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The first time he saw Steve, it was like a ginormous sunbeam blasted him in the face. He was gorgeous.
The problem with Tony was, he fucked up when they first met. They argued. They didn't trust each other. They weren't a real team.
But the Avengers had came a long way since New York, and so have Steve and Tony. Tony would even go as far as to say that they were friends.
The other problem with Tony was that he had feelings. Feelings for the super soldier that he desperately could not explain. He wanted the man. He wanted him in a way he never wanted anything else.
But Steve was too precious.
And Tony was a jealous jealous man.
"Come on, Steve, you are a hot shot. There's no way you don't have a line of girls waiting for you," Clint had commented one night, making Tony's ears grow hot.
Steve had laughed, clearly embarrassed. "I'm not sure about that, Barton."
"You're kidding right?" Natasha raised an eyebrow. "You're like the main event at every gala."
"Maybe he just isn't interested in random strangers," Tony had blurted, feeling oddly protective.
But Steve didn't seem to see it that way. He turned to give Tony a strange look. "Who says I don't? You aren't the only one who likes meeting people, Tony," he argued.
He felt warm and sick at even the thought of seeing Steve mingling with random women- or men -who clearly just fangirled over him and his body.
He narrowed his eyes, challenging. "Oh yeah?"
That seemed to make Steve blush, which filled him with a sense of pride. "Yeah... Yeah, I can pick up random women."
"I have to say, this is a very strange argument," Bruce noted from the counter, where he sat next to Tony.
Tony flicked him in the arm, making him jump and scoff at him. Clint just nodded and Natasha hummed in agreement. He tried not to think too hard about it.
"Why don't you prove it then? Gala season is coming up," he continued. "Pick up some random women for me, sweetheart."
His wording didn't do Steve's blushing any favors. Bruce choked on his coffee, but Tony ignored him. Clint and Nat shared a look, speaking without words.
"For you?"
"Yeah. I'm sure you know what to do, if you have so much confidence about it. Let me know about every one of them."
He plastered on a grin and winked at him, feeling sick and twisted about all of this. He knew his plan was fucked up, Steve would never be able to hold out.
But it also gave him a chance to prove his hypothesis; No one random deserves Steve Rogers.
--
And so it was, Steve- with a woman on his arm -showing off to Tony. At nearly every event.
Across the room, where Tony stood comfortably with Thor and Bruce, he would spot him; Steve. With some random woman who he definitely did not know.
"I must say, I did not expect Steve to have it in him," Bruce had said- the night of Sydney.
Sydney was a bleach blonde, wearing a long red dress with far too many sequins for Tony's liking. Steve had his arm draped around her waist, a little higher than necessary, because he was polite and was avoiding touching her ass at all costs.
"I agree," Thor nodded. "I did not expect any of these women to be the Captain's type."
"I didn't expect any women to be his type," Bruce added, and both men started laughing.
Tony short circuited. "Sorry, what? Steve is as straight as an arrow."
Bruce laughed harder at there, nearly doubling over. Tony deadpanned, because seriously it wasn't that funny. "You don't really believe that. There's no way."
Thor raised an eyebrow. "I had thought this was a dare you had set up to get friend Steve on your arm."
"What?"
He wasn't wrong, but he didn't think that was any of their business.
Steve finally caught his eye, and he couldn't help but notice the wistful look in them. The girl laughed, placing her palm on his chest, and Steve fucking stiffened.
Suddenly guilt creeped up inside him.
"Wow," Bruce huffed, shaking his head with a disgusted look on his face.
Steve turned back to whoever they were conversing with, and Tony took a long sip of his champagne. "He looks so uncomfortable."
"Because he is," a voice called from behind them.
Thor, Bruce, and Tony spun around to find Clint and Natasha finally joining them.
"Tony, this has got to stop," Clint huffed. "Just kiss him and get it over with."
Thor laughed loudly and raised his glass. "Yes! Let it commence at the feast!"
"Banquet, Thor," Bruce smiled.
"No!" Tony had yelped, voice too high.
Natasha smirked and Clint raised an eyebrow.
"I mean- I just-"
"Tony Stark are you flustered over Steve Rogers right now?" Natasha teased, grinning wickedly.
"I don't want to embarrass him! And besides, just because he's uncomfortable doesn't mean that's because he wants to be with me!" He argued. "It just means I was right. Steve isn't the hookup kind of guy."
"You'd love to know," Clint muttered, and he shot him a glare.
"It's hilarious to me that you think he's hooking up with these people," Natasha said.
God he hoped she was right.
--
"How did it go with Sydney?" He asked, feeling a little less confident about this than he wanted to.
Steve had turned pink, and avoided his eye contact, focusing on the pancakes he was pouring instead. "Fine."
"Did she stay the night?" He questioned. "I didn't see her leave this morning."
Steve's lips were thin, and his gaze was uneasy. "No, we left the gala separately."
His eyes widened, but really that just filled him with an enormous amount of glee. "Really?"
Suddenly a wall went up between them. One that Tony felt nearly suffocate them. "Why is this a joke to you?"
"I- what?"
"You clearly just wanted me to make a fool of myself! It was all over your face."
He thought he was making fun of him.
"Of course I didn't want that. Why would I want that?"
"Why else would you mock me in front of the team? Why else would you judge me from across the room at that goddamn gala?"
It was strange hearing Steve cuss. Even a simple "goddamn," just sounded absurd. It just showed how truly angry he was at him. Tony wished he didn't shrink on himself at just the sound of it.
"I wasn't! That was never my intention!"
"Then what was!"
The silence was piercing.
Tony had thought they were flirting. He had this was just some silly dare that had gotten out of hand. He didn't know Steve was hurting from the start. He didn't know this many lines of miscommunication had been crossed.
His heart was pounding in his chest. How was he supposed to turn this around now? How could he explain himself out of this one?
"I take it we're interrupting something?" A voice asked, and both of their heads snapped to see the others crowded around the hallway. Clearly waiting for them to be done.
"Yes-"
"No," Steve interrupted. "You've interrupted nothing."
And then he flipped off the burner, and left down the hallway.
Tony felt the back of his eyes burn, and that's when he knew it was coming. And god forbid he cry in front of his teammates.
He took off down the hallway to his private staircase, one that would take him to his lab faster than the elevator. He took them two at a time, not caring that it burned his chest. He nearly collapsed onto the couch, letting his face fall into his hands.
Feelings of guilt and horror filled him. He was horrible.
It was no wonder Steve didn't want to play some petty flirting game with him. He was just being a jackass.
--
Tony didn't see Steve for two days. He had thought at first that Steve was avoiding him, until he realized it was the opposite. His own self-loathing had gotten the best of him.
He hadn't eaten breakfast, lunch, nor dinner with them. He left the lab only to sleep and grab some food- after much insistence from JARVIS.
He didn't know how to apologize. He didn't know how to explain himself.
Because Steve was such a sweetheart, and Tony was only going to drive that man into the ground.
He finally left the lab for dinner, fueled only by ambition and a semi-preplanned speech he created in his mind. He expected to find all the Avengers waiting for him in the dining area, only to find the only one he truly wanted was missing.
It must've been on his face, because Bruce frowned sympathetically at him. "He said he had plans tonight."
Tony's heart nearly shattered on the spot. "Plans? What- plans?"
"With Sydney," Natasha called from the table, face contorted into a bitter look.
"But I thought he didn't..."
"So did we," Clint huffed. "We tried to talk him out of it, but he was pretty insistent. Something about proving himself."
"Where?"
"Tony..."
"Where did he go?" He snapped, a little harder than necessary.
Clint raised both eyebrows. Thor's eyes darted around the room, spoon halfway to his mouth. Bruce placed a hand on his shoulder, and Natasha smirked at him. "I'll send you an address."
--
It was raining outside of the Italian restaurant. Tony sat in his car on the curb, hands gripping the wheel, for five minutes.
He tried to talk himself out of it. Tried to convince him that this was Steve's life. This was Steve's decision. He could find his own people.
But that lingering voice of jealousy, that always seemed to get louder when it came to the super soldier, was enough for him.
He opened the door and stormed up to the door, ready to burst in, only for a voice to stop him.
"Tony?"
He spun around to find a disheveled Steve Rogers sitting on a bench outside, letting the rain nearly drench him.
"Steve," he nearly gasped.
Steve stood up and crossed the space to meet him, eyebrows furrowed. "What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing out here? Why aren't you inside, on your date?"
He wasn't fully sure why he was asking. He should've been happy to see Steve free. But instead he felt empathetic for him.
Steve shook his head slowly. "She left... I didn't bring my car."
"She left? Why didn't you call me? I would've came to get you!"
Steve shivered and smiled, "seems like you already have."
"Good lord, get in the fucking car," he chided, grabbing the man's bicep and pulling him to the street.
"Tony wait."
He stopped, releasing him just in front of the door. "What?"
"What are you doing here? I still didn't call."
"I... I don't know."
Steve scoffed at him, shaking his head again. "Bullshit."
The cursing- once again -shocked him. His eyes widened and he almost took a step back. "Excuse me?"
"You are the most calculated man I know, Tony. There's no way in heaven and earth that you didn't come here for a reason."
The truth was, he did know why he was there.
"I wanted to stop you from making a mistake."
Steve's face shifted, and Tony had to take a deep, shaky breath
"I- I don't want you to go out with these women just to prove a point to me. They aren't- They don't deserve you."
Steve's eyes darted around his face, and he felt his entire body light up like a flame.
The rain glistened against Steve's beautifully mussed hair, soaking his nice shirt, and making him look overly emotional. Or maybe- just maybe -Steve really wanted this.
Tony could feel his heart begin to race. This was it. This was how his life ended.
"Well who does?" Steve whispered.
He swallowed, willing himself to not open his loud mouth.
Turns out he didn't have to. Steve seemed to get the memo, pulling him in for the softest, most emotional kiss of his life. And the thing about Tony: he didn't do emotional kisses.
Which is why Steve was so special to him. It's why he knew no one else could have him.
They pulled apart, but Steve seemed to hold onto him like a lifeline, gripping his biceps like he was afraid he would run away. "I didn't want any of those people. I don't want random women, Tony."
He exhaled sharply.
Steve's hands moved up his arms and landed on his neck, holding him like an oath. "I want you."
And even though it was raining, he still feel Steve make the earth shine around them. He made everything glow a beautiful light.