in their respective recliners wearing their fluffy white robes, hand and feet soaking for their mani-pedis, Steve turns to Tony, a relaxed smile on his face. “Okay, we can get massages again. But I won’t be getting a manicure or a pedicure with you again. This is the only time.”
“Sure honey.” The mocking acceptance in Tony’s voice then melts into something softer, sweeter. “You look so cute with that towel on your head by the way.” In moments like these Tony berates himself for constantly putting off his smart glasses idea, he could have taken a picture of Steve like this.
Eh, he can build one until their next spa day.
After forty five minutes the progression happens just as Tony’s expected. “Okay I have to admit my feet feel so much lighter, thank you Denise.” Steve stretches his legs out and wiggles his toes, admiring his pedi and it is the cutest thing Tony has ever seen. That is until Steve picks a nail design after his manicure is done.
Steve peels off the cucumber on his eye and looks at his fingernails. “Wow, thank you.” he says through his teeth, trying not to mess up the face mask he has on.
“You should get regular manicures, Captain Rogers. Your wounds heal, yes, but no serum can get rid of hangnails or clean cuticles for you. So what design should we do?”
“What? What design?” and the mask cracks around his mouth and on his forehead, his brows furrowed. “I am not getting a nail design on my nails!”
It is clear sometimes his boyfriend needs a little nudge in the right direction and it seems this is one of those times. “Aren’t we gonna match?” Tony asks oh so innocently, and when the beeper alerts him his gel polish is dry, he takes his hand out and proudly shows the navy color on there. “I was getting your colors on mine.”
Batting his eyelashes is a cheap trick and Tony knows Steve will see right through him, but it has proven itself to be full proof, so he just looks at the blond with huge puppy eyes and flutters his lashes. “Pretty please?”
“Just this once. You play dirty Stark.” And Steve lets his head rest back as someone cleans his face mask with a wet towel. “Can I get little Iron Man helmets please?” And it is not the effects of the mask that his entire face is red now.
After they get to the tower, Tony runs down to his workshop, those glasses will not build themselves and he can not have another cute Steve moment go by undocumented just because he was lazy.
When he reemerges a few hours later, proudly wearing the glasses, he finds Steve on the living room couch showing Nat the little Iron Man helmets on his nails. What a perfect opportunity to test out his new baby's abilities.
“J, take a picture.” And on the top left corner of his screen, a picture of Nat holding Steve’s finger and Steve having a huge dopey smile on his face appears.
3 months later
“Thank you so much Denise, excellent job as always.” Steve looks at his hands happily, then turns to Tony. “You know I was right, right?”
“How were you right? We’ve been coming here almost bi-weekly, Steve.” Honestly Tony is too relaxed to even argue against it, but old habits die hard. The smug look on Steve’s face lets Tony know somehow he is going to be in the wrong for this, so he sits up a little straighter.
“I never got nail art after that first time.” And oh God Tony doesn’t know he wants to kiss or slap that shit eating grin off his face.
He throws his hands in the air, splashing water everywhere. “That’s because you got yourself a kit and started doing it on your own!”
“Doesn’t mean I was wrong.” He shrugs.
Tony pinches the bridge of his nose, because only Steve Rogers can tense him up in a spa while getting a manicure.
Then Steve turns to him with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Oh you seem tense honey, maybe we should get a couples massage.”
“You are incorrigible Rogers. I have created a monster.” he teases with a mock horror in his voice. He had already booked the massage when he called for the mani-pedi, but he lets Steve think he won this. He can always gloat in another argument since he plans to have them for the rest of his life.