Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“If he doesn’t want to stay, it's fine.”

“Tony, come on…”

“No, no, it’s fine. I don’t really care that much.”

“Just enough to scream about it for half an hour...”

“Pep, seriously, his life, his choice.”

“You know he have his reason to-“

“Can we just drop it, please? He wants to be free, let him be.”

“Tony, a war just ended..."

“Yeah, and I almost died to give us a chance to win without destroying an entire city."

“I know that.”

“And if that's not enough to be- if it's not enough, then I have no idea what else I can do. What else WE can do? Everyone is probably wondering the same.”

“He just needs to-"

“Yes, he told me what he needs. So, end of the story. Good job and goodbye.”

Steve Rogers rarely found himself hating the powers the serum had given him, but this was one of those few times.

He was on the balcony outside the top of the Stark Tower, sitting on the stairs still partly destroyed from the fight: Thor and Loki had fun up there and inside the building; Bruce told them that Loki 'fell' on the floor a couple of times… Clint just commented with a "smashed" between some amused coughs.

New York was recovering from the battle that took place there, trying to cope with the corpses of terrifying aliens in the streets, the destroyed buildings, and the loss of too many lives.

Steve breathed deeply, the black jacket open on the white shirt, playing with a piece of concrete he promptly let fall when someone opened the glass door behind him. He turned around while standing up.

Pepper Potts stopped in front of him with a resigned expression on her face; her long red hair loosened over the cream-colored shirt. “Captain, I-“

“Just Steve, please.”

“Steve, I’m sorry. I tried to..."

“I know. I heard.”

Pepper blinked and then sighed, “Superpower hearing too?”

“Something like that.” He smiled a bit, “But it's all right. Maybe I should be the one to apologize.”

“Tony just hates it when people don’t recognize his efforts,” she smiled patiently. “He pretends he doesn't care, but, as you heard...

"We all know he saved the city. It's not a secret.”

“Yeah, but... Maybe...” Pepper looked like she wanted to say something, then just shrugged slightly. “We're all happy that this is over... Tony just needs to celebrate in his own way.”

“I told him to go for it. He doesn't need my blessing to-"

“It’s not about that," she stopped him, her voice a bit more serious. After a moment, she continued, “Tony can be immature at times, but he's right about this. Everyone wants you to stay.”

“I'll be back as soon as I can. I just need to talk with Fury, and- try to elaborate on everything that happened. I don’t feel ready to celebrate… Not yet.”

Pepper studied him for a moment, “You’re going to leave the city?”

Steve was surprised, but again, he still used to underestimate Pepper Potts. "Was it that obvious?"

"A bit," she nodded.

“I wasn't planning on leaving the city. I'm not, I just... Need a moment to breathe. I’ll keep in touch.”

“I hope so.” Pepper took a deep breath, her expression more gentle. "Still, I wish you'd stay."

Steve looked behind her, in the attic, where Tony was screaming something at Clint. “When he calms down, can you tell him 'Well done' for me? He wouldn’t believe me anyway… Looks like I can’t talk to him for more than five minutes before start fighting again.”

Pepper smiled patiently, “That’s because he likes you.”

“Not sure about that,” Steve huffed a laugh. “It's like with his father... Their minds are like in a constant race, it's hard to keep up.”

“He can slow down. He just needs a good reason for it,” Pepper said, watching him look down. “Anyway, I'll tell him what you said to me. I’m sure he'll understand. Just take this,” she got closer and handed him a little card, “The Stark- the Avengers Tower will be always open for you, Steve. And call if you need anything.”

“I appreciate it. Really.” Steve took it, giving her a little smile. “Take care, Pepper.” He nodded goodbye and walked inside, waving a hand at Natasha and Bruce who did the same from the bar. Clint was standing next to the elevator, ready to give him a bag that he grabbed with a nod of thanks.

"Don't leave us hanging for too long, got it, Cap?" He said.

Steve nodded and watched him walk away. Taking a deep breath, he then entered the elevator and pressed the button to the first floor. Turning around, he saw Tony finishing his drink in the living room, staring at him in silence, but his cold expression betrayed a glimpse of sadness just before the doors closed.

Steve’s plans after leaving the Tower almost a week before weren’t very clear: at first, he wanted to knock out the not-so-very stealthy SHIELD agents who were keeping an eye on him and just run away... He thought of going back to where his old house should be, just to stare at the new building probably built in its place. He also thought about using the number Natasha gave him and call Peggy… Other times, when at his worst, he wished to be still in the ice because the future wasn’t as bright as the people in the 40’s dreamed about.

The war, his war, ended a long time before... He sacrifices his own life for it, just to come back and start fighting another one against aliens from another dimension.

Despite how crazy it was, the soldier inside him kept telling him to follow the orders, to fight without questioning the madness all around him because apparently, this was normal now, everyone was able to deal with it, so he had to do the same. He just needed to ignore the fact that he had been three steps away from breaking down since he woke up 80 years in the future.

He still was Captain America, but he couldn't tell if that was a blessing or a curse anymore. Did people still need him in a future where aliens and Gods were walking and fighting along with them? A future where a man in a metal suit could fly into the void, save the world, and come back with just some scratches?

Just follow the orders. The soldier’s voice was tempting.

“Captain?”

Steve blinked and looked away from the city outside the window.

“Director Fury received an urgent call. I fear will be impossible for him to see you today,” the lady in a blue dress told him with a polite smile. “Would you like to leave him a message?”

Yeah, tell him that Steve Rogers will not be available for the rest of the year. Steve just shook his head, “No, thanks. I just wanted to give him the report on the city’s status. I can leave it to you?”

“Sure.” She took it and did a quick check on it before looking back at him, “Something else I can help you with?”

“No, that’s all.” He had spent days running all over the city and the HQ in the past few days. It was a relief to finally give those documents to someone else.

She nodded and smiled a little goodbye before walking back to the elevator.

Steve looked outside again, at the gray sky over the city of Washington, where SHIELD was building the new HQ. He heard the phone ringing and took it from his pocket: the message from Clint: Party is tomorrow evening at the Tower. You’d better be there. Steve sighed and put the phone away. Sure... A party was exactly what he was in the mood for.

He walked back to his room to change into more casual jeans and shirt, closing the jacket when he left the building and the cold wind of the evening hit his face.

Riding his motorcycle was probably one of the few things that helped him calm down, looking at the road and focusing on the sound of the wind into his ears… Until he parked next to the door of his apartment building and the phone rang again, this time a call. He sighed at the name appearing on the screen, “Hey Clint.”

“You’ll be there tomorrow, right?”

“I can read, you know?”

“Well, you didn’t answer.”

“Just got home,” he dropped from the motorcycle, “but yeah, I’ll be there tomorrow.”

“Good. Nat will be mad if you don’t. And we all fear that Tony will get as drunk as he can and start crying.”

Steve smiled patiently, “I doubt that, but I don’t doubt about Natasha.”

“So you’ll come?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright. Don’t forget.”

“I won’t. Everything’s alright there?”

“You would know if you’d found a moment to come here and say hi.”

“Fury kept me busy these days. Sorry.”

“You better find a better excuse for the others, tomorrow.”

“It’s not an excuse. You know him.”

“Fine, fine. See you tomorrow then. Bye.”

Steve ended the call and breathed out before entering the building and walking upstairs to his apartment. He opened the door, closed it, and placed the shield against the wall. Home, he thought looking at the place. Some boxes were still on the floor, waiting to be emptied.

He walked to the window and then something made him frown: he placed a hand on the wall to keep his balance while his vision started to go blurry. He felt a light burn on his hand and looking down at it, he saw that the palm was almost red, as if he had touched something hot…?

Turning to the door, he found a dark figure in front of it, waiting in the dark of the apartment. “Who are you?” Steve took a step forward, only to fall on one knee, feeling close to vomit.

“Sorry, that was a bit rude, I know,” said the figure, a male voice.

“What-?” Steve tried to stand, just to fall completely on the floor.

“I need to talk to you, Captain Rogers,” the man said. “It's going to be a long chat, I fear, so you can have a nice rest before we start. We’ll have time to talk later.”

Steve was going to faint not because of the pain, he just felt sick… Incredibly, horribly sick, like the worst flu of his life that he got when he saw just a kid, but that was impossible…

“Don’t fight it, Captain. Just relax. You were so tense all this week... You should take more care of yourself.”

The serum wasn’t stopping it… The serum should have stop any sickness, the dizziness…

Still angry, Steve closed his eyes because he couldn’t do anything else but lose consciousness.

Steve woke up staring at a ceiling with a lamp turned off in the middle. The little room was quiet and immersed in a weak, gray light- hard to say if it was coming from a window behind him or some other point in the room.

He tried to move, but some big handcuffs were keeping him strapped to the bed by his wrists and ankles. Steve pulled again, but he was still feeling dizzy and weak- and he shouldn't be able to feel any of those things.

“Looks like the Captain is finally awake.”

Steve flinched a bit at the voice and tried to follow it behind him, turning his head until it almost hurt.

“No reason to panic. Everything’s fine.”

“Where am I?” Steve asked, rage filling every word, “And who are you?”

“So many questions, but I am not forced to give you any answer, am I?” Said the man while moving to sit on a chair next to him: the man had a strong accent, short sand-colored hair and dark eyes that were calm and focused on the soldier; he kept his hands in the dark long jacket when he sat down.

Steve studied him for a moment, “You better start talking.”

“Do I?”

“How long do you think you can keep me like this?”

“I would say… Until I will take that away from your arm.” The man said.

Steve followed his gaze and saw a needle in his left arm, some dark liquid dripping inside the IV bag close by. He pulled harder, trying to break free.

“Captain, please. Like I said, there is no need to panic.”

“What’s in there?” Steve yelled, “What are you doing to me?!” The last time he was in this kind of situation, he was ready to become Captain America, and it was a good thing, he agreed to do it, but still, the feelings of being a labrat under the looks of a bunch of doctors lingered. Now, he had no idea what was going on, and he surely didn't consent to be given anything.

The man looked at him until the soldier was calmer, “You want answers, and I can tell you something… Information, to help you relax.” He nodded to himself. “A good information is that I don’t want to kill you. Another one is that I will remove that from your arm very soon because, and this is another good thing to know, we have already done everything that needed to be done.”

Steve froze, staring at him.

“See? Good news. Soon you will be free to walk away.”

“What have you done to me?”

“Nothing more than what we needed.”

“Tell me what. What- who are you?” As the other just kept smiling, Steve screamed a furious “Tell me!”

“Let’s start from the beginning, shall we?” said the man, “My name is Christopher, and despite the situation, I’m very honored to know you, Captain Rogers.”

“Can't say the same goes for me.”

“I understand.”

Steve’s urge to punch that composed face was starting to drive him crazy, but also he felt his head clearer and he remembered something, “You were in my house… That was you? You poisoned me with- with what? What was that thing?”

“It was something we casually discovered, actually. It’s amazing how many things you can create with the right materials.” Christopher stared at him more seriously, “It wasn’t poison, Captain. Just something to help you relax.”

“So I should thank you for that?”

“Well, you slept a lot with the minimum use of it, so I presume you indeed needed rest. It must have been a very busy week for you.”

Steve dropped his head on the mattress, “You were following me...”

“Of course. It was part of the job-”

“What job?”

“and also we were curious to see Captain America’s ability to cope with another war," he continued, ignoring the question. "Sadly, I fear we missed the most interesting part. Aliens in New York,” he shook his head in disbelief, "What a time to be alive, right Captain?"

Steve frowned, “So you expect me to share information with you?”

“Oh no, we don’t need you for something that easy.”

“You won’t get my help for anything anyway.”

“We’ll decide that at the end of our conversation.” Christopher leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, “What we need you for, Captain, is to obtain one little thing we think you can provide to us without much trouble.”

Steve’s first thought went to the Tesseract, but that thing left the planet days before, along with Thor and Loki. He couldn't think of anything else as much as important. Unless…

Christopher smiled. “No, Captain, we don’t need your blood,” he said, as if he could read his mind. “We could get plenty of it at this moment,” he said looking at the IV for a moment.

“Why didn’t you?” Steve was confused, and nervous.

“We know the serum is a delicate matter, and we don’t need you to hunt us down to the end of the world to get it back. Our request is way easier: we just want you to take something for us.”

Steve scoffed. “You want me to steal something?”

Christopher nodded with another calm smile, “Not just something, of course. We need you to steal the New Element Anthony Stark created years ago.”

Steve’s confusion was probably clear like the sun on his face because the other nodded slowly to confirm the request. “Stark created a new element?” he asked, genuinely surprised.

Christopher sighed patiently, “Captain, we know you have read the files about all of your new friends… The Avengers, correct?”

“It didn’t say anything about a new element.”

“Forgive me, Captain, but I find that hard to believe.”

The thing was, Steve was telling the truth: the files on Tony talked about the Stark Industries, his kidnap, and his hostage days in Afghanistan where he started to create the Iron Man suit, and how Stark stopped selling weapons right after. It said something about an implant in his chest and Steve saw that blue light under his t-shirt on the Quinjet, but he didn’t know much about it, and there was much time to ask about it...

“Even if he told the world that he's Iron Man, that doesn’t mean that he likes to share much of his personal life with people,” Said Steve.

Christopher nodded slowly, “Not with you, it seems.” That said, he stood up.

Steve wished those words didn’t hurt, but they did.

Christopher moved in front of him with something similar to those tablets Bruce and Tony used, and after some working on it, he turned it for him to see: the screen showed a picture of Tony from far away, that blue light barely visible under the shirt again. Around the photo, there were drawings of something similar to a core of some sort.

“This is what Mr. Stark is hiding,” Christopher said, staring at him, “and it’s also the box that contains what we want.”

That’s the implant he has…?

Christopher lowered the screen, staring intently at him. “You really don’t know about it...”

Steve heard the curious tone in his voice and he didn't like it one bit. “Why do you need it?”

“That does not concern you.” He put the tablet away, “You just need to take it for us.”

Steve nodded with a sarcastic smile, “Sure. Free me and I’ll do it asap.”

Christopher smiled calmly again, “You will be free today, Captain, I promise you. And you will help us to obtain this little thing we need.”

“You better search for another thief. I’m sure there's plenty out there waiting for a stupid mission like this one.”

“It took us a lot of time to be prepared, Captain. Everything is settled now: you, Stark, the other Avengers members…”

Steve's eyes flashed in anger.

“Yes, we know lots of things, about your friends as well," Christopher nodded, “but we chose you for the task. I am sure that you are the perfect person for this mission, as you call it.”

Steve was still shaking his head, “I’ll pass. Betraying a teammate to help some freaks like you isn’t my style.”

“I know. I know that very well.” Christopher moved closer and started to unbutton his shirt.

Steve tried to move away from those hands calmly opening the fabric, and pushed the handcuff even harder.

“This. This makes me think that you will accept to do what we want.” Christopher said, moving to sit on the chair again.

Steve looked down at his chest: there was a barely visible scar where his heart was, as if he had been operated on recently. He stared at it for a moment and then looked at the man.

“I told you, we waited a long time before deciding it was time to start with our plan, Captain. We had a lot of time to think about everything and create the best strategy to get you to help us.”

“What have you done to me?”

“Something that will help you focus on the mission, keeping your eyes on Mr. Stark.”

Steve’s mind was spinning at full force, “What…?”

“It is an implant that will change you a bit, Captain. Altering your blood with minor risks.”

“My blood it’s already-“

“Not in the same way as the first time, no. We simply studied a way to make your body react to the New Element.” Christopher smiled as if he was explaining something truly amazing, “You will be connected to it, in a way. It took us time, and many tests to find the information we needed, but we are pretty sure that it will work.”

Steve didn’t say anything. His brain was still trying to catch up with every word he was hearing.

“If you will follow the plan, you will have nothing to fear, I promise. We just need the Element, and then you will be free again. We know how to reverse the connection too, of course.”

“How can I be- connected to an element?”

“You can see it like... An allergic reaction.” Christopher explained, “The reaction will be almost the same, except for one detail.” He stood up and stopped next to him again, “You will need to stay close to it, Captain, or you will fail the mission. Find the element, take it, and give it to us. That’s all.” A phone rang and he took it from his pocket, moving away to speak.

Steve was too confused to speak: connected to an element… allergic to it, but he needed to stay close to it or… or what?

Christopher ended the call and moved back next to him, looking calm as always. “I know it’s a lot to deal with, but we know you are a soldier- the perfect soldier, actually. I’m sure I have given you all the information you need.”

Steve nodded, “Yeah. I’m ready to punch you in the face and lock you and all your sick friends somewhere very far away from Stark.”

The other just smiled slightly, “I understand your anger, Captain, but there was no other choice. Everything is settled and everything will go as we planned. Find Mr. Stark, bring the Element to us and you will be free. You will never see us ever again.”

“If you really think-“

“You know how allergic reaction works, yes? You had some health problems in the past yourself, am I right?”

Steve tightened his fist, pulling again, starting to feel the handcuffs stir a bit. Finally.

“The reaction we created is much as simple: the more you will stay away from the Element, the more you will have problems breathing, moving, and seeing… It will be a long and stressful process because of your healing skills, I presume.” Christopher made an almost sorry face, “It could send you into a coma, or actually kill you, we weren't able to predict that fat, but I am sure you will test it yourself once we'll let you go. Please, be careful.”

“Everything's settled and you’re not sure about the consequences… or if it’ll work at all?”

“It’s still a prototype, after all. We are… 97% sure it will work,” Christopher said with an apologetic smile.

“And what if that 3% wins?”

Christopher thought for a moment, “If that happens, you will be free and we will probably need to leave this country and never come back.”

“Kidnapping me, telling me about your plans to steal the Element, threatening my team... You really think we’ll just let you get away with it? If is going to work at all?”

“It's still 97% on our favor, Captain.” He patted his arm, but his glare was now dark, “Don’t be too full of yourself.”

Steve watched him playing with the handcuff. “What are you doing?”

“I keep my promises,” he said moving away.

Steve frowned, realizing a second later that his wrists were free: he instantly got his ankles free too, pulling so hard that the little bed flipped and he was on his feet, ready to jump on that crazy man and punch him to death, but he stopped after two steps.

Christopher had the tablet out again, showing him different places, and different cameras around New York: a park with kids playing, a bank, a school, and a hospital. “Easy there, Captain.” He said softly, but looking at him with that dark glare again.

Steve stared at the screen without moving. He already knew what all that was about.

“If you kill me now, or if you try to say something to someone about our plan... Or if the worse happens and you fail the mission, these places will be destroyed.” Christopher's tone was cold but still with that shadow of politeness. “I told you we had all the time to think about every possibility.”

Steve didn’t move, hands clenched in fists.

Christopher put away the device, “I knew you would understand.”

“I won’t steal anything for you.”

“Oh? Captain America is ready to let all those people die?”

“It could be a bluff.”

“It could be," Christopher nodded, grabbing his phone. “We can easily prove it. Shall we?”

Steve watched the man place the phone close to his ear and tried to think, think about anything that could save him from the situation, but if those places were really in danger… If those people's lives really were in his hands now…

“It’s me. The Captain asked to show him-“

“Wait.”

Christopher stopped, looking at the soldier who just kept staring angrily at him. “Never mind. Yes, almost done.” He ended the call. “Good choice, Captain. We are serious enough to kidnap you, after all. If you don’t believe us, you will just need to go against the rules and see what happens.”

“You’re insane.”

“Am I? I think we just had a nice conversation here. I need you to do something for me, nothing more.”

“Nothing more aside from the blackmail.”

“We are not stupid, Captain. We know it would be impossible for us to take the Element. Stark is very good at defending himself from the rest of the world… That’s why we think that someone already inside his castle could succeed where we can’t.”

“You think I can fool him?”

“You think you can’t?”

“We fought together, that doesn’t mean-“

“That means that he trusts you enough,” Christopher continued, “and I am sure you will be able to use that to your advantage. Stark is just a man, after all. And you are the most perfect soldier ever created.” He smiled when the other just shook his head, looking away. “Still, I know it will take some time, so there's no rush. This way.” He opened the door and left it open for him.

Steve followed him down a little staircase that led him outside: they were under a bridge, it was New York. He turned around and stared at the big truck they just walked out of.

“The Tower is right in front of us.” Christopher said, pointing ahead and checking his watch, “I think the reaction will start working quickly, so don’t waste your time on any stupid decision, will you, Captain?”

“I still have faith in that 3%.”

“I know you do,” he smiled, going back to the vehicle, “and I will give you that. Only once. Have a good day.”

Steve watched him for a moment and then started to walk away. This is crazy. All of this- this has to be a nightmare... It has to be!

He reached the street while buttoning his shirt. He looked back and the truck was gone. Taking a deep breath, a hand over his chest, Steve looked up where the top of the Stark Tower was visible over the other buildings.

Steve then looked for a public telephone, going the opposite way. He needed to call Fury. Or Bruce, or Natasha, someone needed to be warned, to know what was happening and-

Steve slowed his pace, blinking: his head was spinning slightly, like the beginning of getting drunk. “Damn it…” he moved unsteadily over the closest wall, trying to focus. He needed that 3%, just that…

“Like I said, I've given you a free chance to test the device, Captain.”

Steve recognized the voice, but only feeling a needle piercing his neck gave him enough energy to move away with a half roar, falling against the wall.

Christopher put the syringe away and said with a cold face, “You now know there is no 3% and I will let you go away with this futile attempt. Only this one. I won’t help you again.”

“What’s in the syringe?”

“Something that will help you stay alive long enough to reach the tower, as I asked you,” Christopher said, sitting on a nearby bench, looking at the people walking around in the morning traffic. “Next warning will be an explosion in this beautiful city you fought so much to protect. We're not joking, and we are ready to prove it to you.”

“What if I decide to die, then?”

“Here? Now?” The other looked a bit surprised, considering those words. “Well, it could be a solution, I guess. In that case, we will feel obligated to help you.”

Steve frowned a moment and suddenly there was pain spreading into his whole chest, strong enough to make him bend forward a bit.

“We have control over that little thing we put under your skin, and we really can't afford to lose it. I'm sure you understand.”

“You son of a-“

“Don’t be rude, Captain, we are in the street. Kids could hear you.”

Steve kept a hand over his heart and just waited, looking down.

“So, we need to help you or not?”

“No.”

“Good. Very good. We will stay in touch and be ready for it, just in case.” Christopher stood up, “We are not joking around, Captain. Do not do anything stupid again. I say this for your own good, and the other’s too.”

Steve felt the pain starting to lessen. He looked up, but Christopher was gone, disappearing through the crowd of people. He grabbed tightly the fabric of the shirt and took a deep breath before looking up at the tower again.

For now, there was no other choice.

Chapter Text

The Stark Tower was busy as always, with people already starting to repair damaged walls and windows on the first floor; luckily, the building had been spared for the most part during the battle.

Steve knew Pepper could be around as well, and only the thought of having to talk to her made him nervous during the entire walk to reach the elevator. He knew it would have been hard to hide from her how angry and shocked he still was.

The reaction to the Element started hurting again when he entered the tower… He was still too far away from the New Element? From Tony… If he was actually there. What if he wasn’t in the Tower? What if Christopher was wrong and Tony just left without warning anyone and-

The elevator stopped with a low ding. The living room on the top floor appeared behind the doors and he took a step out, feeling better.

Steve looked at the doors closing behind him and took a deep breath, hardly keeping under control the need to push the button again and run away. He straightened his back instead and tried to look at least half-normal.

“Hey.”

Steve barely held back the instinct to throw a punch directed at whoever talked to him. “Clint.” He said turning around, relieved, but an actual punch was the answer he got, and he wasn’t ready to stop that too. He sighed, passing the side of the hand over his cheek, looking tiredly at the agent, “Nice to see you too.”

“Where the hell have you been?”

Oh, if only I could tell you…

“Seriously. What the hell?” Clint said, shaking the hand that he used to punch him, hurting himself more than anything.

Steve took a breath, trying to buy time. He was still so confused, so angry, that he forgot to think about all the lies and excuses he probably needed from now on. He didn’t had time to think about anything aside from keep going.

“I... I was stuck in some research.”

“For three days?”

Steve blinked. "What?"

Clint shook his head in disbelief. “You completely forgot about the party and then, what? You just thought that running away for three days could save you from Natasha?”

“I-”

“Because you’re lucky, she got a call yesterday and she’s off for a mission right now.”

Three days…

“I asked to search around for you because missing the party was really a shitty move, and no one could reach out to you. Where have you been?”

I have lost three days…? Three days with those people putting devices on me- inside of me, and now...

“Steve?”

He looked back at him when he felt a hand over his arm and moved away from it. Clint’s expression was hesitant now and that wasn’t good. He couldn't risk it, not so soon. “Sorry. I know, I’m sorry I missed it, I… I got a lead on some friend of mine, old friend… I mean, actually old.” He forced out a little smile, but the other just kept staring. “So, yeah, I... I end up in a little town, talking about the good, old times with a happy grandfather of four kids.”

Clint stared intently at him. “You could have told us.”

“My phone died.”

“Geez, Cap…” Clint shook his head a bit and the other looked down. “Look, ok, I get it- finding an old friend of yours was great, but we were all waiting for you. You could have at least called.”

“I know… I'm sorry.” Steve nodded slowly.

“You hurt Tony’s feelings, you know?”

“God help me…” Steve said, smiling tiredly, but the smile faded almost instantly. Tony was too much of a touchy subject at the moment to laugh about him.

“Yep. Good luck apologizing to him.” Clint zipped up his jacket and looked better at him, up and down. “Aren’t you freezing?”

“Ah- no, I'm fine.” Not the smartest idea to run back to the tower after three days, wearing just jeans and a simple shirt, but at least he could blame Christopher for that.

“Serum magic?”

“Yeah…”

“Nice. Well, I’ll let you handle the mad inventor. SHIELD has been calling for me since yesterday.” That said, he walked in the elevator.

“It's only me and him up here?”

“Bruce left this morning, not sure if he's coming back later." Clint watched him nodding and used a hand to stop the doors from closing. "Are you sure you're ok, Cap?" he asked again, unsure.

"Yeah." Steve said, forcing himself to meet his eyes. "I just... I'm really sorry about the party."

Clint kept staring, waiting another moment before leaving the doors. “I'm sure he'll forgive you. Just, don’t disappear again, alright? Fury was ready to call us into a rescue mission.”

"We studied everything, Captain. We’ve done all of our homework.”

Steve could hear Christopher’s voice in his mind. He nodded at Clint before the elevator’s doors closed. Of course, they knew better not to alarm SHIELD and all the Avengers. He was Captain America, after all... He was probably on constant watch all the time. And, clearly, not only by SHIELD.

Steve slowly passed his fingers over the scar on his chest and sighed again. “JARVIS?”

“Welcome back, Captain Rogers. How can I help you?”

“Thanks. Where’s Tony?”

“He is busy with a maintenance problem at the moment.”

“Can you tell him that I’ll wait here for him?”

“Of course.”

Steve nodded and walked to the bathroom, closing the door and turning the key three times before looking at himself in the mirror: he looked slightly pale, with messy hair and only half of his shirt inside the trousers. How Clint let him go without much of a question was a mystery to him. In such a state, he was at least giving a very wrong impression…

He sighed and washed his face, smoothing his hair a little and the clothes. Before wearing back the shirt, he looked at the line over his heart: the wound healed already, but the scar was still there, visible like never happened with any other wound he got in the past. It was because of the reaction to the Element? Or maybe something with the device Christopher was so proud about…

Something wasn’t right. Something more than the nightmare he was living now. It was something else… Those freaks sure weren't able to reform or change the serum… right?

Steve shook his head and lowered his shirt again, straightening his back before leaving the bathroom, trying to look a bit less desperate.

“Look who’s still alive.”

Steve stopped in the hall, finding Tony in the little kitchen. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Tony repeated thoughtfully, the coffee mug halfway to his mouth. “I don’t know if I should feel proud of such a manly greeting, or offended because I was expecting something more.” And there it was: the Stark-look standing for You fucked up and I’m ready to go full drama about it.

Steve moved closer, “Sorry, I was-“

“I know, don’t worry, no need to repeat that again.”

“You… You know?”

“I heard you talking with Clint.” Tony took a sip of his coffee. “My tower, eyes everywhere, remember? Well, almost everywhere.”

Steve stopped when there was only the table between them. “Yeah, I… I remember.” He actually didn’t, and he better keep that in mind, if he wanted to prevent more destruction in New York. He couldn’t risk being spotted.

“So, how was the trip?”

“Ah, good. Wasn’t very far away… I lost time finding the right house.”

“I thought you didn’t want to search for your old friends.”

“I guess I changed my mind.”

“Clearly... Four kids, uh?”

“Worse than an army... But he can handle it.”

“I’m sure he can. Who’s he, by the way?”

Steve blinked, then shrugged, “Just an old friend.”

“And he wasn’t surprised to see you walking and, you know, breathing?”

“He was. Luckily, I didn’t kill him with a heart attack.”

Tony scoffed a laugh, “Well done.”

Steve allowed himself to relax just a bit, but then couldn’t stop himself from looking down at the blue lights visible under Tony’s t-shirt: that was the reactor… the New Element. It really was so important? He wasn’t feeling different right now…

“Captain, you still here?” Tony waved a hand over his eyes and he blinked again, looking up at him.

“Just thinking about- never mind. You said something?”

“I asked if you’re okay.”

“Yeah. Yes, I'm fine.”

Tony frowned a bit, studying him, looking at his chest for a moment.

Steve instantly felt the panic rise: Tony created the Iron Man’s suit after all… Maybe he could feel the device hidden under his skin somehow? Maybe JARVIS could? Oh God, JARVIS sure could see it. He probably was in the most technologic building of the U.S.A., for Lord’ sake-

Tony didn’t miss his tension, “Are you sure you’re-“

“I’m sorry.” Steve blurted out, looking straight at him. “For the party. I- I miss it. I could’ve warned someone but I forgot.”

Tony blinked a couple of times and then nodded, “I heard that. Not a problem.”

“Still, I should’ve called.”

“You should’ve but, c’mon, we all knew you’d rather skip it.”

“I don’t. I just found the lead to a friend and-“

“A friend without a name.”

“and I wanted to try and follow it. It was important.”

“I know. That’s why I said that it's fine.”

“You say it, but you don’t mean it.” And that was something he should have kept for himself because Tony’s expression became colder.

“Well, I’m sorry if I was the only one saying that no, our Captain would’ve come to celebrate the victory after a war against aliens, he sure wouldn’t miss it.”

“I was going to join you, I just-”

“You have your priorities, I get it, we all get it, aka: it's fine.” Tony stopped him, now angry. “I’m the last person that can blame you for staying away from this Adventure Team we are part of, anyway, so don’t bother. Have a nice day. You already know where the exit is, right?” That said, Tony walked away. Conversation over.

Steve watched him disappear into the laboratory upstairs and only then did he lean against the table. The nightmare was just getting worse and worse.

Steve didn’t choose to ignore the fact that he lost three days after his kidnap- he had to, for his own mind’s sake. He couldn’t remember about them anyway, or at least that’s what he thought.

He started to have flashes of memories during the night: a dark room, cold air, people coming and going; he couldn’t move, he couldn’t scream and then he couldn’t see either…

Steve jumped up and hit something with his head- something that yelled in pain. He was ready to see Christopher smiling politely at him, but he found someone else instead.

“Dammit…” Tony was sitting on the floor next to the couch, a hand over his forehead.

“Captain Rogers is awake, Sir.” Said JARVIS, with kind of a light pleasure.

“I can see that…” Tony murmured.

Steve was looking around and slowly started to calm down: he was in the living room on the top floor of the Stark Tower, wearing the same clothes he had after Christopher let him go.

“Thanks for the headshot,” Tony nervously said, back on his feet.

The Captain forced himself to bury the tension somewhere. “I think I fell asleep.”

“You fell asleep here yesterday afternoon.”

“...What?”

“You came back after disappearing for three days and then fell asleep on my couch for almost thirteen hours straight. Steve, what’s going on?” Tony raised his arms in resignation.

Steve passed his hands over his face, grateful that Tony had not left for Europe while he was sleeping. “I guess I was more tired than I thought.”

Tony stared at him, completely unimpressed, “That’s it?”

“Sorry, next time I’ll ask your permission to fall asleep on your couch...?”

“I didn't mean- I’m too sober for this.” That said, Tony turned around and walked to the kitchen.

Steve moved his legs out and stood up, but his head started to spin for a moment and he fell back down on the couch.

“Look, I know we are all a bit shaken up from the battle, but you’re supposed to be the one ready for everything and keep us going.” Tony placed two cups on the table, pouring the coffee in one, then looking at him, “Please, no rush.” He said sarcastically.

Steve just ignored him, waiting for the dizziness to pass. At least Tony couldn't see his face.

“And by the way, I’m not saying that you need my permission to sleep here- there, on the couch, or wherever you want in the Tower. I just thought that you went back to home yesterday. Fury told me that you-”

“Did you leave the tower this morning?”

Tony put down the cup, breathing hard, “Yes. Is that a problem for you?”

Yes, a big problem. “No. I think I woke up for a moment and… I don’t know, maybe I heard you talking.” He couldn’t start questioning where he went or for how long, he just couldn’t, but the dizziness was a hint to know that Tony had left. Luckily, just for a bit.

Tony kept staring at him in silence.

Steve stood up and turned to him. “Do I need to ask your permission to use the bathroom too?”

“I give up. Really. I’m out of here.” Tony just grabbed his coffee and kept murmuring to himself while leaving the hall to go back upstairs.

Steve smiled a bit because he needed to. The other choice was to start crying and screaming.

Once out of the bathroom, refreshed and more awake, feeling somewhat normal again, Steve looked up, able to see only Tony’s back, still busy on who knows what. He then looked around, unsure.

“There are some clean clothes for you, Captain. On your left,” JARVIS informed him and the soldier found them on a chair nearby. “Mr. Stark asked for them. He wasn’t sure it would be the right decision.”

Steve smiled more sincerely. “Thank you,” he said, changing the old shirt to a clean and fresh- Stark Industries t-shirt. Steve stared at the logo on his chest and, just like that, it hit him: he couldn’t waste any more time. He had to find a solution to this nightmare. He should've started thinking about it yesterday.

Christopher said that they didn’t want him to rush things, but it was clear that sooner or later they would’ve started asking about the New Element and pressuring him with the bombs threat.

Tony wasn’t an enemy, and Steve would never steal anything from him, especially not something he created, something so important. Despite how painful and risky it could be, he needed to find a solution while staying at the Tower.

“JARVIS?”

“Yes, Captain?”

“Tony will stay in the lab today?”

“Usually he spends most of the day on his projects, yes.”

Steve nodded, “Can you inform me if he’s going to leave?”

A moment of silence, “May I ask the reason for such a request?”

“I’d like to visit the tower for a bit... And I’ll need to talk to him later.” Steve tried to keep it cool but was terrified to hear JARVIS’ voice sound almost suspicious.

After a moment of silence, the AI calmly said, “Of course. I’ll warn you if Mr. Stark will be called outside.”

Steve started to breathe again and after one last look at the lab, he walked to the elevator, starting to descend the Tower one floor after another.

That’s how he spent the rest of the morning: he could see the confusion on the employee’s faces, watching Captain America in casual clothes (the Stark Industries t-shirt probably wasn’t helping), walking around the Tower like a tourist, asking information about the structure or about the status of it after the battle... At some point, after three or four floors, Steve opted for the stairs, trying to get less attention, and so he kept going down until he started feeling dizzy; one more floor and the vision started to get blurry.

Steve slowly walked back upstairs: five floors before starting to feel sick. From the information he got about the Tower, that was around fifteen meters.

Not quite happy, but more confident at least about the new range of action, he returned to the top floor just to find Pepper standing in the middle of the hall, reading some documents. “Good morning.”

She looked up, surprised, “Captain- Steve. You’re here...?”

“I’m not making it easy for you and Tony, am I?”

“No, I didn't mean that...” She looked at the lab for a moment. “Tony told me you were around the Tower for a tour and I thought he was joking.” She smiled, still a bit confused.

Steve blushed a bit. Somehow, he was sure that a tour of the Stark Tower would be the less embarrassing thing he would have needed to do in the near future. “Just trying to get used to- all this. After the battle, I realized I still missed a lot.”

“I know… I mean, I understand. The first time I saw Tony’s lab was like stepping years into the future-” she closed her eyes for a moment, regretting her words, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, that was… That was just a horrible and- and sad joke. And not intentional.”

“It wasn’t too bad,” Steve smiled. Pepper Potts was so honest sometimes, and so caring about Tony and his work, maybe more than the man himself was... He was lucky to have her on his side. “True, though. This is probably the best place to learn something useful. Hope you and Tony don’t mind.”

“I don’t, and I’m sure he doesn’t either. I think he’s just- trying to get used to your presence.”

Sooner the better, Steve thought. “I know… It wasn’t planned. Did he say something? Does he want me to leave or...?”

“No, don’t worry. It won’t be a problem having you here,” Pepper said, but there was also a hint of determination in her eyes, as if she wanted them to get closer... Maybe know each other better and stop fighting each other every time they meet. “And if you have some questions, you can ask JARVIS, or me, if I'm around… Or you can ask Tony as well, I’m sure he will be happy to help.”

“I hope so."

Pepper smiled again, “Enjoy your stay, then, and… Well, try to be patient with Tony. See you next time?”

“Sure. Thanks for your help.”

“Don’t mention it.” She walked to the elevator and waved a hand at him before the door closed.

Steve breathed deeply and looked at the clock: kind of late for lunch, but he was hungry. Looking at the kitchen, Steve realized that he should be starving by now, since the last time he ate was almost four days before... Probably Christopher and his friends cared enough about his well-being to keep him fed via IV... Steve shivered at that thought.

“Can I help you, Captain?” JARVIS asked, making him jump a little. “Mister Stark doesn't bother to refill the kitchen very often.”

“No, I… It’s fine.” Steve kept staring at the half-empty fridge of the kitchen. He couldn't leave to go eat outside either...

“If I may, I can order almost everything for you and receive it here at the Tower at any moment," JARVIS informed him.

“Really?”

“Of course. I would recommend Italian.”

Steve sighed, relieved. “Sure. Italian would be nice…” he shut the fridge's door, “And I think I have another idea…”

Tony was staring at the screen with a nervous glare, arms crossed on his chest while tapping one foot on the floor. He then frowned, sniffing the air, “JARVIS?”

“Sir?”

“The Tower is burning down?”

“No, I think that’s my fault.” Steve saw the other jump a bit and turn around. He stopped in the doorway, pointing downstairs. “Hungry?”

Tony blinked twice, “What?”

“JARIVS suggested Italian food. Want some?” Steve never felt so fake and stupid. He couldn’t do it, lying wasn’t in his DNA... Probably the only thing the serum couldn’t change.

“Italian, uh?” Tony waved a hand over the screen that slid away, disappearing. “Can’t say no to that. It’s from Teddi’s, right?”

“Yeah. JARVIS said you know it.”

“I know where to spend my money, thank you very much," Tony said, walking down to the kitchen with him. “I thought you were too busy walking around to even remember to eat...”

“To be honest, I almost did.” Steve started to put all the boxes of food from the bags on the table, “Same goes for you. You didn't even have breakfast, did you?”

“Oh, so you spy on me now?”

“Pepper told me once you forget to eat when you work.”

“Maybe I have stashes of food upstairs.”

“If there was, your lab would be a mess of chips and hamburgers.”

“Wow. That's a low blow, Captain,” Tony commented with a grin, putting two glasses and a bottle of water on the table and starting to eat.

Steve sat down as well, enjoying the food, thankful that JARVIS told him about it. He needed to at least try to get around Tony without looking suspicious… He looked up for a moment and stared at the reactor again. That light was almost hypnotic.

“What were you searching this morning?”

Steve blinked, looking at him, “What?”

“Come on, it wasn’t really just a casual tour...”

“Why not?”

“Because it's-” Tony dropped his shoulder, swallowing a meatball, “Are you serious?”

“I saw all lots of stuff around- stuff I barely know anything about, so... I just thought it was worth it to take a look.” Steve said and saw him just stare with the water cup halfway to his mouth. “I mean, SHIELD helped me with the basics after I woke up, and I know Google is kind of the JARVIS for the rest of the world…”

“Woah, there. You’re hurting his feelings.”

“I'll take it as a compliment,” JARVIS itself said.

“It was. Google was very helpful, but- I can’t exactly go looking around SHIELD headquarters. And I get that, it's just…” Steve shrugged, “I don’t know. You said this will become the Avenger Tower, so I thought that I could walk around?” The strange thing was that he was being honest about this: he knew he was free to go in and out of SHIELD whenever he wanted, but he knew as well that many things were kept hidden from him...

Tony kept staring at him for a moment, then realized what he was doing and looked down at the food, clearing his throat, “You can do that. Walk around. It’s not a problem. Weird maybe, but not a problem. It's not SHIELD. Got nothing to hide in here.”

Steve wished he could say the same about himself. He tried to stay focused on the discussion and nodded. “I appreciate it.”

Tony ate another meatball. “Well, I- I need to finish my work. Enjoy the rest of the food.” And he walked away with the glass of water.

Steve didn't have the time to say anything else, watching him disappear in the lab again. He sighed, but being honest about something felt good, especially considering the situation. He genuinely wanted to get closer to Tony, to understand him… But that surprised, quite relieved expression on Tony’s face, just a moment ago, almost made him throw all the food away from the table.

After the late launch, Steve followed Tony in the lab, asking if he could use a computer, but the inventor just waved a hand at the multiple laptops scattered around saying, “Pick one and have fun.” Without looking away from the screen he was focusing on.

Steve did and left him to his work, sitting on the couch again. Relieved that the laptop wasn’t too different from the computers he had been using lately, he managed to check his emails and the situation of the city… It would have taken some time before going back to normal in New York- especially having to deal with a new concept of the Universe, but most people would have learned to live with it and move on. That's how it always works.

At dinnertime, Steve was still working on the laptop when Clint called, telling him that Fury was curious to know where he was hiding.

“I don’t mind keeping him on the edge, but knowing if you’re a man on the run would be nice," Clint added.

“I’m not. I just wanted some time away from there.”

“And with there you mean SHIELD or Fury’s eye specifically?”

“Let’s say both. They keep me under control like-” a lab rat, “like I’m an enemy.”

Clint stayed silent.

“I did what I had to. We fought and we won. There’s no other emergency at the moment, right?”

“Not now, no. Everything’s fine. Fine as a city after a war can be.”

“If you need, just call me.”

“Alright…” Clint was still thinking about something else, but then seemed to change his mind. “I guess they thought you’d stayed around to scare all the recruits barking orders for a while.”

Steve huffed a laugh, “They already have great teachers if that's what they need.”

“You sure you’re ok?”

That took Steve by surprise for a second. “Yes.”

“Tony’s still alive?”

“Yes, he is.” Steve patiently said.

“Ok then… I’ll let you know if something happens. Isn’t it nice to have a phone again?”

“Fury or a phone… Freedom is really not an option anymore.”

“Oh, shut up. It’s a Stark phone, right?”

“Yeah, Tony gave it to me… Almost threw it at me when I told him I’d lost the other one.”

“Then it’s fine. He is obsessed with security so that phone is probably safe.”

“I guess.” Steve nodded, and then a thought hit him: if that phone was safe, maybe he could talk about what was happening. Maybe he could…

“Well, see you around-“

“Clint wait.”

“What?”

Steve kept staring at the computer, wondering if it was worth risking it all for a phone call. Those bombs were still out there… How many lives would’ve been in danger…?

“Steve?”

He tightened his grip on the phone and heard a light crack from it that took him back to the present, “Nothing. I think I forgot what I wanted to ask you.”

“Don’t you hate when it happens?”

“Yeah. See you around.” Steve ended the call and put the phone against his forehead, closing his eyes. He needed to make sure it was safe to talk with that phone, but how? He knew nothing about technology, every time he had a question, he would ask Tony… Sadly, at that moment, he couldn't ask him for help. He was lucky enough that Tony wasn’t suspicious about him yet, letting him stay at the Tower...

"That means that he trust you enough.”

Steve opened his eyes, hearing another crack on the phone, over Christopher’s words echoing into his mind...

“And I am sure you’ll be able to use that to your advantage.”

He dropped the phone on the couch, somehow managing not to throw it at the wall. Taking a deep breath, Steve tried to calm down. On a normal day, he would've been glad to know that Tony trusted him. In any other situation, he really would’ve been. Any situation but this one.

It was past midnight when Steve finally closed the laptop.

He stretched and passed both hands over his eyes, looking down at his clothes. If he was actually going to stay there for a while, maybe it was time to get some of his belongings... The problem was, how to collect them from his apartment?

Steve stood up and looked at the lab, with just one light still on. He climbed the stairs until he stepped inside: the big room was quiet, with the only light coming from a PC screen. Tony was sitting at the desk, head resting on his arms crossed on the metal surface, asleep.

Steve sighed, moving closer to him. “Tony?” no answer. “Tony, you shouldn’t be sleeping here,” he said with a low voice, trying to stay awake himself. When the inventor didn’t even flinch, he looked around, “JARVIS?”

“Yes, Captain?” even the AI was talking slowly and quietly.

“Tony usually falls asleep in the lab?”

“Very often, yes.”

Steve sighed, watching him with tired eyes, “He's gonna kill me if I wake him up?”

“Mr. Stark fell asleep thirty minutes ago. I would recommend to let him sleep until he wakes up on his own. It will be soon.”

“How much soon?”

“Sometimes, not more than four hours.”

“If he sleeps on a chair, I'm not surprised...”

“Mister Stark likes to say that, and I quote, sleep is overrated.”

“Right…” Steve yawned and looked at the sofa against the wall. It was big enough for a person to lie on it. “Come on, I’m not going to let you sleep on a table,” he said and moved to help him stand.

“Mhh not the salad…” Tony murmured, head lolling aside.

“No, no salad.” Steve helped him down: Tony murmured something else and then turned to face the back of the sofa. Steve sighed and turned around, noticing a black jacket, probably Tony’s. He grabbed it and let it fall on the man.

Steve turned to leave, but couldn’t stop himself from looking around the lab: the pc screen was still on, same for a little Iron Man’s virtual prototype slowly spinning and floating in a corner; then, he spotted a printed scheme of the reactor left on another table and sat down to look at the complicated project... Glancing at Tony's back, Steve sighed, leaning against the back of the chair, letting his eyes close just for a moment...

And after what felt like just a second, he jumped awake because of another nightmare.

Breathing fast, Steve quickly looked around: a weak light was coming from the living room downstairs. Steve looked down and the reactor's design project instantly make him remember everything. Taking a deep breath, he looked the other way and froze.

Tony was sitting on the couch, awake, the jacket over his crossed legs and a Stark Pad in hand. His eyes moved up, and that cold, serious look was quite worrying. “’Guess I had a guest during the night.”

“I saw you sleeping at the desk… I thought-“

“You thought that I needed to be put to bed like a good kid?”

Steve’s mind was still only halfway there, and catching up with Tony, already fully awake, wasn’t easy. “I thought that it wasn’t the most comfortable place to sleep, so I helped you to the couch.”

“That’s what I saw from the recordings.” Tony left the Pad next to him and crossed his arms, “I usually don’t say this, but it was kinda creepy.”

Steve raised an arm, just to let it fall again on the table with a sigh, “I just wanted to help… Sorry if it was so creepy to you.”

“It’ll be if you start coming into my lab in the middle of the night and drag me around.”

Steve looked tiredly at him, “The couch was two steps away from your desk...”

“Well, I didn't appreciate it.” Tony kept looking at him with a serious glare, then he shook his head, “What’s your problem? Just tell me.”

“What problem?”

“Clearly there’s something wrong here and I’d like to know what it is," Tony said, standing up.

Steve tried to stay calm. “Nothing’s wrong. I just-“

“You didn’t leave the Tower for two days.” Tony ignored him, coming closer and closer, “The politeness, the friendly talk with me and also with Pep… I need to arrange something for you two?”

Steve stood up as well, feeling the point of the discussion moving in the wrong direction, “What? No, of course not, we just-“

“And the food, the feeling safe here, the nanny ready to put me to sleep… You’re wearing a Stark t-shirt, for God’s sake, Rogers, what the hell is going on here?”

Steve backed against the table, falling sat on the chair again with Tony hovering over him ready to make him spill the truth. “I…” Staring at Tony's eyes, Steve almost screamed everything out, everything about Christopher, the device over his heart, the plan to steal the reactor… How easy it would be now, with the New Element shining right on his face…

Tony moved even closer, “I swear if you start with some other bullshit-“

“I just wanted to stay here," Steve said after a second. Tony didn’t move. “I know, I should’ve asked you about it... Pepper told me it wouldn’t have been a problem for me to stay, even if you were here too, so...” I can’t leave, please, I can't! Don’t kick me out or I have no idea what will happen.

Tony was still towering over him, but then he blinked and there was a lot of confusion on his face. “You want to live here?”

“Just for a while...?”

“In the Tower?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Well, it’s- it’s the closest thing to a home that I think of at the moment.” Surprisingly, Steve felt a bit of truth in those words. SHIELD never felt like home, and the apartment was his house, yes, but still not home. He wondered if he would have ever been able to call home a place again.

Tony was still staring at him, and it was almost possible to hear his brain trying to understand what was happening.

Steve swallowed down the tension, “But if you want me to leave...”

“I don’t- you can stay if you want, but…” Tony took a deep breath and sat on the chair close by, "Couldn't you just tell me?”

“It wasn’t planned...”

“I’m making rooms for all of you downstairs; they’re not ready yet, but I have a few on this floor you can use instead of the couch. You just had to ask.”

Steve looked at him, surprised, “Really? Rooms for all of us?”

“It’s a big tower, if you didn't notice, and it will be the Avenger Tower in a few months, so...” Tony sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes.

Steve saw a few areas of the lower floors were closed, but he thought that was just space related to Stark Industries.

“I need a coffee... You were driving me insane.” Tony shook his head, walking downstairs.

“Me? Why?” Steve asked, following him.

“All that kindness, the good vibes… I was starting to think you wanted to kill me or something.”

Steve stopped for a second on the stairs, trying not to think about that. “Kill you? We even had dinner together...”

"It could be poisoned."

"And clearly it wasn't."

“Oh, so there was another secret meaning? For some people, sharing food is like a declaration of love, you know?” Tony took two cups from the kitchen and put them on the table.

“And you’re one of those people?” Steve commented with a sarcastic, patient smile. They both realized the joke was getting awkward when their eyes met and they looked away at the same time.

“I’m not. I think. Well, it depends," Tony murmured, preparing the coffee machine.

Steve sat down at the table with a light smile, feeling calm enough to breathe normally again. “So… It’s ok for me to stay here for a while?”

“Rooms are at the end of the corridor. Pick one and leave the poor couch alone.”

“Alright… Thanks.” Steve said, watching Tony put a steamy coffee cup in front of him without a word before going back upstairs with his own.

Steve took a deep breath, relieved, then grabbed his phone and made a call. “Hey- no, he’s still alive. Yes… no, I- I need to ask you a favor.”

“Cap, what the hell?” was the greeting Clint gave him when arriving at the top floor of the Stark Tower that same, late morning.

Steve tried to hide a smile: the poor archer had two big bags in his hands, plus his Captain America’s shield on the back. “’Morning.”

“’Morning? It's- can you explain to me what the hell is happening?” Clint asked, walking, towards him- or trying to.

“It’s a bit complicated…”

“I’m doing the damn servant here, make an effort.”

Steve took a bag from him, “I’ll stay here for some days, so I needed some clothes.”

“You're staying here?”

“Yeah.”

“Here like- here at the Tower?” Clint asked again, following him down the corridor and then into a large room illuminated by a big window on the right. “I thought you needed your things before starting a mystic journey or something.”

“A what?” Steve frowned, leaving the bag on the bed.

“I don’t know. Maybe you wanted to go search for other friends of yours,” Clint did the same with the other one.

“No, I just need some time in a place where SHIELD can’t enter.”

Clint stared at him with a serious face, “They know you’re here?”

“Probably, yeah,” Steve nodded. “It's still Fury we're talking about...”

“Well, you have Tony spying on you now, don’t know if that’s better or worse.”

“It's been actually better so far- not that he is spying on me... I hope?"

"And he's okay with you staying here? You just asked him or...?"

“I did, and he said yes. Did you know he’s making rooms downstairs for all of us?”

“Yeah. He told us during the party you missed. He was trying to convince Bruce to stay as well.” Clint said, looking around, "I should join you too when it's all ready.”

“It would come in handy to have a place for the team to meet- outside SHIELD,” Steve commented while checking the clothes in the bag.

Clint looked at him for a moment, then took something from the pocket of his jeans. “Here. I didn't even have to enter through the window,” he said handing him a little key. “We’re in the future now, in a big city. Please, don’t put any of your keys under the doormat.”

“Noted.” Steve nodded, taking the key with no idea of what to do with it. Or when and if he would’ve been able to use it again.

“You weren’t very specific, so I just took everything that looked useful. And good.”

“That’s fine. I’ll take the rest by myself.” As if he could leave the tower whenever he wanted...

Clint nodded, "Oh. This one too," and took off the shield from the back, giving it to him.

Steve accepted it with a light smile, and then grinned at the agent, “It feels nice, doesn't it?”

“I would lie saying that it doesn’t," Clint said with a sigh. “The uniform is in the bag too. I think Tony should have another one around here... Not sure.”

“Why should he…?”

“He designed most of our equipment. Not only weapons, you know?”

Steve stared at the shield until a loud siren suddenly echoed through the entire floor three times before stopping.

“Ow… What the hell was that?” Clint groaned.

“Something happened," Steve said, running outside the room.

“And probably something bad. Just guessing," Clint said, following him to the living room.

Tony was coming downstairs as well. “Looks like another superhuman is running around the city. Clint, why are you here?” he asked with a screwdriver in one hand.

“I missed you," he answered with a wink.

“You mean someone with super powers?” Steve asked.

“That's what I meant. Fury asked to be ready, just in case,” Tony said, and then, pointing the screwdriver at the agent, “Liar.” To which Clint just responded with a resigned “I am”.

Steve was looking outside, then back at him, “Are you sure Fury doesn’t want us to go check on it?”

“He said SHIELD got this…” they stared at each other and Tony sighed, “Yeah, I know. They rarely got things, that’s why I’ll go to see how’s the situation myself. I’ll call you if we need help.” And walked outside, on the balcony.

“I’ll go too. See you there,” Clint said, reaching the elevator.

“Join us, Captain?” Tony asked him, stopping on the round base from which the parts of the armor started to come out and assemble on his body.

“Yeah. Where to?”

“Close to Central Park. Take the communicator, it’s in lab. I fixed it.”

Steve nodded, turning to run upstairs, and suddenly he remembered. “Tony, wait!” he looked back, but Iron Man was flying in the sky already.

“Just need to follow him. Ok...” Steve ran back to his room, grabbing the shield without even wearing his uniform, and when he started to go upstairs to retrieve the comm, his vision started to get blurry, “Oh c’mon…” he stopped, slowly losing his balance, wondering how far Tony could be right now.

“Captain, is something wrong?” JARVIS asked.

“No… No, it’s fine.” Steve forced himself to stand. He couldn’t faint there, with probably more than one camera on him, ready to record that something weird was happening. He grabbed hard the handrail and just gave up on the communicator, heading to the elevator instead, but his vision was getting worse and the pain in his chest was starting to rise. “JARVIS… There’s a way to reach Tony faster than running?”

“A private helicopter can be provided, Captain, if you feel in the condition to pilot.”

Steve sighed at the calm voice of the AI. So close to check on him… The moment he fainted, JARVIS would have informed Tony about it, he would have seen the recordings…

“Captain-” JARVIS's voice stopped when all the lights suddenly went off; it was almost possible to feel the energy disappear in the entire floor: a blackout.

Steve grasped the handrail. Using the elevator was out of the question now, same for the helicopter- he didn't even know where it was... All he could come up with was jumping down the building and trying to catch up with Tony, but it sounded absurd just thinking about it.

He was going to fail… and innocent people would pay for it.

Steve reached the doors of the elevator and crashed on the floor, his body being hit by waves of pain, feeling his own heart racing while he looked at a blurry world… Then, the elevator’s doors were forced open and someone crawled out of the cabin, only halfway in the right spot. Am I dreaming...?

“Captain?” Bruce Banner dropped the backpack and kneeled next to him, “Steve? Can you hear me?” he said, grabbing his shoulder.

Steve could barely see him. “Bruce…?”

“Yes, it’s me. Steve, what- someone attacked the Tower?”

“No-!” Steve shut his eyes when another wave of pain washed all over his body. Damn it, Tony, where the hell are you going?

“Ok… ok, I- I think there should be something in the lab... Hold on, be right back.”

Steve heard him running upstairs and then coming back. He managed to see something in the doctor's hand. “What’s that?”

“Just something to help you to breathe. Let me-” he moved to hear his heart but the Captain grabbed his arm.

“No- I’m fine.”

“Steve, you’re not fine.”

“I- just need a moment to-“ Steve curled into himself even more, blinded by the pain. It spiked for what seemed like hours, to lessen just so slightly.

“-ve! Steve!” Bruce was shaking him again, with the syringe still in one hand, unsure of what to do.

Steve's eyes closed again, without knowing what to do himself, but for a different reason: he needed to tell him about Christopher and his plan. He needed help, he couldn’t do it alone and if he was going to die, someone had to know what was happening and save the city from those bombs. “Bruce… Someone is-” and then he stopped: the pain was fading.

“What? What’re saying?” Bruce was even more worried now.

Slowly, Steve started to breathe normally again, coughing a few times before his vision started to get better as well. “I… I think I’m fine,” he said after a moment, trying to sit on the floor.

“You’re not. You were not fine,” Bruce said, expression tense behind the glasses. “What happened to you?”

Steve just shook his head, taking a deep breath.

After a minute, Tony flew through the balcony’s door left open, right into the living room, looking around and then at the two men, descending on the ground, “Everything alright? What happened to the Tower?”

“Don’t ask me, I just got here,” Bruce said and followed his gaze to the elevator’s doors, now broken, “Sorry about that… I don’t like being stuck in small places.”

Tony just waved a hand at him, then the face plate slid open and he looked tiredly at the solider, “Cap, did you press something in the lab? Is the place going to blow up?”

“No… I don’t know what happened.” Steve saw Bruce trying to say something else, and quickly added, “The power went off all of sudden, and I… I think I fell from the stairs.”

Bruce stared at him but didn’t say anything.

“You what?” Tony asked, confused, and then the tower suddenly trembled like during an earthquake. “What now? JARVIS- J, come on, wake up.” Tony used some control inside the armor and after a moment, the power was back in the Tower. “JARVIS, situation?”

“A blackout occurred on the top floor.”

“We have that thing called emergency power for a reason.”

“I was not able to activate it. The reason is unknown. Apologies, Sir. A complete check of the Tower’s status has already started.”

“Ok…? Weird and we’ll talk about this later, but ok. What was that, just now, anyway? An earthquake?”

“No, Sir. It seems that there was an explosion two miles from here.”

"Where?" Both Tony and Bruce asked, confused.

After a moment, JARVIS gave its answer, "The Admiral Bank has been destroyed."

Steve was lucky he didn't even try standing up yet, or the other two would have seen him crash down on the floor again.

Chapter Text

“...and we’re not sure if the two attacks were connected yet.”

"Please. The explosion took place right after SHIELD put that superhuman in a cage. He was clearly a distraction from their friends at the bank.”

“Tony, you saw him. He was fighting SHIELD for different reasons.”

“Or he was just acting like they planned.”

“Maybe, but something still doesn't feel right.”

Steve kept staring in silence at the phone placed on the kitchen table, Clint’s voice coming out of it loud and clear. He barely talked since the news about the explosion, too afraid that his voice would betray how angry and frustrated he was feeling.

“Still nothing from the bank?” Bruce asked, slowly walking nearby, “Something got stolen or...?”

“I’m going there now. I'll keep you updated,” Clint answered. “For now, all we know is that the bomb was located on the first or second floor. I still-" a sigh, “Sorry, gotta go. We’ll catch up later.” And with that, Clint ended the call.

“What a time to be back,” Bruce groaned, taking his glasses off to rub over his eyes.

“The timing was really impressive,” Tony commented thoughtfully, then shook himself out of it and looked at the doctor, “Why are you here, anyway?”

“I just wanted to check the situation. See if SHIELD- if you guys needed me, and... If the offer to stay here was still open,” Bruce said, nervously playing with his glasses.

Tony smiled a bit, “Sure is. There’s some spare room on the floor. I already have a guest, so...” he said, eyeing the Captain.

“Really? So you changed your mind?” Bruce asked the soldier, but he was still staring at the phone. “Steve?”

Tony gave Steve a moment, then leaned forward on the table, snapping two fingers over his face, making him blink and straighten his back. “Still with us, Rogers?”

“Sorry… What were you saying?” Steve asked, trying to focus, but Tony pointed a finger at Bruce, so he turned to face him instead.

“I was just surprised that you decided to stay here,” Bruce said, voice calm, but his eyes were still studying him.

“Oh. Yeah, I… I just need some time outside of SHIELD's walls.”

Bruce nodded slowly, “I see...”

Tony looked at both of them and then turned to grab three glasses, “If I knew the tower was going to become a hotel so quickly, I would have started to work on the suits downstairs sooner.”

“It's alright... I still need a few days, anyway,” Bruce said with a little smile. “Fury didn’t ask you about us? He tried to contact me more than once...”

“Not sure about you, but Steve has probably a big, shiny star on his head for Fury to follow...”

“And there’s no way to change that?”

Both Bruce and Tony looked at the Captain.

Steve realized too late that his voice could still betray his anger- only now was for a different reason. “I just thought that after the battle…” he sighed, shaking his head, “Never mind.” He wondered if that shiny star had also helped Christopher to find him.

“I can do it,” Tony said, getting a curious look in return. “I mean that I can try to make you less visible in SHIELD’s eyes.”

“Really?” The other two asked.

“You guys keep underestimating me and that's not nice, ” Tony commented passing a glass to each of them, taking a sip from the one he kept for himself.

Steve stared at him for a moment. “You can enter their computers? Just like that?”

“Kinda... Let's say I can mess around with some of their stuff. I like to mess around.”

“Why I'm not surprised…” Bruce commented, patiently taking a sip as well.

“It's to defend Steve's privacy. It’s a noble messing around,” Tony said with a shrug, and then grinned a the Captain, “Just say the word and I'll see what I can do.”

Steve nodded slowly. What if Christopher could get those files too, somehow? They must have an eye bigger than SHIELD's on him, or else how they could have known to blow up the bank...? But how could they know the exact moment he almost told Bruce the truth? Even spying on him from inside the tower, he barely thought about confessing everything…

“Can you see what files they have about me?” Steve finally asked, “Without doing anything. I just want to know what’s in there.”

Tony was staring into his blue eyes with the same seriousness. “Sure. Just give me some time,” he nodded with an amused grin.

“You better watch out, Steve. You’re freeing a dangerous beast. Not a green one, but still as much as dangerous,” Bruce commented.

“Was that a compliment? I'll take it as a compliment,” Tony nodded proudly to himself.

Steve listened to them in silence, then heard something beeping and Tony checked his phone- and the inventor’s face lost all the excitement. “What?”

“Clint says to look at the news,” Tony moved to turn on the TV: they could see a shot from the air of the half-destroyed bank, smoke still rising from it; there were firefighters and ambulances around the place, taking care of injured people sitting in the corners of the street. The news was reporting there were at least twenty injured civilians and nine deaths at that moment, but people were still missing.

Tony and Bruce keep listening to the news, a serious look on both of their faces.

Steve tightened the grip on the glass, feeling responsible for every death and every injured person. In the end, he failed to keep them safe.

He silently glanced at the reactor shining under Tony’s shirt- and felt ashamed doing so.

Steve would have spent the rest of the day getting angrier if Tony hadn't informed him there was a little gym two floors below: he changed his clothes and went straight to the elevator, glad to be able to let out his frustration on a few punching bags. Tony and Bruce were busy upstairs, so there was no risk to trigger the reaction to the New Element.

Thinking about it, his last punch sent the punching bag flying to the other side of the room. Only then, breathing hard, he noticed Bruce sitting on a bench near the entrance. “Dr. Banner.”

“We're back to Doctor Banner now?” the doctor asked with a little frown, cleaning his glasses.

Steve sighed. “Old habit. Sorry, Bruce.”

"It's fine," Bruce stood up, walking towards him. “You know why I’m here, right?”

Steve took a deep breath. He thought it would be bad to get Clint suspicious, but, on second thought, this could be worse. “Because of my not-so-grateful fall down the stairs?”

“Yes.” Bruce stopped a few steps away, studying him, "How are you feeling?”

“I told you, it was nothing. Maybe the blackout messed up with something in the lab and I got shocked when I touched the handrail...? It’s all metal and wires up there, so...”

“It turned JARVIS off, so it sure was weird,” Bruce nodded slowly, then looked at him genuinely worried, “Are you sure you’re ok?”

“Yeah, I... I'm just worried about those attacks in the city. I thought nothing bad could happen again after the battle in New York…”

Bruce raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Really?"

“No, but a man can dream,” Steve sighed with a resigned shrug.

Bruce smiled a bit and nodded slowly. “Well, I… I just wanted to make sure you were ok before leaving. I need to grab my stuff before moving here, and it might take a day or two...”

“Sure. Tony will be happy to have you here.” They both knew Tony was already happy about it like a child on Christmas morning. Steve wanted to feel the same way, but one thing was trying to fool Tony... Trying to hide the truth from Bruce Banner was a completely different story.

Bruce nodded. “See you in a few days then. Take care.”

Steve watched the doctor leave the gym and then let out a long sigh. He started to collect his belongings before going back upstairs, but once in front of the elevator, he received a message on his phone that made him stop as the doors opened: the text simply only 14th Floor.

Steve stared at it, confused for a moment, then frowned and put the phone away, turning to the stairs. It can’t be…

Like the first time, Steve started to feel dizzy on the fourteenth floor. He turned at the last ramp of stairs and froze at the top: Christopher was standing in front of the window, looking outside.

“Good to see you, Captain,” the man said turning around, hands hidden in his long dark jacket's pockets. “You got us all worried, you know?”

Steve didn’t even realize descending the stairs, but in a moment he was there, grabbing Christopher's jacket and slamming him against the wall, “People got killed in that explosion! Innocent people that you killed like they were nothing!”

“And who is to blame for those lives?” Christopher said back without much interest, “I warned you, we are not playing around, and still you tried to tell your friends about us. You should be thankful we didn’t let more bombs detonate as well.”

“I wasn’t-!”

Christopher grabbed his wrist with a hand, “We know what happens in this tower, Captain. I have explained that would be in your interest not to try to do the smart soldier this time. You should listen to me.”

“If that’s true, you knew that I didn’t say anything!”

“But you almost did. We thought that it was our chance to show you we're not joking.” Christopher looked outside the windows then, and, after a moment, Steve felt a terrible, sudden pain spreading in his chest that forced him to let the other go and step back, trying to balance himself on the handrail.

Christopher straightened his jacket and looked at the soldier with pity. “I must say I'm a bit disappointed, Captain. It is so difficult to accept the fact that you're not the only person capable of coming up with a good strategy?”

“As if I would ever consider doing something like this,” Steve groaned, hand over his heart, standing straight again.

Christopher sighed. “You saw an opportunity and you took it. I can’t blame you for trying, but I think you were enjoying trying to cross the line too much. That first bomb was merely to put you in your place. To make it clear you can't win this time.”

Steve held his gaze but said nothing. How did he get here? How did he manage to enter the Tower so easily??

“I know that Stark is not stupid… And we know about the questions he asked you the other day. You played well, though, so we're sure you can succeed in your task.”

So they can really spy inside the Tower. “You don't know him. Or me, for the matter,” Steve said.

“But we both know very well how Stark is fond of you. You are the hero he heard about for so many years…”

“That doesn’t mean-”

“It means that he will lower his defenses with you, Captain.” Christopher took a step closer, smiling that fake innocent smile of his, “He wants to be your friend, he likes to have you around... You could make it even easier for you by pretending to- how can I put it… Pretending to have a deeper interest in him? He would probably end up giving you the reactor himself-“

Steve saw red hearing those words, and his fist connected with Christopher’s jaw in a flash, sending him crashing against the wall again. “If you really think that I’ll-” Steve fell on one knee, the pain in his chest doubling this time. He grasped the fabric of the shirt, gasping in pain.

Christopher looked outside and raised a hand, shaking his head in no. He then turned to the soldier, massaging the pained jaw. “That wasn’t very nice of me. I apologize,” he said standing up, “but I thought you needed a little push. Mr. Stark is so easy to manipulate…” he sighed like in front of an opportunity that was going to waste.

Steve felt that anger again, but didn’t move. “He’s not.”

“You would be surprised.” Christopher sat on the stairs, next to him, “He trusted the wrong people in the past, that’s what created most of his defenses, but it's easy to find a crack in them… After such a long time, one needs to trust someone, don't you think?”

Steve stayed silent. How could these people know Tony so well? How could they have so much control over him, over Tony, and the tower itself? Where were JARVIS and all those stupid cameras when he needed them?

Christopher, of course, saw him looking at the ceiling's corners. “No cameras here, no. It seems like they forgot to put some of here and there... It happens.” He took a deep breath and then said, “I think things will get better from now on. We all believe in you, Captain. Just don’t make us wait too long. Time’s ticking.” That said, he stood up and disappeared down the stairs.

Steve felt the pain finally starting to lessen, just for another kind of pain to take its place. It already felt horrible lying to Tony like this but making him believe there was more behind his decision to stay at the Tower… Pretending to have feelings for him just to get the reactor- just because he could make him believe it…?

He couldn’t do it. That would have probably killed Tony on the inside, and if someone had to be hurt through all this madness, or even die because of it, that person was Steve. No one else.

That evening, after a quick, lonely dinner, Steve moved outside, sitting on the balcony with his thoughts. Watching the city’s lights, he kept trying to relax his fists, to calm down. He was still on the edge after meeting Christopher, and no punching bag could help him this time... It time was different. The anger he was feeling was too deep.

Closing his eyes, he tried focusing on the sound of the rain, and it was then that JARVIS decided to distract him from the personal hell he was sitting in.

“Captain Rogers, Mr. Stark asked for you to join him in the laboratory.”

Steve took a deep breath. “Alright...”

First thing Steve thought about was that Tony, amazing genius that he was, saw Christopher in a hidden camera, did some research and discovered who he was and what he and his friends were planning against him… But it could never be that easy.

“There you are.” Tony said, standing in front of the holographic screen in the center of the lab, wearing a dark-blue shirt over the elegant trousers, a red tie let loose around his neck. He probably had to see someone from work that day.

“You called for me?” Steve took two steps in the lab. It was already difficult to be close to Tony, and Christopher’s words just made it worse. So much so that Steve was now fighting against the need to avoid giving Tony the wrong impression... Maybe it would be for the better not even try being friends. Even if Steve wanted to.

Tony looked curiously at him. “You ok?”

Steve nodded, but the other kept staring. “Just tired.”

“Bruce told me you were busy at the gym. Need some other punching bag?”

“Yeah... I’ll try not to break more of them.”

“No no, you can destroy all the punching bags you want, but maybe I can try to solve the problem with something- less fragile, based on your standards.”

“You mean an unbreakable punching bag?”

Tony scoffed, “How difficult can be to adapt a punching bag to Captain America’s strength? Worth trying… I like experiments. That's how my suit came to life.” And with a gesture of his hand, he changed the screen to something else.

Steve had read files about Tony’s kidnapping in Afghanistan, but people told him it was better not to bring that up with Tony, so he was surprised to hear him mention it… Steve felt like he just made a step closer toward him... Despite trying not to. Despite wanting to stay as far away as he could.

“Anyway, I’ve-” Tony turned to him again, waiting, “You want to come closer and see this? I don’t bite.”

Steve nodded even so slightly and slowly moved to stand next to him. At least two steps away.

Tony kept staring, but the soldier’s eyes were glued on the screen with no intention of meeting his gaze. “So… I’ve found something messing around in SHIELD’s stuff,” he said pointing at the data on the screen, “It’s nothing big- nothing new, honestly, this is mostly what I was expecting to find.”

“All my life on a screen,” Steve bitterly said. “Always a pleasure to see.”

“You should know you can't expect much privacy from SHIELD.”

“It would be nice, for a change.” Steve read some of the info, “I knew Howard had documents about me and Project Rebirth, anyway…” he noticed Tony looking at the screen with a serious glare. “It was his work. I’m sure he kept for himself what he could.” Reading about his past felt always strange: the war, Red Skull, Bucky… Peggy.

“You want me to delete some of it?” Tony asked without looking at him, “Or, I don't know, put a password to lock them out?”

"No need to delete this, but a password..." Steve smiled, “You can actually do that?”

“It won't last for long, but yeah. It'll keep them busy for a while.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad.” Said Steve, grinning at the idea, then looked at the files again. “Mind if I check them first?”

“Be my guest. Just wave on the screen to go forward and backward. I’ll be downstairs… I need more coffee.”

“This late?”

“It’s never too late for a coffee.”

Steve watched him going downstairs before concentrating on the screen and started reading.

Suddenly he was lost, back in the 40s again. Reading about his past life, what he had done, what he almost forgot, and all the demons he fought, it was like reliving those moments again, only now more detailed, narrated almost like a story.

On a few scanned documents there were also notes by Howard himself, about him, the serum... About different projects he worked on to find Captain America after the crash. It hurt knowing that his friends didn't give up on him, but it was a relief that Howard's life hadn’t stopped after his death.

Same for Peggy. She continued to work with Howard for years... Steve wasn’t surprised that she had been vital to creating SHIELD. She lived the life she deserved and, from the files, it was a wonderful life. Even without-

Steve blinked when a hand gently placed on his shoulder, and suddenly he was back to the present: the holographic screen was on the last page, with a picture of Peggy and her family in England; the laboratory at the top floor of the Stark Tower was quiet in the dim light.

Steve took a deep breath and turned to the hand on his shoulder: Tony was there next to him, a worried expression on his face.

“Still with me, Cap?” He asked, voice strangely low.

"Yeah...” Steve turned to the screen again and his vision became distorted for a moment, making him lose his balance.

“Ok- stupid question... I got you...” Tony helped him sit down on a chair, then kept studying him, “How are you feeling? Are you going to throw up?”

“Just give me a moment,” Steve managed to say, shaking his head, eyes closed, breathing deep and slow.

“Ok…”

Steve kept breathing, then heard Tony walking downstairs. With his eyes still closed, Steve dropped his head into both his hands, wondering if there was a chance he would himself back in time when he opened them again...

“JARV, is the Captain still breathing?” Tony voice reminded him how stupid he was for thinking something like that.

“He is breathing regularly,” the AI confirmed.

Steve straightened his back and looked up, finding Tony sitting on the desk on the left, now wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, with a look on his face that could easily be translated in Help, I think I broke Captain America. “I’m fine, don’t worry,” he reassured him.

“Don’t worry, he says,” Tony sighed shaking his head, but his shoulders lowered a bit. “Can you tell me what exactly happened here?”

“I was- I think I got too much into it…” Steve said, glancing at the screen.

Tony looked between him and the files, “You mean like- virtual reality or something?” he asked, watching him frown in confusion. “Were you feeling like you were in the past again? Almost physically?”

“Kind of…? I knew they were just memories, but…”

“Close enough. Here.” Tony handed him a glass of water and Steve drank it all in one sip. “I was starting to get worried, you know?”

“Why?”

“Why? Steve, you stood there, staring at the screen all night. I tried to call you, but you didn’t answer, like you were in a trance. JARVIS said you were fine and breathing but after almost six hours...”

"I've been reading that all night?"

“Yes. I thought I pushed you into PTSD or something.”

"No... No, I'm fine." Steve sighed, leaning against the back of the chair, and staring at the floor.

“You sure?”

He looked back at Tony and saw him still staring: he was really worried. “Yeah… yeah, I...” he smiled a bit, “I'm starving."

Tony almost laughed- almost. “JARVIS will take care of it. You just bring your mind back to the present for now.” That said, he stood up and left.

Easier said than done. Steve looked at the screen once again before leaving the lab. Going downstairs, he almost stopped halfway: the table in the kitchen was covered with tech stuff, and some pieces from the Iron Man suit were abandoned on the ground. Steve stared at all that mess and then at Tony coming back from the corridor, “What happened here?”

Tony looked up from his phone, following his gaze, “I was working.”

“In the kitchen?”

“Yes.”

“Why? The laboratory is just upstairs...?”

“Because you were upstairs. JARV, coffee coming?”

“In six minutes, sir.”

“You could've stayed, I was just reading,” Steve insisted.

“You know what they say about people sleepwalking. Better not wake them up.” Tony sat on one of the stools in the kitchen. "I mean, you were more like sleepreading, but I wasn’t sure that waking you up with something exploding was the best thing to do.”

Steve looked at him in silence, asking himself if maybe Tony was right, or if he just wanted to be gentle for once... For once? Tony has been nothing but kind to him since he moved into the tower. That’s why he was feeling worse and worse each day.

“I wasn’t sure to try to wake you up at all, to be honest,” Tony continued, busy on the phone again, “or if was better to call Bruce and ask him…”

Steve nodded. “Thanks. For the files.”

“You’re welcome. Also, I did put a password on them.”

"Oh. Which is?"

"Sparkling Cupcake."

“Breakfast is on the way,” JARVIS warned them, covering Steve almost choking with another sip of water, “Along with Miss Potts.”

“Every man for himself!” Tony jumped from the stool and ran upstairs as fast as humanly possible.

Steve watched him in confusion, still coughing a bit, then looked at the elevator’s door opening, “Miss- Pepper. Good morning.”

“Good morning Steve,” She smiled, handing him a plastic bag, and asked, “Where’s Tony?” with the same expression, but now the smile was more like a murderous one.

“Uh…”

“Mister Stark is upstairs,” JARVIS chimed in.

“I appreciate your loyalty, Steve, don’t worry.” That said, she marched upstairs like, Steve thought, a General ready to start a war.

Steve heard her heels going up the stairs and the sudden “ANTHONY STARK, THERE’S SOMETHING YOU WANT TO TELL ME?” made him flinch, looking upstairs. “JARVIS, do I need to call backups?” he asked, confused.

“I’ll keep you updated, Captain.”

In the end, between the “You can’t ignore something like this!” from Pepper and the “YES I can!” from Tony, Steve kept hearing them yelling while cleaning the table, making enough space for the coffee and donuts that just arrived.

After around thirty minutes, Steve was still drinking his coffee, checking the news on the television. Everything about the attack at the bank deserved his attention.

“Forget it, I’m not going to reschedule the night.”

“You have to! Tony, please-"

Steve looked away from the screen, watching the two of them walking downstairs.

“It’s not that bad. Pep, come on,” Tony groaned.

“It is! You saw the emails, they-“

“It’s just an email.”

“There’s like seventy-nine of them!” Pepper insisted, standing next to Steve.

The other shrugged. “It’s just air for me.”

“Tony, please, this is serious…”

“That's the thing. It's not that serious at all.” Tony grabbed his coffee, watching her from the other side of the table. “We receive that kind of email all the time, and you know that from your first day, don’t you dare deny it,” he said pointing a donut at her.

“You say that like it's something to be proud of,” she tiredly commented while Steve silently gestured for her to sit in his place since there were only two stools in sight.

"Can you listen to me for once?!" Pepper angrily stopped him.

“I’ve listened to you for more than thirty minutes!”

Pepper sighed nervously. “Tony, I’m serious. I don’t like this.”

“I don’t like it either, but I’m not going to let them win.”

“This is not about winning or losing. It’s dangerous!”

“What’s dangerous?” Steve decided to ask, standing next to her.

Tony noticed the hopeful look on her face and quickly said, “No no no, don’t you dare-“

“Someone has threatened Tony this morning. Again,” Pepper explained. “Lots of emails wishing for his death. His and the company’s, of course.”

“They threatened him? They threatened you?” Steve asked, surprised, before asking him directly.

“It’s nothing new,” Tony commented, drinking his coffee.

“But it’s still a threat.”

“Someone understands. Thank you.” Pepper cried.

Steve sighed and looked at him.

“First of all, you shut up, this is not your area,” Tony told him, “Second of all, I want to party, ok? It's all ready, and I'm not going to reschedule it because some kids wants their five minutes of fame.”

“What if they follow you there?” Pepper asked.

“Why should they?”

“Because they want to kill you and half of the country knows where you live!”

"Half of the country?" Steve repeated, surprised.

“Well, I'm sorry, but being a Stark means that half of the world knows me that much,” he barked, taking another sip.

“They know you that much because you have no concept of privacy!”

“Because I have nothing to hide!”

“That’s not the point!”

“I think Pepper has good reasons to be worried,” Steve said, trying to stop them from yelling at each other. “A threat is a threat. Maybe they won’t do anything, but they could still try.”

“If I had to run and hide every time someone said that I deserve to die, I wouldn't be as rich and famous as I am,” Tony said with a shrug, but his voice was slightly more serious. “It would be impossible to keep up with all the warning calls, Rogers, fake or not.”

Pepper sighed, “I know that. I’m just asking you to delay that party to another day. For your own good… And my mental state too,” She tiredly said.

Steve noticed Tony's expression changing: despite everything, he was considering her words- but Steve knew how stubborn a Stark can be, and how they don't go down without a fight.

“Not this time, sorry Pep. It would be too late anyway. You would say the same if it wasn’t for those stupid emails,” Tony said, finishing his coffee.

“That’s exactly why I’m asking you.” Pepper said, shaking her head. "I really have a bad feeling about this."

“Even if something happens, the Tower can handle it, right? I doubt a group of people could...” Steve tried to say, but then stopped: Christopher just had a meeting with him on the stairs inside the tower, and no one knew about it…

“The Tower would be fine,” Pepper said, “but of course, he wants to show off his just renovated house in Malibu.” And Tony just rolled his eyes.

Steve blinked, “Malibu…?”

“You thought I lived here?” Tony frowned curiously. "My private house is in Malibu."

“Private,” Pepper commented sarcastically, arms crossed over her chest, getting a cold glare in return.

“So you- you live in California?” Steve asked.

Tony nodded. "It's a nice place. You should come visit one day."

Malibu. Tony's going to Malibu… Today? Maybe in a few hours? To the other side of the states… Steve just stood there, staring at his coffee, trying not to panic. Should I ask to join the party? But how? He's never going to buy it that easily... Just tell him I’ve never seen Malibu? That I would like some time on the beach?!

Steve was running out of excuses. He needed a good one, and fast, or he was condemned to fail and let other people get killed because of him... But at least Tony would be safe?

“Hey, why don’t you come with me?”

He blinked and looked up, realizing Tony was talking to him, “What?”

“Come with me to the party,” Tony said. “So I’ll have the perfect bodyguard around, and sweet Pepper won't stay up all night worried sick about me.”

“That’s actually a good idea,” Pepper nodded, looking hopefully at the soldier, “With you there, maybe he’ll survive another day.”

“Wow, thanks for that,” Tony commented.

Steve was slowly calming down. “I, huh...”

“It would be really helpful, Steve. If there's someone I trust to keep an eye on him, that's you,” Pepper said, clearly hoping for him to accept.

Steve nodded slowly, “Sure… I got no plans for the next few days.” He smiled a bit, trying to sound more sarcastic than relieved.

“Perfect. See? Everything solved,” Tony told Pepper, throwing the empty cup in the trash. “Be ready in, uhm, two hours? Malibu is not really behind the corner… Or we could use my flying suit…”

“No, you can’t,” Pepper said in a tone that meant there was no negotiation about that.

“Alright.” Steve nodded, then asked, unsure, “Do I need a suit or something for the party?” and blushed a bit when both of them smiled at him.

“It would be amazing to have walking through the crowd in your Stars and Stripes suit…” Tony grinned, thinking about the scene.

“It's alright, Steve, feel free to dress as you want,” Pepper reassured him with a quick, patient glare at the inventor.

Steve nodded and walked to his room. Once leaning against the door, he let out a long, deep breath. "That was way too close..."

An hour and a half later, they said goodbye to Pepper and jumped on a car that took them to the nearest airport, and, from there, Tony’s private jet left for Malibu.

Steve unbuttoned his blue jacket and took a deep breath, asking himself what Christopher was going to do. He wasn’t running away and he was not quitting the mission, more likely he was trying not to fail. He had to follow Tony... And he was still surprised about how he accomplished that so easily, in the end.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to be sick?” Tony asked standing next to him, walking down the plane's aisle.

“No. I'm just…”

“Just tired?” Tony finished for him.

Steve smiled a bit. “I guess that’s clear by now.”

“Just because you do look tired these days.” Tony took a seat on the row next to him, dressed in an elegant gray suit, a drink in hand.

Steve started to feel out of place with his old jacket and shirt, but Pepper assured him there would be a suit ready for him in Malibu. Lost in thoughts, he then noticed Tony still staring at him, waiting. “I don’t sleep well,” he blurted out, and of course, when at a loss of words, just say the first honest thing you'd normally never say.

Tony studied him for a moment. “Nightmares?”

Steve sat better, looking down and, well, that was enough as an answer.

"I mean... I got some bad nights too, after..." Tony waved the drink slightly, "After the battle."

Steve watched him, but Tony just took a sip. "I guess it's normal after what we've seen."

Tony nodded slowly. “You told SHIELD about it?”

Steve took a deep breath. “Kinda. They tried to help, but I refused.”

Tony looked at him, frowning. “How come?”

“Meds don’t affect me, so I accepted to try the other option instead...”

"Are you telling me you actually talked with someone?” Tony asked, surprised.

The soldier smiled a bit, head resting against the soft, blue seat. “It was fair to give it a try...”

“But?”

“But after three times I thought that I could handle it better by myself.”

“Are you that good of a therapist?”

“Maybe not, but that one wasn’t either.”

Tony almost choked on the drink, “My Goodness, Captain, that wasn’t very nice,” he said, laughing.

“I could’ve used otherfunny words.”

“Oh, I want to hear all the funny words.”

“Maybe one day.” Steve took a deep breath, watching him ready to ask something, but then Tony seemed to change his mind and just finished the drink. It was weird to talk without fighting each other, and it was even weirder talking about these kinds of things… Things that Steve never shared to anyone.

Was that the right time to work on his friendship with Tony Stark? Not at all, but, apparently, he had no control over it. And, as usual, Steve's eyes moved down to Tony's chest, where he knew the reactor was, and again the guilt hit him deep like a knife: that was the only reason they were getting closer, after all...

“Does it scare you?” Tony suddenly asked.

Steve looked up so fast his eyes almost hurt. “What?”

“The reactor,” he said, tapping a finger on it. “You always make that strange face when you look at it.”

“I don’t make any face...?” I couldn't be me obvious, couldn't I?

“You do. Even back at the Tower, I saw you staring at it.”

“I was just...” Steve saw him nodding, waiting for him to continue, “curious. SHIELD doesn’t have much information about it...”

“And they won’t get anything more than that,” Tony said, face and voice colder than before.

“I only know that it’s important for you.”

“It is.” Tony looked down for a moment, and, when the soldier was going to say something, cut short saying, “We have a few hours before landing. Try to get some sleep.” That said, he stood up, walking away down the aisle.

Steve sighed. He closed his eyes, and, after a while, he managed to fall into a tense sleep.

Between the strange and confusing images infesting his nightmares, Steve saw himself standing in front of the Iron Man armor lying on the ground, the usually bright eyes now just two black holes. When he reached for the chest, instead of helping, he saw his hand breaking and twisting the metal, grabbing and pulling out the reactor that sparkled when the wires got destroyed: he watched it shine into his hand, blood dripping from his fingers.

Then, a pleased voice whispered, Well done, Captain...

Steve jerked awake, holding into the first thing in his reach.

“Ow ow- ok, sorry about that-!” Tony said.

Breathing heavily, Steve realized he was grabbing his arm and quickly let him go, “Where you- whispering into my ear?”

“Calling for you wasn’t working, so I changed tactic," Tony smirked, massaging his arm, noticing him taking a long, deep breath. "Did I make your nightmare worse?”

Steve ignored the question. Sadly, he knew the image of himself pulling the reactor out of Tony's chest like a beast would have hunted him forever.

“At least you got some sleep before landing. Now you can enjoy your stay.”

Steve briefly glanced at him, then turned to the windshield, realizing they arrived at their destination. “That's your house?” he asked, surprised.

“Welcome to the Stark base,” Tony said before heading to the exit. "Come on in. I have a house to wake up."

Steve followed him and, once outside the plane, he stared for a long moment at the big mansion in front of him, with lights shining in the late afternoon, making it seem like a space station, with circular, large roofs and long walls- a few made of glass, allowing him to see through.

Following Tony, they reached the area in front of the entrance of the house, with a fountain in the middle and Steve could imagine cars driving all around it for the party.

“Welcome to Malibù, Captain Rogers,” JARVIS 's voice suddenly came from somewhere above the door Tony left open.

“Thanks…” Steve said, somehow relieved from JARVIS' presence. It was something familiar- something that could help him if needed.

The living room was as elegant and white as the rest of the house, with furniture and pictures that screamed Tony’s elegant and minimalistic style everywhere, only not in a complete mess like in the laboratory in New York.

Steve stopped in front of the big sofa, looking up at the round window in the ceiling, and then at the stairs going upstairs, with another staircase just beneath it, leading down instead. There was a corridor on the right, probably leading to another wing of the house. Every line of the mansion was so smooth and perfect that he almost felt the need to grab a sketchbook and draw everything down.

“Would you like to look at the view outside, Captain?” JARVIS asked.

“Uh, sure.” Steve dropped down his bags and looked around, surprised to see what he was sure was a wall, behind the large couch, silently sliding aside to reveal a window facing the sea. Steve moved closer, looking at the dark, stormy ocean, and the waves that were crashing into the rocks down below. He had never been so close to the open ocean since his awaking…

“So, what do you think?” Tony asked joining him in the living room; his jacket was gone, and the tie was a bit loosened.

“It’s-” Steve turned around and… Was Tony smiling? Not a big smile, but… “It’s impressive,” he finished. “Did you work on the project of the entire house?”

“I did.”

Steve nodded, looking at the balcony of the second floor. “It kind of reminds the tower, but this is more... Stark.” He couldn’t find a better word to describe it, and Tony appeared pleased about it.

“More Stark. I'll take that as a win,” Tony said, looking around. “So, the party will be here and…” he pointed at the area on the right, “there... Come on, I’ll show you.” He led them through the corridor and there was another big lounge with a door leading outside, and Steve saw stairs going down the cliff. “Don’t worry, that’s not a way to jump into the sea," Tony reassured him, "There’s another balcony down there.”

“There? Through the rocks?”

“It’s covered. Just a private zone closer to the sea. If you want to take a look...?

“Uh, I'm good, thanks.

“I got people taking care of organizing everything for the party later... They're not as good as Pepper, but the guests will be happy just by the fact of being invited."

Steve looked at the rest of the large room, with a bar on the other side, more tables, couches, a big television, and even a piano in a corner. He walked slowly towards it, staring at the shining, black musical instrument. “Do you play it?”

“Sometimes. I didn't pick that one. Pepper said it would make the place look more classy...”

Steve smiled, turning to him, “She really cares about you. And she’s really worried about this party.”

“I know she is, but she also knows that if I ever change my mind, it won’t be because of someone’s stupid threats.” Tony moved to the bar. “Anyway, now Captain America is here, so what could go wrong?” he said, pouring the drink for himself.

Steve sighed patiently, slowly reaching him at the counter. He then saw the reactor shining under his shirt and everything he managed to ignore until that moment crashed him in a second. He turned to the piano, hoping to forget about Christopher again.

“It’s getting annoying, you know?” Tony said.

“What is?”

“You looking away from it like you saw something horrible.”

Steve looked back at him, frowning, “What?”

“This,” Tony tapped the reactor, “Is it that much of a problem for you?”

“No- no, it’s not. I-”

“Beecause looks like it is.”

Steve didn't know what to say: Tony thought that he was avoiding looking at the reactor because he found it disgusting. He wasn’t sure if to start crying or feel relieved. “I wasn’t-“

“Not that I can do much about it, so you could at least try and make an effort.”

“Tony, I don’t even know exactly what it is,” Steve said, exasperated. “It’s just- there, and it shines like a star, so it’s hard not to look at it, but it’s not disgust. I swear.”

Tony stared at him for a moment, then put his drink down. “Alright. Come here for a second?” he said sitting on one of the stools. “Touch it.”

Steve almost hit a chair with his knee as he abruptly stopped when he was one step away from him, “Excuse me?”

“It won’t kill you. Come on.” And there was the typical Tony’s expression for You pissed me off and now I’m gonna have fun.

Steve held his gaze- and it wasn't an easy task. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Because- I’m not very comfortable with these kind of things.”

Tony gave him a sharp look, “Define things."

Steve started to feel trapped. “Technologic things. I’ve broken a lot of things already, you know that.”

“The reactor will not break just by touching it.”

“That’s good.”

“Indeed. So, I’m waiting.”

Steve looked down at it, then met Tony's challenging gaze again. “Listen, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to give you the wrong impression-“

“Touch it, then.”

“Please, stop saying that...”

“You just said you’re not scared of it, nor it disgusts you, so what’s the problem?” Tony finished the drink in one gulp. “I just want you to touch a piece of metal and glass. You won’t touch my heart, don’t worry.” He added wiggling his eyebrows.

Steve sighed in defeat. He knew Tony wasn’t going to take a no for an answer, but still... Touching the reactor felt like betraying Tony even more. Steve looked at it and shivered at the memory of the nightmare he had on the plane.

“Still waiting,” Tony said like a tired kid.

Steve took a deep breath, “Fine.” He stopped in front of him, staring down at the reactor. Maybe he would have discovered that it was impossible to remove it by hand...

He looked up at Tony for a moment and saw something in his eyes… Something that almost made him ask if he really wanted to do this.

“Go on.” Tony said before the other could speak, his voice as flat as his expression.

Steve slowly raised his hand, moving his fingers closer to the light... But, when they were almost brushing the surface, Steve decided to stop, to say that he didn’t want to touch something so important… And then, suddenly he didn’t need excuses anymore.

Tony grabbed his wrist at the last second and stopped him himself.

Steve flinched at the touch: Tony's hand was shaking a bit and, even if his eyes were stuck on Steve’s hand, the tension was easy to spot.

Tony tightened his hold for a second before letting him go. “I guess I was the one not in the mood, after all,” he murmured.

Steve wasn’t sure of what to say to that, “I wasn’t-”

“I shouldn’t have asked.” Tony stood up and briefly looked around, “There’s a fridge there... Eat, drink something, do whatever you want. Rooms are upstairs. Ask JARVIS if you need anything else, ok?" That said, he quickly walked away.

Steve tried to speak but Tony was already gone. What just happened?

Chapter Text

That night was a restless one. Steve would’ve liked to blame the hours of sleep he had on the plane for it, but this time it was something else keeping him awake: the fear he saw in Tony’s eyes was still a clear image in his mind, and he just couldn't get over it.

Steve turned around once again and saw the clock stuck on five in the morning. He sighed and sat up, scratching the back of his neck, looking around the room JARVIS told him he could stay in. It was a big room on the second floor, with a large window facing the hills outside. The ocean was on the other side of the house, and he was glad about it.

Moving the curtains aside, he stared at the dark sky, then at the television in the corner of the room, considering turning it on. The last thing he needed was to listen about another explosion in New York- and he was terrified of that possibility. Checking his phone, he found no cryptic messages or calls, but he was sure that Christopher was still controlling him, somehow... Still, they must've known even if the trip to Malibu was necessary to fulfill his mission...

Steve sighed and changed into a shirt and a pair of jeans, leaving the room.

“Good morning, Captain Rogers,” JARVIS said, voice low and calm as always. “Should I arrange your breakfast?”

“Sure… Is Tony awake?”

“Yes. He is working downstairs.”

Of course. “And he already had breakfast?”

“No. Mister Stark don’t usually eat in the morning.”

Right…” Steve remembered the staircase in the hall, so he headed that way, slowly going downstairs. As he reached the lower floor, he found Tony's main laboratory: behind a wall of glass, he could see a large room with pieces of metal scattered around, a few computers on the tables, a jukebox... He also noticed different Iron Man suits on the other side of the lab. He blinked in surprise watching a red Ferrari parked in there too.

Steve looked at everything twice before finding the man sitting on the ground, working on- some kind of robot that was moving by itself, actually turning to look at him, making a sound similar to a whistle.

Tony looked up just for a moment, “’Morning. Slept well?”

“Yeah," Steve lied, eyeing the glass wall, “Can I come in?” he asked, and for a moment he was sure Tony was just going to ignore him.

Tony wasn’t looking at him, but then said “JARV, open up.” And part of the glass opened like a door.

Steve walked in, looking at the place with genuine interest, then turned to him, noticing that he was wearing the same clothes as the day before. Only the tie was gone.

“Need something?” Tony asked while working on the machine.

“Just wanted to ask you about breakfast.” Steve saw him finally looking up. “Coffee?” he added, hopeful.

Tony looked down again, “No, but feel free to ask JARVIS for whatever you want.”

Steve kept staring at him, fighting the urge to say something about how important breakfast was, knowing that there was something more important to talk about. Christopher or not, he wanted to know what was wrong, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I know it's weird if say no to coffee, but an intervention isn’t a bit too much?”

“You know what I mean.”

Tony’s hand stopped just for a second, “Go have your breakfast, Captain.”

Steve stayed quiet. Pressuring him was useless, he knew that much, so he just walked away…Just to come back downstairs ten minutes later with a steamy cup of coffee and some sandwiches. Steve never considered himself a subtle person, after all.

“I should’ve locked the door again…” Tony murmured to himself, still sitting on the ground, looking at the soldier who then stopped next to him. He stared at the coffee and then at him again, “Really?”

“It’s coffee,” Steve said like there was no need for more explanation, offering the cup.

Tony sighed patiently but then accepted it. “Can’t argue on that.”

Steve placed the dish with the sandwiches on a table nearby, proud of himself for that small victory.

“What’s with that happy face?” Tony didn’t miss it.

“I was just thinking...”

“About what?”

Steve noticed the Iron Man helmet close by, “You built the Iron Man suit in here?”

“I finished it here, yeah.” Tony watched him looking puzzled. “The project of the suit started in a cave in Afghanistan.”

Steve wished to punch himself. “Right. Sorry.” How did he manage to forget that?

Tony took a sip, then asked “You didn’t know?”

"I do. Kind of. From what Fury told me.”

“And how much was it?”

Steve didn't want to go into the details, but if it was Tony asking... “He told me you were kidnapped. That they kept you in a cave and you created Iron Man in there. With the help of a man… Yinsen?”

“He did more than just helping... He saved my life.” His voice was now low, eyes down on the robot in front of him. "He created the reactor."

Fury didn't share that detail, and Steve was left speechless for a moment. "I thought it was your invention...?"

“I turn it pretty, but Yinsen came up with the idea," Tony said, and then added, "He would’ve deserved to survive that cave too."

Steve thought about Bucky for a moment... About the accident on the train.

Tony looked up at him. “You're giving me that disgusted look again.”

“Wha- no, I'm not. Why do you keep assuming I think the reactor is disgusting?”

“Then, please, tell me what you think about this piece of metal stuck in my chest.”

“You don't care about what other people think."

“I’m asking you now.”

They stared at each other for a moment, then a thought crossed Steve's mind- a doubt. “Ok, it can be strange to look at. And it's fine if you feel the same way about it.” Steve has been thinking about that- about the possibility that Tony himself was still affected by what happened in Afghanistan but didn't dare to ask... Not until now, and so he prepared for an explosion of rage.

Tony did look angry, but his expression changed upon hearing those words. He took a deep breath and looked away, “It's not strange. It keeps me alive- Yinsen kept me alive, but I feel like- sometimes it feels like the wrong man came out alive from that cave.”

Steve was surprised to hear that- but it was also a feeling he knew too well. “You deserved to survive as much as he did... And with everything you’ve done once outside that cave, I’m sure he's proud of saving your life,” he said, and when the other looked up again, he added, “And, yes, maybe I’ll keep staring at the reactor, but that's mainly because I have no idea of what it actually is… Or what it does.”

Tony slowly shook his head, a light, patient smile on his face. “Hey JARVIS, why don’t you show it to the Captain?”

“My pleasure,” the AI promptly answered.

Steve looked confused for a moment, then he suddenly found himself inside another holographic screen and stepped away to see: it was a 3D reproduction of the reactor, like the one he saw on the table, at the Tower, but bigger this time, with data floating around it.

“Touch the center,” Tony said.

Steve looked at him for a second, then brushed his fingers on the core, and the reactor split in its different levels, with a bright, little triangle in the middle.

“That’s what does the magic,” Tony said, still sitting on the ground.

“The New Element…?” Steve murmured, and quickly added, “Fury told me about it... It’s an element you've created?” changing Christopher’s name with Fury’s just in time. Close call again, but Tony didn't seem to notice and just nodded. “How?”

“Getting drunk, desperate and lucky enough,” he answered, finishing the coffee.

Steve looked at the screen again, “It’s- incredible.”

“Oh really? Not weird anymore?”

“Everyone can create something weird, but this... You don’t see something like this very often.”

“Well, was that or a torturous death, so…”

Steve turned around, suddenly more serious, “It got that bad?”

"Yinsen wouldn't have put this in my chest if it wasn't..."

Steve frowned, "What do you mean?"

Tony looked as much as confused. "Fury didn't tell you why I need the reactor?"

"I just assumed you got hurt somehow...?"

"Somehow, yeah..." Tony sighed, scratching the back of his neck. “It happened before the cave. During the kidnap, they attacked us and I ended up testing one of my bombs on myself.” He almost laughed at the shock on the soldier’s face, “I’m still in one piece, as you can see… Actually, I’ve got some bonus pieces.”

“I need to show the X-rays as well?” JARVIS asked and Tony shrugged tiredly saying “Sure, why not…”

Steve turned to the screen again, where now he could see the form of a body, Tony’s body, with the reactor into the chest. The picture zoomed in, so close that the reactor disappeared, showing Tony's heart and a few little pieces of something around it.

Suddenly, everything was clear, and Steve felt like falling.

“Not dead yet, but close enough,” Tony said after a bit, looking at the screen as well. “The New Element keeps those cute little things away from my heart, so yeah, I guess it is kinda incredible."

“It keeps you alive...”

“Pretty much.”

"No, I mean... I never realized..." Steve took a deep breath, wondering why he never took Tony's words more seriously. “What if you had to remove it for some reason?” he then asked without thinking, looking back at him, “What if something happens to it?”

"I have two other prototypes. Not as powerful as this one, but they’ll keep me covered for a while,” he said passing a hand over the reactor, under the shirt. “But, like I told you, they’re not that fragile, so...”

Steve didn’t say anything, watching the screen.

Christopher knew it. He surely knew how important the reactor was for Tony, that he literally couldn’t live without it.

Tony managed to survive until now, and Captain America should have been the one taking the most important thing from him... Yinsen’s legacy.

“You’re not gonna faint, aren't you?” Tony asked, he tried standing up, but almost instantly lost his balance, holding onto the little robot to not crash on the floor. "Woah... Ok, nevermind...

Steve was next to him in a second, “Are you ok?"

"Yeah, all good," Tony said, but his expression was telling another story.

"Did you get any sleep last night?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Sir, five hours of sleep in the time of two days is not what Miss Potts would define fine,” JARVIS chimed in.

Steve shook his head in disbelief, “Are you serious?”

“I told you, you’re not the only one with sleeping problems.” Tony straightened his back, “But that doesn’t mean that I need you to become Captain Nanny again,” he added proudly, just to promptly fall against him again.

“Right. Come on- you need to rest.” Steve held his arm over his shoulder and looked around, searching for a couch or something similar to allow the other to lie down. “With a gigantic house like this, you couldn't put a couch in here?” he said heading to the door.

“I can sleep in one of the suits...”

“I’m not going to let you sleep in a suit,” Steve instantly rejected the idea. Taking Tony upstairs wasn’t difficult, and Steve quickly moved to the big couch in front of the window but then felt Tony pulling him to a halt.

“Other room. Please?” he said with a little grin that made the soldier sigh but comply.

Heading back to the large room with the piano, illuminated only by the weak light of the dawn, Steve let him sit on the sofa close to the bar. “Are you sure you don’t want to use your room? I can take you upstairs.”

“No… Just need to close my eyes for a sec. Need to finish that thing in the lab and-“

“You’re not going back to lab anytime soon, so don’t even think about it.”

Tony looked up at his stone face and huffed a laugh, “Fine… Can I get another drink, at least?”

“I can give you some water,” Steve said, walking behind the counter.

“A whiskey will do…”

“Shut up, Tony.”

He grinned, leaning against the back of the couch. Slowly moving a hand over the reactor, he took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

“Here's-“ Steve stopped to not wake him up, but the inventor opened his eyes again.

“Just resting my eyes,” Tony said, staring at the glass he came to give him. “Please tell me it's vodka…”

“You can imagine that it is.”

“Very funny," Tony groaned, taking a sip- and finished it all in one long gulp. He met Steve's patient glare and said, "Shut up."

“You're worse than Natasha at taking care of yourself, you know?” Steve said, sitting on a chair nearby. “Me and Cint have to constantly remind her to get some water and food between missions.”

“Who would have thought...” Tony commented.

Steve watched him keeping his eyes on the empty glass. After a brief silence, he stood up, “I’ll let you rest. Call me if you need-”

“About yesterday…” the other blurted out, and Steve stopped. Tony took a breath, passing a hand over his face, “I didn’t mean to overreact like that.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Someone stole it, once.” Tony kept throwing out words as if to prevent himself from stopping. “That’s why- and because you were so damn tense, you- your panic made me panic," he added, nervously spinning the glass into his hands.

Steve looked unsure and sat down again. “Who stole it?”

“An old friend... Former friend. It happened years ago... I couldn’t stay without the reactor for more than five minutes, and he took it from me- not very gently.”

Steve felt his stomach turn at those words. “Did he know that you needed it to survive?”

“He didn't care. The reactor is worth more than my life, so...” He slowly put the empty glass on a table next to the sofa.

Steve looked down. This situation is getting worst and worst. “Sorry, I... If you had told me before, I'd never-“

“No need to apologize. I asked you to do it.”

Steve stared at him for a moment. "Then, why...?”

Tony didn’t look up, “Maybe to test both of us.”

Steve took a deep breath but kept quiet. He never really considered the reactor could have such a dramatic history... He knew so little about it- about Tony.

“Do you want to try again?”

Steve was still nodding slowly, then he suddenly stopped, looking at him.

“Just- please, don’t make that face. It’s not the end of the world,” Tony tiredly said. “No need to panic like it’s gonna set you on fire or explode as someone touches it. I haven’t designed it for something like that. Yet.”

“You just said that you don’t like people getting closer to it…”

"Yes, and I think it's time to fix that," Tony said, but the soldier didn't look convinced. “I’ll kick you away if I need to.”

After everything he heard, about the consequences of the kidnap and the accident with Tony's former friend, the last thing Steve wanted to do was to touch the reactor. It was harder just to look at it now…Still, Tony was serious. He wanted help, and, for some reason, he was trusting him to get it.

Steve took a deep breath, “Only if you’re sure.”

Tony nodded, “I am.”

Steve thought for another second, then slowly moved the chair to sit in front of him. He could see the reactor shining under the fabric, and it was still as hypnotic as it was the first time.

Tony unbuttoned the shirt just enough to uncover the reactor and then looked back at him, “Scared?”

“Just worried that I’ll break it.”

The other laughed softly, “You won’t.”

“What if I do?”

“Steve...”

“No, I am serious, what if-“

“Oh for God’s sake…” Tony grabbed his wrist and placed the hand on the reactor. Both of them stopped breathing for a second.

Steve rarely felt so scared before.

Tony was looking down at their hands, then he let him go and smiled a little, tense smile. “See? Everything’s fine,” he said, and he was probably saying that to himself too.

Steve was staring at the light under his palm, feeling a light warmth over his fingers. He wondered how it would feel to have something like that inside his chest...

“You good?” Tony asked.

“I can’t hear your heartbeat,” Steve just noticed.

“The energy of the reactor covers it a bit, but is still there.”

Steve slightly moved his fingers over the glass, looking at the light in its core.

“Push a bit on the edges.”

Steve did it without thinking, and suddenly the arc reactor popped out and into his hand. He froze completely, mouth half-open.

“That’s how I keep it clean and in check," Tony casually explained.

“Uh...”

“Don’t throw it away, please.”

“I didn’t mean to- how do I put it back in?” Steve was staring terrified at the reactor, and then inside the hole in Tony’s chest.

“I never thought I'd hear you say something like that...”

“Just tell me!”

“Ok, calm down! Here…” Tony grabbed his wrist again and moved his hand to slowly put the reactor back in. After it clicked in place, he let him go, “See? Done.”

Steve took a deep breath, eyes closed and head down, trying to calm himself. “A little warning would’ve been nice…”

Tony laughed at the despair in Steve’s voice. “Well, no one was hurt. You should be proud,” he said, patting a hand on his shoulder.

After a long moment, Steve looked at him again, “I thought it would be more difficult... To remove it, I mean.”

“I’m working on it. Maybe I should add a padlock or something…” Tony leaned against the couch, taking a deep breath.

It shouldn’t be so easy, Steve couldn’t stop thinking. He kept looking at the reactor for a moment, then up, just to find Tony asleep. He sighed and slowly helped him lay down, then stood up and left.

Once in the living room, Steve looked at the sea outside the window and took a deep breath, trying not to think about how easily the reactor fell into his hand.

Maybe it was because of the fresh air of the ocean, or maybe just being away from New York was enough, but Steve managed to relax so much that he fell asleep in the middle of the day.

A low ringing called him out from another confused nightmare with a little jump.

Steve looked around his room, hearing the sound again. “JARVIS?” he called, leaving the room.

“Sorry for the trouble, Captain.”

“What’s happening?” Looking down in the hall, the house seemed to be quiet as it had been all day.

“An anomaly has been detected outside the mansion. I'm examining the perimeter at the moment.”

Christopher?. Steve pushed the thought away. “Can I check outside from here?”

“A view of the cameras can be provided in the laboratory.”

Steve walked downstairs, watching the glass door open for him once again. He looked around and moved to the center of the area where small, holographic screens appeared, showing different angles of the mansion: the garden, Tony's private plane still located where it landed the day before, the entrance, the road leading to the city…

“It was just some animals again,” Tony said, suddenly standing behind him, clearly still half-asleep.

Steve turned around, “Animals?”

“The hill is huge; sometimes dogs get in. One time, a seagull activated three alarms...” Tony moved to use one of the laptops.

Steve looked at the screens, still expecting to see Christopher waving a hand at him. “Did you manage to get some sleep? How… What time is it?” hr then asked as Tony sat down with a yawn.

Tony nodded, “Three pm. Weird.”

“What is?”

“That I slept for so long.” Tony smiled sarcastically at him, “I think the same goes for you?”

“Yeah... I crashed upstairs.”

“We’ll be fresh and rested for the night, then.” Tony studied him, thinking, and then said, “Before that, how about a tour of the house?"

Steve smiled a bit, confused, "Really?"

"You seem to like tours.”

“Shouldn’t you prepare for the party?”

“Too early to get dressed, and someone will take care of the rest. Pepper couldn't be here, so she selected a team for the job weeks ago.” He stood up and stretched, “Come on, I have some ideas for your shield to show you too."

Steve followed him, glad that Tony was in a good mood again.

The tour continued for the rest of the afternoon, with Steve trying to listen about all the technological tricks in the house, the creation of the Iron Man suit, and how it worked. Tony even let him try a gauntlet on, and Steve learned how to unlock it and use the blaster in its hand, almost decapitating Dum-E.

The funny part of all this was that Steve enjoyed listening to him. Tony was indeed a genius, but he was also able to explain everything in a way that Steve could understand, without making him feel a complete idiot- without going crazy.

They didn’t talk about Tony’s old friend again, but he told him about how the first reactor was poisoning him to death and how a complicated series of events led him to the solution when he was ready to give up... How Howard's notes helped him save himself.

Steve kept listening, and the more he knew, the more he started to look at the man with a bit more respect. They both went through really hard times... Tony was just as good at hiding it as Steve was.

Around 6 pm, Tony ended the tour in the living room, at the entrance. “Well, do you feel more wise now?”

“Yeah... A bit confused too," Steve laughed a bit. Just then, he noticed people walking in and out from the entrance, greeting them while heading to other rooms with big boxes in hand.

“It’s the catering Pepper hired,” Tony said. “Better if l go check what they’re doing around here.”

“I’ll go change into something more- fancy, then.”

Tony scoffed, "You don't need to get fancy to look good," he commented, and then quickly added, "I mean- you can wear whatever you want. That's- anything is fine." Steve was taken aback for a second. "Uh, ok...?" Tony watched him going up the stairs. “Hey, Steve?” he called and the other looked down at him. “I know this might be just boring to you, so… Don't feel obligated to join in. The house is big enough for you to stay wherever you want. ”

"And lose my bodyguard job?"

"I promise, I won't tell Pepper."

Steve smiled patiently, appreciating his concern. “I’m not Tony Stark. I can handle a party where I’m not the principal attraction, so don't worry.”

Tony moved a hand over his chest in a dramatic way. “Oh, wow. I’m offended. That really hurt my feelings- hey, what is that thing?!” he screamed, following the catering that was taking an ice statue to the other room.

Steve tried not to laugh and walked back to his room ready to take a shower, when he saw the light on his phone blinking. He took it and regretted reading the message that was waiting for him: You know how to do it now. We’re waiting.

Suddenly all the good time he had until that moment disappeared, and he wished he never entered the house in the first place.

At almost 11 PM, the mansion had people walking all around the house, filling the main living room, drinking at the bar, and chatting over lounge music. Steve learned that parties at the Stark house weren’t as crazy as they used to be, but could tell people were enjoying themselves.

To the surprise of no one, Tony was an excellent host- his time to shine. He lived most of his life through these kinds of events, and he was able to move from one chat to another smoothly.

Steve left his room in a more elegant blue shirt and black trousers, still unable to shake off the tension of receiving that message from Christopher... Tony just showed him how easy it was to remove it, so how could they know?

Steve took a deep breath and grabbed the banister, looking down in the hall: he promised Pepper to keep an eye on Tony, so he needed to pull himself together and watch over the party. He wasn’t going to steal the reactor tonight, that was for sure. If Christopher wanted it so bad, he could come to the party and do it himself.

Steve started descending the stairs and didn't miss many heads turning to look at him. He knew it would have happened, but maybe Tony was right... Maybe it was better for him to stay upstairs and-

“Captain Rogers.”

Steve turned to the woman wearing an elegant, long, purple dress that was doing a very good job at not hiding her curves. “Ma’am.”

“So formal again?" she smiled, noticing his puzzled glare. "I’m Susan. I was at the Stark Tower a few days ago. I helped you during your visit...?”

He nodded after a moment, finally remembering. “Susan Harrison. It’s good to see you.”

“Good to see you too. I thought the rumors were not true...”

"Rumors?"

"About you being here tonight."

“Oh, I... I had some free time, so I decided to help Tony with the party.”

“It's about those emails, isn’t it?” Susan then asked, voice lower and more serious, and Steve couldn't hide his surprise. “Sorry. Most of the employees know about it. We were worried, I have to admit, but we're sure Mister Stark is handling the problem the best he can.”

Steve forced out a smile, “I’m sure he has everything under control. Have you seen him yet?”

“Ah… I saw him before, in the other room.”

“Thanks. Well, enjoy the party.”

“You too.”

I wish. Steve walked through the corridor and back into the familiar lounge. Sadly, even walking all around the area to avoid the crowd, he felt more eyes noticing him- studying him.

If only they knew why he was there… Why couldn't they just stop staring?

“Here you are.” Tony patted his shoulder, “Glad you decided to honor us with your presence. A drink? I know you don’t feel them, so...” he stopped, noticing his tension. “What?”

Steve looked away from the crowd, glad that Tony was wearing a black, elegant suit that didn’t make the reactor visible underneath. “Just wondering if wearing my uniform would have gotten less attention,” he said with maybe more sarcasm than he intended.

Tony was aware of the glares and whispered comments around them, wishing he could blast the music even louder in the lounge. “Well, after New York, having two members of the Avengers in the same room is gonna be flash news. Just ignore them.”

“I’m trying.”

Tony lightly grabbed his elbow and moved both towards the windows, keeping the crowd behind. “You can check the situation from the lab if you want. Pepper won’t know and I sure don’t care.”

“People already saw that I’m hiding in your mansion, so...”

“Hiding? You're not hiding...?" Tony frowned, "Are you?"

Steve wished he could punch himself. Why did I say that? I'm not hiding. Hiding from who, anyway? From what?

“Is it because of SHIELD?” Tony then asked. "That's the reason why you moved to Tower?"

"No... Look, you're busy right now. We'll talk about it later." Steve turned to leave, surprised when the other stopped him by his arm.

“We will," Tony said, a there was worry in his serious gaze. "Whatever happened, you can tell me, ok?"

Steve nodded, not sure of what to say, then he glanced around, at the people still looking at them, and Tony let him go. "Enjoy the party for me too, alright?" was all Steve managed to tell him with half of a smile before walking away. He needed air.

He didn’t run outside, but it sure took him just a few seconds to cross the hall and walk outside, the area in front of the entrance now filled with cars.

Steve closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then looked at the stars visible in the cloudy sky. First the ice, then SHIELD and the war, and now Christopher... Why did his life keep taking so many wrong turns?

From a cage to another

Steve tightened his fist, trying to stop the frustration from becoming pure rage. He knew how to take the reactor now, but how could he stab Tony in the back like that? Even having a chance to explain what was going on, Tony would have never trusted him again. Not a chance...

Taking another deep breath, he then turned around, looking up at the mansion, and something caught his attention: a brief flash of light in a room on the second floor.

Tony told him the second floor would be off-limits during the party, just in case he needed some peace… Did someone manage to sneak upstairs?

Unsure, but also annoyed about losing even that little bit of privacy, Steve walked back inside and straight up the stairs. Based on the location of those lights, they were in the library, or Tony's private little gym, as he discovered that same day.

Steve checked both rooms but found no one there; all the lights were also off. He walked back outside, thinking, and then moved to the speaker on the wall. “JARVIS?”

“Yes, Captain?” the AI's answered instantly.

“Did someone come upstairs a few minutes ago?”

A moment of silence, then: “I did not register any violation in the area. Should I start a deeper analysis for anomalies?”

“Yes, thank you.” Steve looked down at the hall when JARVIS made him freeze in place with just a few words.

“A breach in the security has been detected.”

“Tell Tony-” Steve was saying when suddenly the entire house fell into the darkness. He grabbed the banister, listening to the people complaining, but also laughing in the sudden, awkward silence.

Steve wondered only for a second if that was something Tony had planned for the party... Then, a gunshot confirmed that wasn't the case, and the screams that followed pushed him to move.

People were now running for the exit, screaming in panic in the darkness.

Steve forced his way against the crowd and back into the lounge, and in the dim, orange light provided by the emergency system, he saw people fighting.

He started running and had the time to see someone smashing Tony’s head on the piano and falling to the ground before someone hit him on the back of the head, almost making him fall too. Steve held himself on a chair and turned around, kicking a man away, hearing the window wall cracking. Then he tried to locate Tony again but had to cover himself from a punch, ready for the fight…

Another gunshot was fired then, “That's enough, Captain!” someone warned him.

Steve stopped and a punch sent him crashing against a table. He carefully looked around: three men, all with guns in hand, were in front of the piano that Tony was using to stand up while holding the side of his head with a hand... It was too dark to tell if he was bleeding. Some other men were moving all around in the hall, waiting for orders.

“We weren’t expecting other Avengers to join the party tonight,” the same man told him, in his forties, if not older. The accent was strong, not american. "What a nice surprise.”

"Don't be so sure," Steve commented.

“So you're behind those messages?” Tony asked.

“You didn't ignore them, after all,” the man said turning to him and moving closer.

“Kinda. My assistant read them to me-!" Tony was interrupted by a punch that sent him against the piano again.

Steve stepped forward, but the rest of the group raised their guns at him.

“Then you know why we're here,” the man said, stretching his fingers after that last punch. “What we want from you.”

Tony stood up once again. “If you mean weapons, sorry... That's not my business anymore.”

The man laughed, “Do I look stupid to you?” and Tony’s sarcastic expression earned him another punch, this time in the stomach. “I am not here to play with you, Stark! You have something we want. Something we need to win our war.”

“I- don’t support war anymore,” he said coughing and gasping for air.

“You think I didn't see what happened in New York?”

“Then you also see we were risking an alien inva-”

Steve heard another punch and he couldn't stop himself, “Keep punching him won't get you what you want!"

“Maybe,” the man then pointed a gun at Tony's head, “Then why waste my time?”

“You’re not helping, Cap,” Tony commented, forcing himself not to look at the gun.

The man laughed, "Correct. Better keep our conversation private," and, looking at his comrades, they all pointed their guns at Steve.

“Wait- you have my attention, ok?" Tony quickly said. “I can’t promise you weapons, but I can help you find another way to win your war.”

“You’re not the first person telling me that,” the man growled. “We already asked for help! No one cared about us!"

“I care! We can talk, ok? No need to point guns at anyone else!”

Steve was staring at the men around him, feeling the tension rising. They were not there to talk. They wanted something, and if they couldn't have it, their mission failed.

“We’re tired of talking. We’re tired of words that have no meaning to our cause,” the man said in a low and cold voice.

Steve knew what was going to happen and decided to jump into action: he threw a table at the men closer to him, and then a champagne bottle at their leader just before he pulled the trigger, the bullet missing Tony's ear by just a few inches. Steve reached him in a flash, throwing both behind the piano and kicking one of its legs to let it fall on one side and use it as a shield from the bullets that hit it a second later.

Tony was using his phone and then screamed through the gunshots, “Close your eyes!”

“What!?”

“Do it!”

Steve obeyed, hearing Tony scream, “JARVIS, lights on!” and a second later the entire room was illuminated as if it was suddenly midday. The gunshots stopped and pained groans took their places.

“Come on, need to move!” Tony said, checking the area.

Steve opened his eyes, noticing a line of blood on the side of Tony’s face, flowing down his neck. “They’re blocking the exit!”

"Outside, through the garden!" he said standing up, dragging him along.

Steve saw a shadow in the corner of his eyes: he pushed Tony aside, getting hit by two bullets that sent him crashing down against a few chairs. It had been a long time since he got shot like that...

“Steve!”

He felt Tony’s worry in his voice before seeing it on his face and still was surprised about it... He looked terrified as he saw the gunshot wounds. "'s fine... Gonna heal..."

The enemies regrouped, standing all around the two Avengers. The one in charge stepped forward, “Maybe now you can understand our pain. How does it feel having a brother dying in our arms.”

Trying to sit, Steve realized that Tony was kneeling next to him, holding him with an arm around his shoulders and one in front of him, grasping his shirt as if to protect him.

The man then talked to one of his group in a different language and nodded, looking back at them. “It seems that we don’t need to worry about you anymore. Enjoy the time you have left in this fancy grave of yours, Stark.” That said, all of them started running away under the now flickering lights.

Tony was breathing heavily, following them with his eyes until they were all gone. “Jarvis…” silence, “JARVIS!”

“Mansion not– lly operative,” the AI answered, its voice altered and cracking after each pause. “Police in coming- structure not safe- system compromised…”

“Call an ambulance… J, an ambulance, now!”

“On their- status-" the rest was lost in more buzzing sounds.

Steve groaned in pain, feeling blood flowing under the shirt. “He said- structure not safe…”

"Yes, I heard that," Tony took off his jacket and used it to put pressure on his wounds.

“If it’s not safe-“

“Will you shut up for once?!” Tony yelled at him and then looked up when the house started to tremble. “What the…?”

Steve tried to stand, but the injuries hurt- plus the bullets were still inside his body, and he fell against a table again. He should’ve begun to heal by now…

“You can’t move!" Tony yelled, trying to help him stand.

“We need to get out!”

“Structure not safe- ave the house as soon as possible,” JARVIS's voice suddenly came back.

“I KNOW it's not safe! What else can make it more not safe than this!?” Tony screamed but got only buzzing in response.

“They didn’t kill us…” Steve’s thoughts ran to the only possible conclusion. “He said fancy grave...”

Tony looked at him, suddenly understanding. “They’re going to destroy the house...” He murmured, and, as to confirm it, an explosion shook the whole mansion, cracks appearing on the windows all around them until the glass exploded and the floor started to collapse on itself.

Steve felt the floor starting to break and bend in the middle, then cold air and the smell of the ocean hit him as they started sliding down. He managed to grab and hold onto one of the windows, finding himself hanging above the dark ocean, with pieces of furniture falling into the invisible, loud waves below- and he grabbed Tony's arm before the man could follow the same fate.

The wounds on his chest screamed in pain, but Steve just shut his eyes, keeping a tight hold on the other.

Tony looked up at him, then down at the house crumbling down on the rocky shore, eventually creating a breach into the laboratory as well. "Let me go!" he then yelled, trying to get free.

“What are you doing?!” Steve screamed looking at him.

“I can reach the lab from here!”

“It’s too high!"

“I'll get into the suit and come back to get you!”

Steve was going to tell him how crazy his plan was but was interrupted when he felt the window's frame starting to bend. He looked down: it was too high for Tony to jump down, but he could try reducing the distance before throwing him inside the breach... The other option was Tony biting his hand to do things his way, so there wasn't much of a choice. "I'll try to get us closer to the breach... Be ready!"

"Get us closer? How?"

Steve let go from the window and grabbed a random pipe down below, feeling the wounds stretching and bleeding even more. He groaned in pain and focused on the opening to the laboratory. "Stop it, you're gonna bleed to death!" Tony yelled at him. "Go!" Steve tossed Tony inside and then managed to jump as well, just before the pipe broke.

He rolled over rubbles until his back hit a wall and he stopped, lying on his side on the floor, coughing, keeping a hand over his wounds- then two hands were on his shoulders.

“Still with me?” Tony asked, checking him up and down.

"Yeah..."

"Next time you try to say I'm a madman, I'll remember you about today," Tony sighed, looking around the destroyed laboratory.

“We need- to leave the house,” Steve said sitting up. He noticed bloodstains on Tony's white shirt but then realized that was his blood.

“I know, and we need the suit for that," Tony said helping him up. Then there was a loud crack above their heads that made him look up: his eyes widened and he pushed Steve away before part of the ceiling crashed down in a cloud of dust.

Steve rolled on his stomach and tried to stand up- and found himself alone. “Tony...?” he rushed to the debris and started to move them until he found the man. Steve pulled him out and they both fell back on the floor. “Tony?" Keeping him in his arms, Steve saw the man was unconscious, with more blood running down the side of his face... Did Tony just save his life?

Steve held him into his arms, eyes closed, breathing heavily in the dust and smoke. He then looked up at the very unstable ceiling and realized how bad the situation was. “Jarvis... Need help down here…”

When he was starting to lose hope and stand up, there was a buzzing sound, then the AI’s voice arrived, half broken, from somewhere around the laboratory. “Captain, the house- you must leave-“

“I know...” Steve turned to the left, and spotted the Iron Man suit not too far, “but you have to help me.” Slowly, he stood up, taking Tony with him, limping their way to the other side of the area. “Jarvis, can you- take control of the suit?” he asked standing in front of it, and, after a moment, the whole armor started to open. Steve carefully moved Tony into it, “I need you to- can you take us away from here?”

“Remote control is online.” The voice was coming from inside the suit now.

“I'll take it as a yes.” Steve made sure Tony's limbs were all inside and said, “All set. Turn it on.” He watched each piece smoothly closing around Tony, the helmet for last, with those black eyes suddenly bright with energy. Steve smiled, relieved, but then held on to the suit's shoulder, pushing down a pained groan, a bloodied hand over his chest again. It was then that he saw a big crack run under his feet. “Go... JARVIS, go.”

“Captain, I can’t leave you here-“

“GO!” Steve grabbed Iron Man's arm and shoved the suit away when the laboratory's floor broke. Steve grabbed something- a table?- that he intended to use as a shield, but that only got him pinned to a wall. He didn't know where was up and where was down anymore. He kept holding onto the table, hearing the waves again, closer.

“Captain, I can provide support.” JARVIS voice reached him, but it was hard to tell how far it was.

“Damn it- Tony is still in there, take him away!"

“Based on my data, Mister Stark won’t approve this decision.”

“He can yell at me later...” He coughed, feeling- tired? He was losing too much blood... “Go. Take him somewhere safe.”

After a moment of silence, JARVIS said, “Help has arrived, Captain. I will come back for you as soon as possible.”

He sighed, nodding. “You know where to find me,” Steve said, and then there was no response... He was finally alone. Thinking about it, Steve realized that dying there wouldn't have been too bad... Without him, Christopher would have lost... No reactor for him, and Tony would be safe...

After that thought, the rest of the mansion crashed down into the ocean, and Captain America along with it.

Chapter Text

There was someone...

Someone was grabbing his arm... It was so cold, and he couldn’t breathe...

As he was going to panic, Steve suddenly found air again and began coughing, reaching for anything he could hold onto, completely soaked, but alive. Looking up, he found Iron Man’s white bright eyes staring down at him while holding his arm, keeping him safe on what seemed to be rocks. “Tony-?” Steve called weakly, but then a sudden rising pain interrupted him, and he tightened his grip on the metal arm, letting out half of a scream. Still alive, still bonded to Christopher's mission.

“Help is on the way, Captain,” JARVIS said. “Please, allow me to check your-”

“No!” He almost roared and felt the suit stop any movements. “I'm fine… Just need a moment,” he added grasping on his chest... He was still wearing the clothes he wore for the party. Looking back, he saw the ruins of Tony’s mansion still smoking over the cliff, the sky colored with the shades of the incoming dawn. “What happened?”

“The mansion was attacked tonight. You went missing for almost five hours. Mister Stark-“

“Is he alright?”

“Yes. Mr. Stark was taken to safety.” Iron Man kneeled next to him. “Captain Rogers, your conditions are-”

Steve shook his head, the growing pain becoming unbearable. Where the hell was Tony? “Tell him- no checkups… Not while I can’t…” and he crashed down, unconscious. Too tired to even have nightmares.

When Steve slowly opened his eyes, he recognized the laboratory of the Stark Tower. For a long moment, he didn’t even ask himself how he arrived there. He just stared at the ceiling before carefully sitting up on the little bed hidden behind a shelf.

Steve looked down at himself, hand on the fabric of the clean shirt he was wearing, feeling bandages underneath, but just a slight pain... His wounds were finally healing.
He took a deep breath and then looked up hearing footsteps approaching.

Pepper appeared from behind the shelf, her worried expression lightening up as their eyes met. “Thank God,” she sighed, walking around the bed to hug him, “Steve, we were so worried!”

“Sorry…”

"I should be the one apologizing! I knew that something was going to happen," she looked sadly at him. “I should have never let Tony have that stupid party.”

“No one could’ve expected the attack... Have they caught the responsible?”

“Not yet, but the police got some leads. Tony also offered to help…” she shook her head, “If you hadn’t been there with him that night…”

“He would’ve found another way to deal with them.”

“You got shot, Steve. Twice. Tony was unconscious, and half of the house was gone when I got there...”

“But we’re both fine. What about the guests?"

"Someone was injured, but nothing serious."

"That’s good. That's all that matters.”

She took a deep breath and nodded slightly.

“Tony's awake too?”

“Yes... He got some scratches and a bump on his head, but…”

“Miss Potts, Director Fury has arrived,” JARVIS informed her.

Steve frowned, confused. “Fury? Why is he here?”

“He and Tony got into a bit of a fight because he refused to update him about you and the accident...” Pepper started to explain.

“WHERE IS HE?” Fury’s voice arrived from downstairs as soon as he got out of the elevator.

Steve moved his legs out of the bed, "Let me talk to him," but was stopped by her hand on his shoulder.

"You need to rest. We can handle this." Pepper smiled a bit and left the laboratory.

Steve let a moment pass, then stood up to hear what was being said.

Fury looked at Pepper coming down the stairs and shook his head, “I’m sorry Miss Potts, but I’m not going to beg for a report from him.”

“Director, I’m sure you've been told-“

“all he needs to know already,” Tony finished for her, coming from the corridor: the black t-shirt couldn’t fully cover the bandage around his arm, nor the plaster on his forehead. "And yet, here he is."

“Your half-answers don't work with me, Stark,” Fury coldly said.

"Steve's conditions are stable, and he just needs to rest. That's all.”

“He can recover at our base. With people who actually know how to care about him."

"And try to convince him he's still in 1945 again?"

"I'm not the one keeping him hostage in a laboratory. Again."

Tony's glare got angry. "What's that supposed to mean?”

“Do I have to remind you that you didn't even tell us where he was after you two left Malibu?”

“Because I could handle it.”

Fury scoffed. “You keep talking like that is your job. It is not. You're not a member of SHIELD. As you keep reminding everyone, you're just a counselor.”

“Director, I think we’re all overreacting…” Pepper tried to intervene.

“I know something is happening here and I want to know what it is,” Fury cut short.

“Well, as a counselor I don't have to respond to you, so…” Tony said, heading to the bar.

“I had enough of your bullshits, Stark.”

“Mybullshits?” he angrily put down the bottle on the table. “You’re the one saying that I kidnapped Captain America- how would I even try to do that, by the way?”

Fury’s expression didn't change, “You’re a Stark. I’m sure you would find a way.”

Tony's eyes flashed with anger and he moved to approach him. “If you really think-“ and Pepper stepped in to stop him.

“No one kidnapped me," Steve said from the stairs, looking at the director. “And what Tony told you is all you needed to know.”

Fury stared at him for a moment, then took a deep breath. “We need to talk, Captain.”

“We are talking.”

“In private.”

Steve said nothing, then looked at Tony who just nodded, like he understood what he was thinking, before turning to the kitchen again.

Fury shook his head in disbelief and marched upstairs.

Steve shared a look with Pepper before following him. Once the laboratory's door closed, he noticed some of the screens in the lab turning black, and the windows facing outside turning smoky to give them more privacy.

Fury stood in the middle of the room, then turned to look at him. “Captain, I fear I’ve been missing something here.”

“Not much.”

“Then can you explain to me what is going on?”

I can’t. Steve had to fight to keep down those words. “I needed some time after New York. To clear my mind.”

“I imagined something like that, but with all the places you could’ve chosen, you picked up Tony Stark’s house to find the Nirvana?” He sounded both, stressed and confused.

Steve knew how strange that situation was- the problem was he couldn’t choose. He lost that luxury the moment he met Christopher. “Are you mad because it's Tony, or because I chose a place you can’t spy into?”

Fury’s expression stayed serious. “I thought we solved our problems about trust, Captain.”

“We didn't. I just accepted SHIELD controlling me half of the time and hiding things from me.”

Fury took a deep breath, “As I told you already, I don't make all the rules...”

Steve nodded, “And I don't have to follow all of them.”

"I can see Stark's influence is getting to you already..."

"He simply offered me a safe place to stay and I accepted it. End of the story.

“His house got destroyed with you inside. Does that sound safe to you? Because it doesn’t sound very safe to me!”

Steve sighed. Safe was probably the wrong word to use at the moment. “Look, I appreciate what SHIELD has done for me since I woke up, and I trust the Avengers project as much as you do, but what I have to deal with right now... I don’t need SHIELD for that.” And even if I wanted to ask for help, I can't risk getting another bomb exploding in the city.

Fury took a long, deep breath. “You don't need us but you need Stark?”

Steve was caught off guard by that question. Sure, he picked Tony only because of Christopher... But Tony has been sincerely trying to help me since I moved here... Everything he has been doing, he's been doing it because he wanted to. He wanted to help me.

Fury sat on a chair, passing a hand over his face. "And how long are you planning to stay here?"

Steve tried to focus again. “I'm not sure, but I'll be ready if something happens. We all will be ready.”

“I hope so.” Fury thought for a moment, then stared intently at him. “Don’t disappear again, Captain. It was enough of a challenge searching for you for seventy years.”

Steve nodded once, then watched him stand up and leave. After that, he took a deep breath and walked downstairs, wondering for how long he could continue lying like this.

“-and turned my house into a battlefield!”

“You’re both fine, the house can be rebuilt…” Pepper was trying to calm Tony down, both of them standing in the kitchen area.

“Someone could’ve died, Pep, and I still don’t know how they-” Tony stopped when he saw Steve descending the stairs and looked away.

Pepper turned around and smiled a bit, “You ok Steve?”

He nodded. “Fury’s gone?”

“For now,” she sighed. “He said SHIELD will help find the people who attacked the house, so there's that.”

Steve sat down next to her, massaging the spot over his heart, and saw Tony noticing it. He quickly stopped, blaming Christopher for that new, stupid habit. "How's your head?" he asked him, hoping for that to be a good distraction.

“Full of wonders as always,” Tony answered, voice still tense.

Pepper’s phone started ringing and she took it from her bag, “Sorry, I have to answer this," and walked away.

Perfect timing, Steve thought as he and Tony were left alone in an awkward silence. He tried to remember the last moments he spent at the house in Malibu and asked, “You took a falling ceiling for me.”

“So what?” Tony cut short.

“I just wanted to thank you.”

“You took two bullets for me. Now we’re even.”

"I guess we are..."

Tony breathed out, his shoulders relaxing a bit. “Just don't do it ever again.”

"I'll try," Steve smiled a bit as he got a nervous glare in return. "I mean, it would’ve been a problem the other way around.”

Tony scoffed, “I can take a few bullets.”

“No, you can’t.”

“I survived a bomb.”

“And you have a reactor in your chest now,” Steve looked down at it, curious, “Is it bulletproof?”

"Of course it is," Tony shook his head, grinning as he moved to fill a cup of coffee that he placed in front of the other. "So... What's up with Fury?"

"He just wanted to make sure everything was ok. Don't worry about it."

Tony thought for a moment. “Can I ask you one thing?”

“Just one? You hit your head harder than I thought," Steve said taking a sip.

Tony sat in front of him, on the other side of the table. “JARVIS repeated your message to me after he found you on the shore, and I checked the records to be sure he wasn’t going crazy…”

“He wasn’t.” Did he check on me anyway? Did he see something?

“But you said no checkups while I can't…?” Tony saw him looking down, “Is that because of how SHIELD treats you or...?”

That's why he brought me here without telling Fury? To keep me away from SHIELD?. Steve met his gaze, even more surprised to see Tony was worried. “No, they- SHIELD never forced me to do anything. I was just caught off guard when the first thing I saw after the accident was your suit..."

“JARVIS was just making sure you were alright.”

“I know. I guess I'm fed up with having people checking on me...” Steve could see the other was not convinced. "I was fine, anyway, so..."

“You were screaming in pain. You stopped when JARVIS brought you back to the mansion, but that's not what I'd define being fine.”

Steve looked away, his body tensing up. He couldn't remember screaming, but that was probably caused by being too far away from Tony. “I heal fast, but I do feel the pain," he said, trying to give out a weak, bitter smile.

Tony stared at him in silence for a moment. “I know,” he then said, his voice lower. “That’s why it would’ve been better to let JARVIS check on you.”

“I’m fine now, so no need to worry.”

“But I was. We were. Pepper was.”

Steve looked at him, "Were you?" he asked with a little grin.

Tony nervously turned to look at Pepper, still busy on her call. “You know, Captain America lost in the ocean because of a Stark… Kind of a dejavù.”

Steve tried to say something, but then his mouth closed, not expecting Tony to be so affected by what happened. "Come on... This was completely different."

Tony nodded, "Yeah... Sorry. I know.”

"And just to be clear, if I ever get lost in the ocean again, you don't have to come and look for me, ok?"

"Of course I will."

Steve was going to take a sip, but his hand stopped with the cup halfway. He turned to Tony and watched him staring back for a moment before Tony's eyes widened and moved aside. Steve was expecting him to correct himself, throwing a joke in there- but there was only silence. Steve forced himself to say something, "Thanks...?"

"Yeah, I mean. We're a team, so..." Tony took a step back. "Well, I... I'll go check something upstairs. And, Steve?"

He gulped down another sip of coffee. “Yes?"

“Thanks for helping me, when we were in Malibu.”

Steve saw he was serious, and nodded, “Don’t mention it,” and watched him walking upstairs. He was definitely starting to imagine things.

That night, Steve found it impossible to fall asleep. He kept turning in bed, unable to ignore the millions of thoughts spiraling in his brain.

At 4 AM, he sat on the bed, head down: did he really wake up after seventy years to get blackmailed by some psychos threatening him and thousands of other people? Why was he asked to steal something from Tony Stark, of all people? They were somehow getting closer, and Steve could only count the days before he would have had to betray him.

Taking a deep breath, Steve stood up from the bed, and it was then that a light on his phone started blinking, warning him of a new message... And he knew exactly who it was.

Christopher was a shadow against the wall, looking at the city outside. He turned around when he heard footsteps. “I’m glad to find you well and alive, Captain,” he said, keeping his hands in the pockets of the long jacket.

“Are you?” Steve stopped at the bottom of the staircase. He put on a random hoodie he found in his bag, but, somehow, he was feeling cold.

“Of course. We thought we'd lost you in that terrible accident. What a strange series of events, isn’t it?”

“So weren't you guys who sent those people to attack us?”

Christopher tilted his head, puzzled. “Why should we? Especially now that we are so close to reaching our goal.”

Steve held back the desire to punch the man again.

“Nonetheless, I was very impressed how easily you managed to follow Stark to his private residence, without growing any suspicions.”

“I didn’t do anything. He just asked me to go.”

“As I said, Stark does trust you more than you can imagine... To the point he even showed you how to remove the reactor from his body, correct?”

Steve clenched his fists. The fact that Christopher knew about that wasn’t a complete surprise, but how?

“I told you, Captain, there is a special bond between you and Stark," Christopher said with a light shrug, "Friendship, love, respect, call it however you like, but there is a reason why we chose you for this job.”

And how Steve could object to that? Tony considered him as a friend- enough to risk his life for him. Enough to fight Fury to keep him safe… Enough to become something more? Steve felt sick just thinking about it. If his actions were really making Tony believe there could be something more...

“So, I think it's time,” Christopher then said. “We could have asked you to take the reactor the night of the party, but you two were so busy...”

“What was I supposed to do? Just take it in front of everyone and run away?” They knew what was happening inside the house? No way they could've put cameras in Tony's house without him knowing- and we were alone when he showed me how to remove the reactor! How...? Steve frowned slightly, a possibility suddenly crossing his mind.

“The surprise effect surely would have worked in your favor.” Christopher nodded. "We were considering attacking the mansion after your departure into the ocean, but I'm glad we waited some time... Here you are again, alive and well."

Steve smiled slightly as Christopher confirmed his doubts without even realizing it. “Your superpowers don't work underwater?” he asked, and, for once, he saw a sparkle of surprise in the old man's eyes. “No, not yours..." Steve continued, staring intently at him. "You have someone else... Someone able to spy inside my mind or something. A superhuman?"

“I was wondering when you would have found out,” Christopher slowly said after a moment, holding his gaze- almost challenging him. “I will grant you this much. It is true, we have a special friend on our side.”

Steve wanted to scream in anger. With everything he saw since he woke up, that should have been his first thought. “That sounds pretty unfair to me.”

“You are Captain America,” the other laughed a bit, “I think we are simply offering you a worthy opponent.”

“An opponent that can read my mind.”

“I do what I can, Captain,” Christopher said, almost apologetically, "but, don't worry. This business between us will be over soon. We would appreciate to have the reactor today.”

Steve felt the floor disappear under his feet. “What- why?”

“Well, despite how much I love our little chats, getting to know each other isn't part of the plan. We just want the reactor, and it's time for you to complete the mission and be free again.”

Today? I have to kill Tony today? Steve forced himself to talk, “What about the bombs?”

“All of them will be defused, as promised.”

“And you expect me to just believe you?”

“I am afraid you have to. Also, I have kept all my promises so far, didn't I?”

Steve remembered Tony’s scared face the first time he almost touched the reactor and felt a shiver run down his spine. “Tony can’t stay without it. He's going to die if-“

“That is not my problem.” Again that cold, creepy smile. Christopher then walked a bit around him, “How to obtain it is up to you. I will wait outside the building and-“

“No.”

Christopher stopped behind him, staring curiously. “No?”

“I’ve followed enough of your orders.” Steve turned to look at him, “You need the reactor but don't want to get your hands dirty? Fine, I’ll do it, but if you want that thing, you’ll come up there and get it.”

Christopher stared at him. “You want Stark to see me... Him, or his AI, I presume?”

“I’ve managed to hide everything from them until now. You can’t do the same for five minutes?” Steve insisted. “From there, I’ll follow you.”

Christopher kept studying him thoughtfully. Only, he wasn’t just thinking...

He’s waiting, Steve thought. “Your superhuman is making sure I'm not lying?”

“Just making sure.” Christopher looked at his phone. He looked up again, “I think... It would be fair to personally end our business with Stark.” Putting the phone back in the pocket, he nodded at the Captain, “Your conditions are accepted. I will come to get the reactor early this evening.”

Steve just stared at him.

“I like your way of thinking, Captain. I will see you later, then. Have a nice day.” That said, Christopher left, descending the stairs as if nothing happened. As if he didn’t just order Captain America to kill Tony Stark.

Steve closed his eyes, pressing both his fists over them, thinking about how everything was going wrong.

The wall of the tower trembled when he punched it once, a light crack appearing on it.

Steve stared at it, anger coming and going in waves that he could barely keep under control. How much time he had spent on the edge- with the desire to kill Christopher, or himself- anything to save Tony and those innocent people... And still, he failed.

Captain America failed, and a friend was going to pay for it. How could he still be an Avenger after something like that?

Steve didn’t want to take the reactor. He didn’t want to scare Tony again... He didn't want to lose him.

When Steve was back on the top floor, after taking some time to calm down, he saw the window to the balcony was open, the city shining outside under the cloudy sky. He automatically moved to the kitchen, thinking about making some coffee, but ended up just standing there, staring at the empty cups.

“’Morning.”

He moved slightly away as Tony appeared next to him, preparing coffee for himself, wearing an old t-shirt over dark trousers.

“Still touring around? JARVIS told me you woke early this morning. I thought you went to the gym,” Tony said before yawning. “Not like you need to become bigger than you already are..." he turned to the Captain and frowned slightly. “Rogers?” he called, but the other was staring down at the coffee machine, the empty cup still in hand, “Are you awake?” Tony asked, poking at his arm with a spoon.

Steve flinched at the touch as if the metal burned him, and the cup slipped from his hand, crashing on the ground with the power of a nuclear explosion in the morning silence, making them both jump. Steve instinctively moved in front of Tony, his breathing accelerating.

“Woah- how much coffee did you drink already?” Tony asked trying to keep his balance, squeezed between the Captain's back and the sink.

“Sorry.”

“It's fine. Never liked that cup anyway…” Tony said, unsure, and then grabbed his arm, feeling the other flinch again, and noticing his hand was shaking slightly. “Ok, uh- how about some tea instead?”

“I'm fine.” Steve moved away, but Tony’s grip on his arm tightened instead.

“Why are you so tense?”

“I’m not.”

“Steve, I can almost hear your heartbeat from here-"

Steve harshly pulled away, getting free from his grasp. “It’s normal, you know that. I was just…” he briefly met his gaze, realizing how worried and confused Tony was, and then focused on the broken cup on the floor. “I’ll clean this mess,” he then finished, crouching to collect the pieces.

It can't be the end... This is all wrong...

“Watch it-!”

Steve blinked to the present and saw a cut on the palm of his hand. Am I going to see Tony’s blood on my hands…?

Tony quickly covered the cut with some napkins. “Steve, you need to calm down.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry- why do you keep apologizing? You just cut yourself!”

I can’t do this anymore. Steve kept staring at his injured hand- how tightly Tony was holding it. He tried to pull away again.

“No, hey- ” Tony didn't let him, watching the Captain looking everywhere but at him. “Hey?” he gently placed both hands on the sides of Steve's head, finally meeting those clear blue eyes. “It's alright. Take a deep breath, ok?”

Steve tried to. All he could think of was that he didn’t deserve Tony’s help; he didn’t deserve being so close to him, nor his friendship or…

Tony lowered a hand while moving the other through Steve's blonde hair, studying him, as if searching for something in his eyes. He tried to say something, but then just sighed, looking conflicted.

Only then, did Steve realize that Tony was holding back... He was waiting for him to move, to say or do something, anything- and Steve didn't know what to do. Not until Tony looked down and moved to stand up. Only then Steve quickly grabbed his arm to stop him, surprising both of them.

I can't do this. I shouldn't be doing this.

Tony stared at him before dropping on one knee in front of him, closer now, his voice calm as he said, "Talk to me."

You can't expect anything from me. Not now…

As Tony leaned closer, Steve panicked and let him go. "Sorry," he blurted out, “I’ll go wash this cut.” He stood up and left, without looking back.

They didn't see each other for the rest of the day. Steve tried to leave his room, thinking about going to the lab to explain something that probably would’ve just confused Tony even more... So Captain America, never running away from a fight, stayed hidden in his room until the evening.

It was time. Christopher could’ve appeared at any moment… And then what?

Steve kept pacing all around the room, desperate, angry, scared… He jumped when JARVIS called.

“Captain Rogers, a call for you from Director Fury.” the AI informed him.

The soldier took a deep breath and finally opened the door, slowly walking down the corridor, and finding Tony working on something on the coffee table, in the middle of the hall.

“Upstairs,” he said without looking up.

Normally, Steve would’ve asked why upstairs, but at the moment he just nodded and walked into the lab. After looking around, Fury’s hologram appeared on the base where Tony used to test the suit. “Director.”

“Captain. Everything’s alright?”

Sure, just about to kill Iron Man, not a big deal. “Yes. Why, something happened?”

“We’re not sure…” Fury looked at him with a serious glare. “I would like to show you something. Can I expect to see you in my office tomorrow?”

"Can't we discuss it here?”

“I’d rather not.”

Steve nodded slowly. He didn't know what kind of tomorrow was waiting for him, but, whatever would have happened, a meeting with Fury would have probably be on the list anyway. "I'll be there.”

“Good. I’ll wait for you in the morning, then.” That said, Fury's hologram disappeared.

Steve had only the time to sit on a chair and take a deep breath.

“Really?” Tony was standing at the entrance, arms crossed over his chest, a half-surprised expression on his face.

Steve felt his whole body tensing up again.

“You’re going back to SHIELD?”

“Fury needs to talk to me.”

“How convenient.”

Steve frowned and looked at him, "What?

“And here I was, waiting for a speech…”

“A speech about what?”

“I don’t know, maybe about the last week? About you living here, being all friendly and touchy feeling, saving my life and all?”

Oh no… Steve could feel the guilt heavy on his heart.

“And after what happened this morning, you're just going to pack your things and leave.”

"I know, this might look like..."

"It looks like locking yourself in your room all day clearly wasn't enough."

“I didn’t mean to stay away all day, I just-“

“No, you just needed to stay away from me.”

Steve tried to find the words, but what was the right thing to say? He didn’t ask for any of this... He barely thought about Tony as a friend, how could he expect the man to fall for him so quickly? Was it true, or was that also because of Christopher? Could Steve really be so blind, or none of it was real? But it is real for Tony. He's not the one acting, I am... Am I? Steve needed time to think, to understand what he was feeling- but time was the one thing he didn’t have.

Maybe it was too late, but at least he could stop lying. “Tony, I’m sorry, this-“

“Oh, please.”

“I mean it. I was-“

“You were just being polite? That’s what you’re going to say?” Tony interrupted him again and seeing the hurt on the soldier's face, his shoulders dropped. “You- Steve, this… Maybe I imagined things, but you…” now Tony was at a loss for words too, and that was something new. “You were the one following me around, listening to me for hours about things that you don’t even care about, and then what happened in Malibu and today- today I thought that maybe…”

Steve looked down. Tony’s confused and sad voice was enough to want him to punch himself: that was his fault. He managed to open Tony's heart just to break it before leaving.

Tony shook his head, “This is not the ‘40s anymore. If you’re trying to be polite, you have- I need you to be clear about it, because if this was just-“

“I don’t know!” Steve angrily said, realizing the meaning of those words only a second later. He blinked and looked up, but Tony stayed quiet, his mouth closing a moment later.

“Sir, I’ve detected-“ JARVIS’s voice was cut off, and the emergency lights were turned on while the entire tower went suddenly powerless.

“Now what?” Tony moved to the computers, checking what was going on.

Steve jumped up from the chair and ran downstairs. Looking around, he felt cold again, as if he was drowning in the ocean again.

"There's no power in the entire Tower," Tony said following him a moment later. He stared at him, "Steve-"

“Good evening, gentlemen.” Christopher said, standing behind them, in the middle of the living room. “Sorry for being late, I hope Stark won’t be offended.”

They both turned around, but Steve didn't dare to speak.

Tony, on the contrary, frowned at the new guest. “Who the hell are you?”

Chapter Text

Steve kept staring at Christopher in silence, hands closing in tight fists as he forced himself not to move.

Tony, on his part, sounded more confused than anything. “Who are you and how did you get in here?” he asked again.

Christopher smiled a bit. “Let’s just say that I know how to enter places where I need to be. And you can call me Christopher. It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

“Is it?”

“I sure hope so. Captain Rogers insisted for us to meet at least once…”

Tony looked at the other, “You know the man?”

Again, Steve stayed silent, without looking away from Christopher.

“I think the Captain is not in the mood for a chat, at the moment,” Christopher said with a calm voice.

“Steve!” Tony's voice was getting angry, “Do you know him?”

“There is no need to get alarmed. I'm here merely to assist to the end of our contract.” Christopher took something from his pockets.

“Contract? What contract?” Tony was more confused than ever, looking between the two. “Ok, you better tell me what the hell you want or I swear this isn't going to end pretty for you," he then said to Christopher who just smiled.

“I want something that you can provide, Stark. I wouldn't be here otherwise.”

"Right..." Tony pressed the button on the bracelet around the wrist to call JARVIS, but nothing happened.

"Now… Captain, I think it’s time,” Christopher then said.

“It’s time for what?” Tony looked at Steve, angrily pushing him out of his stillness, “Why do you know each other? What the hell is going on?!”

Steve looked at the panic rising in Tony’s voice, but, this time, he couldn’t help him out of it. “He wants the reactor.”

Tony flinched back as if he had just been punched, looking at him in pure disbelief. Still, those few words slowly helped him to put the entire situation into a new perspective.

“I’m sorry about all the confusion. We just needed some help from the inside,” Christopher said, smiling at the soldier. “Captain Rogers did a great job. I can see why he's the leader of the Avengers.”

Tony's gaze moved down, millions of thoughts crossing his mind, until he looked back at the soldier, “That's why...?” his voice was lower now. “Was it everything because of this? To get the reactor?” he asked, and Steve looking away was enough for an answer. “What- Why? Why are you helping him?!” Tony yelled grabbing his shirt, but suddenly something hit him on the neck and he slowly started to lose his balance.

Steve promptly helped him to the floor, but Tony used the last sparkle of energy to push him away. He looked back at Christopher who was putting something back in his pocket, “What did you do?!”

"No worries, Captain. It's just something to help him relax.”

Tony dragged himself over the floor until he reached the kitchen area, sitting with his back against the isle. He could see and hear everything, but his body was quickly becoming too rigid to move.

“Five minutes, Captain,” Christopher said walking towards the balcony.

Steve kept looking down, anger growing in his chest alongside the frustration for not being able to fight back. How could he choose between Tony's and hundreds of people's lives? Tony said he could resist for some time without the reactor, but he didn’t clearly say how long...

He saw Christopher staring at him from outside the balcony. Steve took a deep breath and turned around, walking towards Tony- and the fear he saw on his face almost made him stop on his track. The worst part was that Steve now knew him well enough to know that Tony was probably thinking about the first time someone tried to steal the reactor from him.

“I should’ve known…” Tony said, trying, and failing, to move away when Steve dropped on one knee next to him. “All the- wanting to know each other better- become friends… I was so blind and- and fall for everything. Even for you.” He snorted a bitter laugh, his whole body shaking.

Steve’s lips were sealed thigh. He knew that this moment would be the end for them. Whatever kind of bond they started to grow, it would be severed in seconds.

He moved a hand to take the reactor, jumping when Tony somehow managed to grab his wrist.

“Don’t. Please-”

Steve forced himself to ignore his pleadings, focusing on the reactor. He had to grab Tony's arm to keep it away, using his other hand to unlock the reactor. He was going to feel sick.

Despite the weak struggle, the reactor silently clicked out of Tony's chest. Steve stared at it, shining into his hand… Looking up, he saw Tony’s eyes were watery and wide open, his lips now just a tight line- he never looked as sad, scared, and betrayed as in that moment.

Steve stood up and left without looking back. He couldn’t.

Christopher was smiling sadly at him, but didn’t say anything, just offered a metal little box that he was keeping open in his hand.

Steve stared at him, “Keep your promises, first.”

“A helicopter is coming to take us to the facility where your device will be removed,” Christopher said, and, when he put the reactor into the box, he nodded and closed it. “The bombs are being defused as we speak.” That said, he walked towards the private landing space a few feet away.

Steve followed in silence. Maybe he was in shock. Maybe he was going to faint. He couldn’t hear Tony’s voice… Was he dead already?

“You made the right decision, Captain,” Christopher said, looking at the city. “You saved lots of innocent people today. Probably Stark will survive too. Somehow.”

Steve just stared at his back in silence, feeling like a ghost of himself… And then-

A flash in the distance, over New York. A bright, large lighting that crosses the whole sky.

He frowned, taking a step forward. There was something... Something he needed to remember...?

A thunder broke the silence a moment later, making him flinch back, almost losing his balance while the Tower seemed to tremble as well.

Christopher was watching too. “A storm is coming.”

“Oh, you have no idea…”

He looked back at the soldier and in a second he was sent flying against the wall of the tower, falling on the ground. Incredulous, Christopher looked up at him, trying to stand, and saw the soldier ready to fight- ready to kill, more likely. He almost laughed, “Oh, Captain… Do you want to throw away everything right at the end? I think you should calm down and think about it...”

“I already have.” Steve said, and there was pure relief and resolution in his smile. “And I can tell you now, your plan was not as perfect as you thought.”

Steve knew there was a possibility of not surviving the second Tony’s house started to crumble with him inside, but it was a risk he was willing to take to save his friend's life.

After crashing into the ocean, he lost track of space and time. It could’ve been a second, or hours, days… Then, he started hearing voices...

“-and something needed to be done,” a deep, male voice.

“Maybe, but taking him here like this...” A woman sighed. “We should- ”

Someone else rushed into the conversation, another man, “Did you find him? Is he hurt?” The new voice was somehow familiar to Steve's ears…

“Yes, but there was something strange about him… I can still sense it,” the first man said.

“Then we... Captain? Captain, wake up.”

Steve shut his eyes even harder before slowly opening them over a sky he had never seen before: it was colored in millions of shades of colors and stars, and strange creatures flying high above and... And planets that he shouldn't have been able to see from Earth.

He quickly sat up, still completely soaked in seawater, and put a hand over his chest with a pained groan. He then looked around, finding a woman in shining, elegant, metal armor, with long brown hair and a serious expression on her face. Someone kneeled next to him and he flinched slightly before he was able to recognize the man.

"It's alright, my friend," Thor smiled at him, covered in a long, sand-colored cape. “You’re safe here.”

Steve's shoulders dropped. He looked at the woman again, and then at the man standing next to her, older than them, with bright golden eyes and dark skin partly hidden under the same kind of armor and a large helmet. “Thor...? W-what happened?”

“You have entered the Asgard realm,” the older man said in a serious voice.

“Asgard…?”

“My home.” Thor nodded, taking off his large cape to put it over Steve's shoulders. “This must be confusing to you, but-"

“I can’t stay here.” Steve stood up too fast and would have fallen again if Thor and the woman hadn't promptly caught him. “I- I have to go back…”

“Captain, I think we should-”

“I need to go back! I shouldn’t be here, he-” Steve took a deep breath, starting to feel sick thinking about the consequences of a trip to another dimension. “Thor, why I’m here? Why did you-“

“I have brought you here,” the older man said, stepping closer. “I am Heimdall, the sentry of the bridge that connects Asgard to-”

“Then use it to send me back! I can’t stay here!” Steve angrily interrupted him and both, Thor and the woman looked at him in surprise.

Despite that, Heimdall did not flinch, staring at him with a serious gaze. “You have no reason to be scared.”

“Heimdall told me what was going on,” Thor said, and the soldier's eyes moved on him. “That some people asked you to hurt Stark. That that want something from him, correct?”

Steve was already shaking his head, panic rising quickly. “I can’t- if they find out someone knows about it…”

“If that's the problem, you don't have to worry. There is no way they can see what's going on here," the woman said.

Thor nodded, helping him to stand, “Very few people have the power to look through different realms. You are safe here, Captain.”

Steve looked at him, waiting for the device in his chest to start torturing him, but there was no pain, aside from the gunshot wounds on his chest…Looking up, he saw a little smile appear on Thor's face as he nodded. Steve took a long, deep breath, and didn't even complain when the other trapped him into a hug.

“Fear not, my friend! We will help you to deal with whoever dared to threaten you and Stark!”

They left the Bifrost right away, and Steve couldn’t stop looking at the shining floor. It was like walking over a rainbow made of glass, shining bright under each step.

“How are you feeling, Captain?” Thor said, walking next to him.

“Like I don’t even have time to be amazed by all this,” Steve said, quickly glancing up, at the city shining over the mountains, before turning to the other again, “I really should go back. If you know what is happening on Earth…”

“Time won’t be a problem, but we’ll try to be quick. We’ll stop just on the other side of the Bridge.”

Once they reached one of the buildings, Steve kept looking around in awe, feeling like he was dreaming: he just traveled through different dimensions and managed to reach Asgard alive and in one piece, talking face-to-face with Thor, who he thought would have never seen again after the battle of New York...

"Here. Give me a moment, I'll be right back," Thor said, opening a door for him.

Steve entered a large room, and the door closed before he could say anything else. Sighing, he sat on the edge of a gigantic couch when two women entered the room with bandages and water, offering to help him clean his wounds. "No, I... I'll take care of it myself, thanks," he said with a smile, and they left with a small bow.

He slowly took off his shirt, making a face as he stretched the muscles around the wounds that already stopped bleeding. He started passing the bandage around his torso, thinking about what happened in his world, wondering if Tony was ok- or if Christopher had given up on his plan, thinking that he was dead after the house was destroyed…

Someone knocked at the door and he turned around, watching the woman with long brown hair giving him a nod before walking in to give him some clothes, “Here. This may help you feel more… comfortable,” she said, studying him up and down.

“Thank you.” Steve accepted the long white shirt, feeling it incredibly soft against the skin. “Steve Rogers,” he then said, offering a hand.

She looked at it and took it, “Sif.”

“You’re Thor’s… friend?”

“Yes. We’ve known each other since we were little kids.”

Steve nodded, watching the sword on her side, wondering if she was some kind of knight. “Sorry for bothering you and the others with everything that is going on on Earth...”

“MY FRIEND, there is some food for you,” Thor boomed from the entrance, smiling as he joined them with a large dish full of food and Steve sighed, shaking his head. “Something’s wrong?” the God of Thunder asked, looking between him and her.

“Your friend is just a bit shy,” Sif grinned, taking a few steps back.

“It's not that… Thanks, but I’m ok," Steve said, placing the dish on the closest table.

“You are not ok, Captain. What is happening to you is worrying me,” Thor said, his long blonde hair now kept together on his back with a lace. His glare was solemn, even while handing him a drink full of fancy decorations.

Steve still wasn’t sure if he could talk about it, but if Christopher could keep him on his leash even in Asgard, then there was no hope to defeat him. “I should have seen it coming,” he slowly said, sitting down on the couch, leaving the drink aside to hold his head in both hands.

Thor looked sadly at him, then turned around, “Sif, if you don’t mind…”

“She can stay,” Steve said. “I have nothing to hide from you nor your friends. You probably just saved my life.”

Thor nodded. “Heimdall can see through different dimensions, but he rarely interferes. If he decided to take you here before consulting me, it means the situation was getting out of control...?"

“They attacked me a while ago,” Steve slowly confessed, "and asked me to steal something from Tony."

“Out of control was an understatement," Sif commented, surprised.

Thor was listening carefully. “It must be something very important?”

“The arc reactor.” He saw Thor frowning, “Did you ever see that light over his chest? Under his shirt?”

“Oh… I thought that was some kind of Midgardian fashion.”

Steve huffed a laugh, “No. That’s the reactor they asked me to steal. It works with an element Tony created… It’s very important to him.”

“How much important?” Sif asked.

Steve took a deep breath. “His life depends on it.”

“How can they have so much control over you?” Thor asked after a moment, his voice more serious. “So much that you can't fight back?”

"They have bombs placed around New York, ready to blow up if I don't do what they say."

“That’s smart,” Sif murmured, and both the men looked at her, “And terrible, of course,” she added quickly.

"And you know for a fact these bombs are real?" Thor asked.

Steve nodded, looking down. "They already used one."

"I'm very sorry, Captain," Thor said.

"It's more than just controlling my every move..." Steve shook his head, nervously starting to pace around the room. “When I was with Tony inside the house, he showed me how to remove the reactor from his chest, and they knew it right away.”

“Maybe they were watching from outside?” Thor asked.

“We were downstairs, in Tony’s laboratory- inside Tony’s house! There is no way someone could’ve seen us. Unless-" Steve froze and moved a hand over his chest.

"What?" the two Asgardians asked.

“They've put a device on me- under my skin...

“A device like Stark’s?” Thor asked.

“No, nothing like that, but if they can control this too..."

"You think they can use that to spy on you?" Sif asked, unsure.

Steve shrugged in defeat. "If I could ask Tony to check on it, I would..."

“Sif can do that. She's an expert as well,” Thor said and she nodded.

“How?” Steve asked.

“It won’t hurt, don’t worry.” She stopped in front of him, “Where is this device?”

“Right over my heart, I think.”

She nodded and placed a hand on his chest, closing her eyes for a moment, then frowned, “It’s very old technology… I am surprised it can do so much damage.”

“As long that it works…” Steve sighed.

When she lowered her hand, she was still frowning.

“What is it?” Thor asked, moving closer.

“There is no magic around that thing. It seems to contain some kind of liquid... A poison maybe? But I doubt is connected to anything at all...”

"A poison?" Thor echoed, surprised.

"Maybe doesn't work as long as I'm here? In another dimension?" Steve asked. The possibility of being poisoned was the last of his concerns.

"Maybe..." She kept staring at his chest, where the device was. "To me, it looks like... Like a seed destined to die."

Thor crossed his arms, thinking. "Too easy?"

"Way too easy," Steve confirmed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s something they didn't tell me about.”

Lady Sif nodded slowly, “If you are so deeply connected to Stark, I can assure you that there's something else connected to you- to this device, as well. Something that would explain how they can spy on you even when it shouldn't be possible."

“Something else like, what? Reading my mind?” Steve commented with sarcasm, but the looks on the two Asgardians made him stop. “It’s… That’s not possible, right?”

“You are in another dimension, talking to a God…” Sif said, and Thor nodded with a shrug.

Steve groaned and sat down again, shocked. “How am I supposed to fight something like this? They will be a step ahead every time!”

"Not every time," Sif pointed out, “I doubt they can control your mind at the moment, or know that you’re here."

Thor nodded. “We could remove the thing from your body without them knowing."

Steve thought for a moment but then shook his head. “No, I can’t remove it yet. Once back on Earth, they'll know I removed the device and that will be enough for them to set those bombs off."

Thor shared a look with Sif, then moved closer to the soldier, “You can’t deal with all this by yourself, Captain. Heimdall saved for a reason. We will help you.”

“I appreciate what you’ve done for me, but there's nothing we can do. The moment I’ll be back home, they’ll read my mind again and they’ll know anything we discussed.” Steve looked down in defeat.

There was a moment of silence, then Sif said, “Then you’ll need to forget about it.”

Steve looked at her, confused. “What?”

“She is right,” Thor nodded, smiling again. “You can’t think about something you can’t remember.”

“Ok, but… How? How can I forget?”

Sif smiled. “I’m sure we can find the help we need for that.”

Thor and Sif marched back into the room when Steve was pacing back and forth on the balcony, and the God of Thunder was smiling proudly, “My friend, we have a plan.”

“Just tell me what I need to do,” Steve said rushing inside, waiting. Hoping.

“Heimdall will help us locate the bombs you told us about, and me and Sif will take care of them."

"You...? Both of you are coming back to Earth?"

The two Asgardians nodded vigorously, "So you will have time to fight the enemy and save Stark.” Thor said.

“And if someone really is using some kind of magic against you, we will sense it and stop it," Sif said. “Usually, to be able to read someone's mind, they can't be too far.”

Steve slowly started allowing himself to hope again. “What about my memories?”

“We won’t erase them, just blocking them will be enough," Sif explained. "We have someone that can do just that. Your memories will be unlocked once the bombs won't be a threat anymore.”

“Unlock them...?” Steve echoed, unsure.

She nodded, “We'll use a signal that will make you remember.”

"It will be impossible to miss, don't worry," Thor said with a smile.

Steve nodded slowly, thinking about it. “If you two will take care of the bombs and who is spying on me, I’ll probably have to deal with Christopher... He's my connection to those people from the beginning,” he explained.

“We’ll need something to let you know that we made it and make you remember.” Said Thor, wondering, then smiling, “I think I already know what we can use. Leave it to me.”

“Alright…" Steve took a deep breath. "If something goes wrong-"

The two warriors scoffed at the same time. "Our plan is going to work, I promise," Thor reassured him.

“I can’t risk it. Not this time.” Steve suddenly thought about how scared Tony was just by someone touching the reactor... “If I fail, I need you to make the reactor your priority.”

“Captain, you won't-“

“I want your plan to work too,” Steve stopped him, “but if something happens to Tony, I won't be able to forgive myself."

Thor stared seriously at him and then nodded. "I will make sure Stark is safe, you have my word."

Steve smiled a bit, with a new hope in his eyes. “Time to go back, then.”

A few moments later, Steve was standing at the end of the Bifrost Bridge, a hand over his chest, wearing his wet, bloodied shirt once again. The wounds were mostly closed, but they still hurt like hell.

“Are you sure taking off those bandages was a good idea?” Thor asked, staring worriedly at him.

“Someone might see them and wonder who helped me out of the ocean.”

Thor sighed, clearly still not liking the idea. "Be careful, Captain. It would be a shame bleeding to death now that we're so close to winning."

“I survived a war, I’ll survive this too,” Steve said with a weak smile, then looked at Heimdall approaching. “Where are you going to send me?”

“The same place where you were before I brought you here.” Heimdall stopped on the platform at the center of the Observatory, “On Earth, just a few hours will be passed.”

Steve nodded and saw Sif enter with a young girl wearing a purple tunic.

“She’s Meryn,” Sif said, “and she's the one that will block your memories.”

“You're in good hands, Captain."She’s one of the most powerful young priestesses in our realm."

Steve smiled at the girl. “Thanks for the help, Meryn,” he said, and she nodded.

Thor looked at everyone and said, “Very well. We are ready, then.”

Steve saw Meryn moving in front of him and he automatically kneeled down. He saw her eyes turning white before her hand covered his.

“Be ready for my signal,” Thor said, moving away to stand next to Sif.

“How am I going to remember it?” Steve asked.

“Don’t worry. Meryn already know what to do.”

Steve took a deep breath, trying to stay still and calm under Meryn’s hand.

“You were in the ocean when I saved you, Captain,” Heimdall then said. “Your friends will be there waiting for you. Take a deep breath.”

Steve did just that, feeling the ground shaking under his knees, trying to prepare for the cold water- then, part of his mind was blocked and the last thing he knew, he was falling into the void.

Christopher was staring at him in confusion, then looked to the point where they saw the lightning. “What…? What are you saying?” he asked someone, “That’s impossible! They- answer me!” he screamed- then looked back at the soldier. "You..."

“It looks like you're not the only one with special friends.”

“That is where you were…? That’s why she couldn’t find you after the attack at the mansion…”

Steve stepped closer, hovering over him with a murderous glare, “Now, give me back the reactor.”

“It can’t be…”

“Give it back.”

Christopher stood up and there was anger on his face as he stumbled back, “You- how did you travel to them? This is impossible!”

“Give me the reactor. Now.”

“HOW?”

Steve punched him in the face, “I've had enough of you… And your friends.”

Christopher passed a hand under his bleeding nose, “You think it’s over? That you won? You have just condemned hundreds of people to die!” he said and grabbed his phone, pushing some buttons.

The city stayed silent, no explosion appeared. Steve didn’t even bother to look, staring at him with a tired grin, “You sure about that?”

Christopher was probably feeling like Steve had felt during all that last week.

“Perks of having a God as a friend: they don't fear bombs, nor people with superpowers.” Steve said, grabbing him by the collar of his jacket, “You've lost. Now give me back the reactor. I won’t ask you nicely again.”

“Aren't you forgetting about something, Captain?”

Steve was already feeling pain spreading into his chest, with the device finally showing his true potential- however, that was nothing compared to every second Tony was lying there without the reactor, “No...I just have no reason to care about it anymore.” He tightened the grip on his jacket and punched him again.

“You will die… and Stark too…” Christopher chuckled, now with a cut on his cheek.

“It’s Mr. Stark for you,” Steve hissed, punching him one more time, and then heard a helicopter approaching, until it appeared in front of the balcony. "Your friend is going to join us?"

Christopher coughed through the blood in his mouth. “She's the only one- that I can use to kill you,” he said: suddenly, the helicopter’s door slid open and the people inside started shooting. Christopher hit him with his head and kicked him away while moving closer to the edge, while Steve rolled and jumped behind a little metal table that saved him from the bullets.

Steve saw the helicopter descending to take Christopher on board. He grabbed the top of the table and threw it at the vehicle like it was his; the helicopter suddenly moved away to avoid it, just when Christopher was going to jump inside.

Steve watched him fall and grasp the edges of the tower while the helicopter flew away. He ran forward and managed to grab Christopher's jacket just in time, keeping him suspended into the void, the pain in his chest quickly getting worse.

Christopher looked down, and then up at him, “Well played, Captain.” He said with a little smile, just before his body slipped away from the jacket, falling to his death.

Steve stood there in shock, watching down for just another moment before frantically checking the pockets of Christopher's jacket, until he found the metal box- and there was the reactor, still shining, safe. He took a deep breath of relief and groaned at the pain coming from his chest. He then left the jacket and box behind as he ran back inside.

Steve found Tony lying on the floor, on his stomach, breathing hard and shaking. “Tony…” he kneeled down and turned him around: he was pale, sweating, eyes closed. “I’m sorry…” he took the reactor and tried to put it back in place, but Tony decided to open his eyes just then and started to go crazy, punching and kicking to keep him away. “Tony, let me- I'm trying to help!” Steve didn’t want to fight him again, but he had no choice: he stopped his arms by holding his wrists and used the other hand to pull up his t-shirt and carefully put the reactor into his chest until it clicked in place. Steve sighed while Tony slowly stopped fighting, just staring at him with anger and fear. “I’m sorry,” Steve murmured once again, letting him go.

Tony didn’t say anything, but kicked him away after a moment, crawling away from him.

Steve fell back, managing only to roll on his side before the pain hit the limit point: unable to stand, he grasped the fabric over his heart and shut his eyes. He could only think that he deserved the pain while hearing Tony talking and more lights coming back on.

“The system has been restored and the Tower is now in lockdown,” JARVIS said.

“Good… Don’t- don’t let anyone leave- or enter.” Tony’s voice was still shaky, but it was nice to hear it- to know he was alive. “Call Fury… Rogers has to be locked up. Executed… Whatever it fits better.”

“Anything I should add as details for such a request?”

“Yeah, tell him- tell him that he tried to kill me and- and steal the reactor.”

There was only silence then, JARVIS probably making the report.

Steve tried to stand, just to fall on his back again, unable to keep down the cries of pain. It felt like someone was slowly trying to rip his heart out with bare hands… Hands with claws.

“Sir, may I suggest medical support for Captain Rogers?”

“No, let him be.”

Steve heard steps walking away. Tony was leaving. For some reason, the only one still caring for him was JARVIS.

“From his vitals, Captain Rogers is-”

“I said LET HIM BE,” Tony roared from afar.

Dying would probably hurt less, Steve thought and- was he screaming just now? He tried to stop, eyes closed shut, bearing the terrible pain gradually spreading all over his body... He felt someone next to him and forced himself to look, just to see Tony’s cold glare.

Steve would’ve given everything to talk, to at least explain what happened, why he betrayed him, why he had to take the reactor- but he managed only to cry in pain even more.

“What is it, your friend betrayed you too?” Tony asked, his voice angry and full of venom. “It sucks, isn’t it?”

I know… I deserve it…

“You expect me to pity you? Because that psycho shot you or something? You tried to kill me!”

I can’t ask for anything, but...

“Now what? You want me to listen to another shitty sorry of yours again?”

“Sir, Captain Rogers’s conditions are-” As JARVIS started to talk, Steve arched is back and screamed like someone just stabbed him right there on the spot and started to spin the knife inside his chest.

“Steve.”

The scream descended to a desperate cry of pain, his back falling on the cold floor again.

“Look at me.” Tony grabbed him by the shirt and Steve forced himself to comply. “What is it?” he asked, and he looked so uncertain, so scared…

“Sir, I would suggest a scan to-“

Steve missed the rest of JARVIS’s sentence in another scream of pain. He couldn’t talk through the pain, so he grabbed Tony’s hand and placed it over his chest.

Tony flinched at the contact, but then he waited, looking between his hand and the soldier’s face.

“L-let him,” was all Steve managed to say.

Tony was staring at him, listening to his heartbeat, and then said, “JARVIS, do that scan.” A tin red line instantly passed over the soldier’s form. After a moment, there was a hologram of the Captain just above his body. Tony looked at it, searching for something that he found almost instantly. “What is that?” he said looking at the little dot over Steve’s heart.

“Unknown device detected. It seems to have a poisoning function, connected to Captain Rogers's blood system.”

“Poison?” Tony's pure confusion pushed him to open Steve's shirt and his eyes widened as he could see black lines spreading all over his chest, starting from his heart. After a second, he quickly removed his bracelet and put it on Steve's wrist, "Do a blood exam, now."

Steve didn't even feel the needle hiding inside the metal bracelet, too busy surviving the pain.

After a moment, JARVIS came back. “Based on the type of poison and the amount already circulating in the blood, Captain Rogers has around thirty minutes before a cardiac arrest.” And like to confirm the gravity of the situation, the soldier screamed again.

Tony kept staring at the scan, then down at Steve crying in pain- and the poison spreading inside of him. “What the hell happened to you…?” he asked slowly, worry and fear turning into anger again, “Steve, what have you done!?”

Steve could only hold his hand, praying for the pain to pass, for the serum to start healing him... Instead, the suffering continued; he could feel those invisible claws slowly tearing his skin, inch by inch, and from there he just shut his eyes and kept screaming, and screaming.

Chapter Text

Bruce was a smart man. He never considered himself the world's smartest, but he knew a few things... And one of those things was that there was something wrong with Steve Rogers recently.

Since he found him on the floor outside the elevator, that day at the Stark Tower, he knew something was going on, but Steve insisted that he was fine, he looked fine, and Bruce convinced himself that he was just overreacting.

That was until Bruce heard a massive thunder shaking the whole city and he ran outside the shop, instantly looking for the Stark Tower: if the helicopter he saw approaching the top wasn’t strange enough, watching it almost getting hit by something and fly away, too close to colliding with another building, was what made him start running.

His thoughts immediately went to Steve, considering what could’ve happened, what did he miss that day…

“Watch out!”

Bruce turned around just in time to see a body falling from the sky and crashing into a car, making people scream and run away while the alarm started echoing in the street. He slowly moved closer, praying not to find Tony or Steve’s body there... He could feel his heart hammering into his ears, fully aware that the other guy was already preparing to rage.

Then he stopped: the man, or what was left of him, didn't resemble any of his friends.

Bruce breathed hard, trying his best to stay as calm as possible before running to the entrance of the building, making his way through the people who were trying to escape outside. He stepped inside just before the tower went into lockdown. He knew the protocol: no one leaves, no one enters.

“Doctor Banner!”

He looked at the woman running to him, an employee of the Stark Industries, from the badge on her shirt. “Are you ok? What happened?”

“The Tower is under attack! We- we saw a helicopter trying to land without permission. Mister Stark-“

“Is he still here?”

“I think so. We can’t communicate with the top floor. There are still so many people inside…” She was so frantically trying to give him information despite her hands shaking.

“You all stay here for now. We'll get the doors open as soon as possible,” Bruce said, and, after she nodded, he made a beeline to the staircase. Looking up, he sighed and started climbing two steps at the time, the other guy still creeping on the back of his mind, pushing him to go faster.

Bruce had to stop to breathe around ten floors later, and looking outside, he noticed two things: in the reflection on the window, his eyes were bright green, and another helicopter was approaching the tower… This time was SHIELD.

Bruce took a deep breath and started running again until he finally reached the top floor: entering the hall, he froze as agonizing screams were the first thing he heard. He saw SHIELD’s agents running into Tony's laboratory, where the screaming was coming from- but that wasn’t Tony's voice.

Throughout the people walking around, Bruce eventually found the man himself standing at the end of the stairs, pale and a bit sweaty, his shoulders rising and falling in big jumps. “Tony… Hey?” He called, but he didn’t move, looking upstairs. “Tony, what happened?” and another terrible scream almost made Bruce flinch. He suddenly realized who it was. "Is that-?“

“It’s Steve.”

Bruce looked back at Tony, and all the fears he had tried to ignore until then crashed back on him.

“It’s- Steve is... He doesn’t stop- I think he can’t, he…”

“Tell me what happened, ok?” Bruce grabbed him by the shoulder when the other didn't answer, “Tony, talk to me!”

Finally, Tony blinked and turned to him, as if just realizing he was actually there. “Bruce, you need to go. They'll need your help.”

“But-“

“PLEASE.” Tony’s eyes were watery as he grasped his jacket, pulling him closer. “I trust you. He trusts you. He needs help. I- I can't do anything.”

Bruce never saw Tony looking so desperate. “Ok...” He quietly said and ran up the stairs.

Tony took a few steps back and just stood there, unmoving, never looking away from the lab. He kept waiting and waiting... Until Bruce eventually came back to him.

“We'll need to use some of your stuff," he wasn’t wearing the jacket anymore, “and some help from JARVIS. Can I-?“

“Anything you need. Just ask him," Tony instantly responded, "You're the charge now.”

“Ok… I’ll need to seal the lab until we’ve finished-”

“Finished what?”

“The operation. Steve needs to be operated on immediately,” Bruce said and if Tony collected all his strength not to collapse on the spot. “You saw that thing over his heart on the scan, did you?” Bruce then asked him.

“Yes… But I- I didn't know how bad it was."

"It's not easy to explain.." Bruce took a deep breath, shaking his head, “We’ll talk about it later, ok? Steve is already poisoned and nothing against the pain works on him, that’s why he’s screaming.”

"Why he's not healing? To serum should protect him from basically anything!"

"I don't know. We're just starting to make some tests... Hopefully, it's just taking his body more time to fight the poison. I..." Bruce winced as Steve screamed again, as a reminder that he couldn't waste any more time. “We'll take care of it. Tony- Tony, can you listen to me for a second?” he grabbed his arm and Tony flinched, blinking to focus on him again. “I need your blood.”

For a second, Tony tried to break free. “My blood? Why?”

“Because JARVIS told me what happened."

"He tends to exaggerate. I-"

"You were drugged, and you stayed without the reactor for some time, plus we don't know if the poison is contagious yet."

“I’m fine, can you please go back in there and-”

“I will, but I can’t help Steve if you’re going to die in the meantime,” Bruce insisted, his grip irremovable, eyes still shaded with green.

Tony still tried to move away, but, eventually, nodded, "Ok," and watched him taking a syringe from his pocket, using it on his arm to take a sample

“Now, press here,” Bruce said, moving Tony's hand to keep a napkin in place to stop the bleeding, “and please, sit down. Drink some water if you can, and be sure that the reactor is ok.”

“I told you, I’m fine.”

“You’re not, you’re still in shock," Bruce sighed, "but Steve’s worse at the moment.”

“Then go help him.” Tony saw him nodding and walking away. He stared at the walls of the laboratory until the glass became blurry- and suddenly his legs couldn't keep him up anymore. Tony sat down on the couch, feeling the panic washing over him in waves. He threw the napkin away and placed a hand on the reactor, grasping the edges with his nails, keeping down a scream only because Steve’s were already more than enough.

The tower was open again later on, with groups of SHIELD agents checking every floor, making sure the rest of the employees left. Only the top floor was still off-limit, where Steve's agonizing screams had started to turn into distant cries.

Tony was still sitting on the couch, staring at the floor, looking up every time he heard something from the lab, flinching at every sudden scream. The laboratory's walls were still gray, hiding everything that was happening inside.

Fury called once, demanding answers, and Tony, for once told him the truth: that he didn’t know anything yet... And maybe there was something different in his voice because the Director stayed silent for a moment and then said that he would’ve sent more agents to keep the tower safe and some other members of the scientific and medical sector.

Everyone was waiting. There was nothing else they could do.
That was, until the end of the second hour.

Tony had just managed to drink something when he heard a strange sound coming from outside. He looked at the balcony and a flash forced him to close his eyes for a second.

In that second, Thor in person appeared. He entered the tower with his cape floating in the movement, looking at him right away. “Where is the Captain? Is he ok?”

Tony opened his mouth and then closed it, staring at him in confusion. “How do you-?“ Tony stopped, studying him for a moment, noticing some scratches on his face, and cuts and burns on his cape as well. He put down the glass. "You're into this too, aren't you?”

“We had to help. The Captain was-” Thor moved in front of him, and the punch he received in the face just made him blink in slight surprise.

“Shit-” Tony hissed, grabbing his pained hand, then looked back at him, “HOW? Did you get involved!?”

“It’s a long story. I think the Captain should be the one to explain-”

“HE CAN’T. He's under surgery, you don’t know that too? They’re trying to save his life because the Gods were busy somewhere else!” he yelled, gesturing at the laboratory.

Thor looked in that direction and sighed. “We knew about the risks...”

“If you knew it, why you didn’t just remove that thing from his body?!” Tony insisted, and another pained cry came from upstairs as if responding to his rage.

“I know you are worried about him. I am too," Thor told him, "but the situation was not easy. Everything Captain Rogers did, he did it to keep you and many other people safe.”

Tony was going to lose his mind, he could feel it. “Thor, you better start talking right now-“

“I will.”

Turning around, Tony was surprised to see Clint coming out from the elevator, along with a woman who was helping him stand straight; both of them were covered in dirt and the arched was limping a bit, keeping a hand under his jacket, over his left shoulder.

Thor sighed in relief, “Glad to see you both well.”

“What are you...?” Tony frowned at him, but then looked better at the woman.“She’s Asgardian too?”

Thor nodded. “Sif, this is Tony Stark,” he said and then studied her clothes. “Where’s your armor?”

Sif shrugged, looking down at the dark jeans and shirt that she was wearing. “Clint insisted that going unnoticed would be helpful during our mission. And he was not wrong,” she said, not missing the grin on the archer's face.

“Ok, guys, and lady… I’m going to kick all of you out of here if someone doesn't explain to me what is going on,” Tony nervously interrupted them. “I can’t- I’m going to break my hand on his face, I swear,” he added, pointing at Thor who smiled patiently saying, “That won't be necessary."

“Steve was being blackmailed,” Clint said, more serious now. “We don't know by who, but... I think it's been going on for a while, now."

Tony stared intently at him, “And they wanted the arc reactor?”

“The element inside of it, more likely," Clint said. “It was an elaborate plan, I’ll give them that. Here…” he took something from inside his jacket and handed it to him.

Tony stared at the three pieces of metal, each one with a few wires attached to it, “Bombs?”

“Bombs,” Clint and Sif confirmed.

“They were able to keep the Captain under their control using those bombs as a threat, planting them all around your city.” she continued.

"And not just those," Thor nodded sadly, “They were spying on him, as well, and not just with human methods. A girl was using her powers to control his every movement- powers similar to my brother’s.”

Tony looked between all of them, "A girl with- magic powers? You’re kidding, right?” "A superhuman," Clint said. "One not even SHIELD knew existed." Tony kept looking at each of them until he just had to sit down on the couch again, dropping his face into both hands.

The other three shared a look, and then Sif carefully let Clint go saying, “I’ll keep an eye out for any possible attack.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” Tony said looking up again, and noticed how the other two were staring at Thor, so he did the same. "Who's going to attack us?"

"No one. I'm sure we're all safe now." Thor said.

"Then tell me what happened." Tony's voice was ice cold.

The God of Thunder nodded slowly. “I stopped the girl, and she will not try harming the Captain or any of us, trust me, but…”

“You’re a God and there's still a but?”

“But she managed to escape,” Thor said, and, getting to reaction, continued, “I'm very sorry. She was stronger than I expected-”

“Oh, wow, amazing. You didn’t ask for an autograph?” Tony was not angry. He was furious.

Clint sighed, “Tony, come on…”

“No, I mean it. Maybe he wanted to say hi and know her better. You know, ask her to join the Avengers?”

“That was not my intention,” Thor said more seriously. “She was using her powers to hurt a friend of mine, and forcing him to hurt you as well. I am not forgiving her actions, but they clearly were prepared to fight back.”

“So you just give up and let her go, right?” Tony stood up again. "After everything she's done- Steve is dying because of her, and you decided to let her go for whatever reason!?”

Clint noticed Sif ready to step in, and gently moved a hand to stop her.

Thor held Tony's furious glare, both silent for a moment. “When I found her, I didn't see an evil witch enjoying torturing innocent people,” Thor said, "I saw a little girl scared of her own powers. She was guided by fear, not hate.”

Clint looked unsure, “You think they were using her against her will?”

“I do,” Thor nodded, and then looked back at Tony, “Maybe I made a mistake, but I do believe she didn't deserve to die.”

Tony had to fight to urge to punch him in the face again. "Steve didn't deserve any of this either, but she didn't care." That said, he walked away.

"Let him breathe for a moment," Clint said. "He's probably angry at himself more than anything."

“His anger is justified. Especially now that he knows the truth," Thor said, and then all three of them turned to the laboratory, hearing more cries. “If I can provide any help..."

“Do something for his pain,” Tony said from the kitchen, facing the sink, head down. “It's been hours...”

Thor nodded and quickly walked upstairs, disappearing inside the laboratory.

"I'll keep an eye out," Sif said, walking on the balcony.

Clint sighed and sat down on the couch, groaning quietly as he touched his shoulder.

“What?"

Looking aside, he smiled finding Tony staring intently at him. “Thor wasn’t joking. There was a little army protecting each of those bombs…"

"Did you get shot?"

"Uh, no..."

"Agent Barton, I suggest taking care of your gunshot wound as soon as possible to prevent infection," JARVIS promptly said.

Clint saw Tony's eyebrows rise and he scoffed. "Since when do you let JARVIS check on people without their permission?"

“Since when not doing so almost got Steve killed. Take the jacket off," Tony said, walking back to the kitchen.

“Fair enough.” Clint smiled sadly, slowly doing as asked. He then saw the other coming back with a bottle of alcohol and some bandages. "You're a doctor now?"

"Only when the others are all busy," Tony moved to sit next to him.

“Sif already took the bullet out, don’t worry." Clint was already in his tank top, trying to take a better look a the wound. "Give me that, I can-“

Tony splashed some alcohol on the wound, watching the agent taking a quick breath in. “Don’t be such a baby.”

“That’s why I wanted to do it myself…” he hissed.

Tony kept cleaning the wound, thinking of Steve being shot in the mansion a few days before. If there was something he hated, it was seeing people sacrificing for him…Of course Steve had to go far and beyond on that front...

Clint kept quiet for a while. Watching him scroll the bandage around his shoulder, he noticed Tony's hands were shaking slightly.

“How did you find Thor and the bombs?” Tony asked.

“SHIELD detected some anomalies and sent me to check. I found them and Thor told me everything. There wasn’t enough time, and I couldn’t warn anyone, so he decided to go after the witch while Sif and I worked to stop the bombs.” He took a deep breath, shaking his head, “I knew something was wrong with Steve…”

“We all knew. Yet, none of us did anything.” Tony blocked the bandages with a tight knot.

“Ow-” Clint turned to look at him, massaging his shoulder. “Listen, maybe we made a mistake, but- it's Steve… He never wants to talk about his problems- because he’s the Captain and all that shit…”

“So you’re saying this is all his fault?”

“What I am saying is that we couldn't have ever guessed what was happening. They chose him for a reason. Plus with that thing in his body and the bombs, and a witch..." he shook his head, "Not saying this was worse than an alien invasion, but it's pretty damn close."

Tony thought for a moment. "He should have told me..."

“And the bombs would have exploded," Clint patiently said. "We both know Steve wouldn’t have let that happen. He didn’t, and he saved everyone.”

“Everyone but himself.”

“That’s how Captain America fights his battle, I guess.”

“And I hate that. So damn much…” Tony angrily said. He looked at the laboratory, and, to his surprise, it was now quiet.

The air outside became colder after the sunset, and the wind got stronger.

Tony walked on the balcony still feeling the need to break something. The screams were over, but now he wanted to be the one yelling his guts out. Looking down at his hand, he saw it shaking a bit.

“You should try and calm down,” Sif told him, arms crossed over her chest, staring at the city lights.

He quickly hid both hands in his pockets. “I’m fine, thank you.”

“Are you?”

“Sorry, but I'm not in the mood to talk.”

“You look like you need it, though.”

Tony turned to look at her, and she was staring back now.

“I know what it feels like to be overwhelmed by the need for revenge, but this is not the time,” she said. “Your friend did all he could to save your life, you should be thankful.”

“Thankful? He- I never asked him to die for me, or for anyone else.”

“That just proves his loyalty to you even more.”

“I didn't want his loyalty- he's not a dog. He..." Tony slowly felt the anger fading away. “He shouldn’t have gone this far. Especially not because of me.”

“There was no other way,” Sif took a few steps closer to him, “and Steve knew the consequences of his decision.”

Tony shook his head, unable to accept it. “His choice was to die for everyone else’s sake. I can’t stand that.”

“Still, it's not very different from what you did to save Earth during the battle against Loki.” She smiled at the face he made, “Thor told everyone what happened. It’s a shame we couldn’t join the battle...”

Tony looked away, “That was different. There was no time to do anything else.”

“And you think that he didn’t try to fight back? That he just accepted to do what the enemy wanted?”

Steve never run from a fight. Tony looked away. "Who would have thought Steve Rogers was so good as an actor?" he murmured bitterly, sitting on one of the chairs. “All this mess just to get the New Element- and we don’t even know why they wanted it in the first place.” He took a deep breath, trying to shake off a new wave of anger.

“Maybe your friends will find something…” Sif then noticed something on the ground and moved to the edge.

Tony watched her coming back holding a black, long jacket. It was that man's- Christopher’s jacket.

“Yours?” she asked.

“Absolutely not.” Tony quickly moved to take it. “He probably got away…” he checked the pockets and found a phone.

“He?”

“The man that ordered Steve to take the reactor… Or their leader, I don't know. He was here, before- Steve was supposed to leave with him. I don't know what happened after they got out...” "I guess there is something we can do, then." Tony noticed her little smile and he nodded. He needed to focus. It was not over yet. He walked back inside, “JARVIS, collect all the records involving Steve from two weeks- no, make it a month. Anything you can find about him since the last month.”

“Even private records, sir?”

“Yes.”

“What?” Clint frowned, sitting in the kitchen, “Why’s that? What happened?”

“SHIELD was there when Thor found the bitch?” Tony asked him, placing Christopher's phone over a Starkpad that instantly started to analyze it.

“You mean the witch?”

“Yeah, what did I say?”

Clint grinned. “No, he fought her alone, but he gave us the location, so SHIELD should be there now.”

“Can you join them?”

“For a good reason, sure.”

“I need data." He looked up at the agent. "If SHIELD found someone alive, or if they left computers or any other devices around- I need all the information you can find before Fury starts hiding them.”

Clint looked at Sif coming back inside, then back at him and nodded slowly, “Alright... And what are you planning to do with it?”

“I need to know what happened- what did I miss," Tony explained. "To do that, I need to know what Steve did recently. Where he went, who did he talk to... Maybe they were already keeping an eye on him and he didn't even know it.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Clint stood up, wearing his jacket. Then, he looked back at the other, “Hey.”

Tony looked up from the phone.

“Keep me updated on Steve, ok?”

Tony nodded, watching him leave. After a quick glare at the laboratory, he focused on the phone, and all the information JARVIS was already collecting for him.

That night, as Tony was expecting, Pepper called for a report about the situation, throwing one question after the other, “What have you done this time?”, “Why the Tower is on TV again?”, “Please tell me no one died”, and Tony kept answering with the same, “Everything’s fine.”

Steve was still under surgery, and that was the only thing he decided not to mention. He knew that Steve wasn’t going to die, but still... He told Pepper not to come to the Tower until the situation was more stable and, luckily, she agreed, despite her doubts.

Tony spent the rest of the night trying to crack Cristopher’s cellphone, but it wasn't easy without being able to use the laboratory. Eventually, his body betrayed him and he fell asleep while waiting for some result.

He opened his eyes hearing a dull thump, and then a low groan.

Tony sat up on the couch and turned to look at the kitchen.

Bruce was sitting on the floor, his back against the fridge. He looked tiredly at him, “Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“What are you doing…?” Tony passed a hand over his face, then glanced at the laboratory and was fully awake in a second. “Something happened? The operation is-” he saw the doctor with his eyes closed, breathing hard, and quickly stood up, kneeling next to him, "Bruce? What's wrong?"

Bruce took a deep breath. “We removed the device. Steve is alive," he said, and then smiled a bit, placing a hand on his shoulder, “His vitals are stabilizing.”

Tony breathed out, closing his eyes for a moment, head down, placing a hand over his.

“Thor also helped a lot. Steve’s body was trying to heal, but the pain must have been atrocious, and the screams…”

“I know, I heard him. We all heard him.”

“Somehow…” Bruce sighed, thumping the back of his head against the fridge.

“But you made it."

“I mostly kept an eye on everything SHIELD doctors were doing," Bruce smiled tiredly, "but it would have taken more than a night to finish the job if it wasn't for Thor. He was able to keep Steve down- without me having to call out the other guy.”

Tony sat down next to him, “He's still upstairs?”

“Yeah. Steve is still in a lot of pain, so...” He shook his head, passing both hands over his face, “I don’t want to hear someone scream like that ever again.”

“Same here.”

“Thor told me what happened… about the bombs. And the witch." Bruce thought for a second, and then repeated, “A witch.”

“A god damn witch.” Tony echoed, both of them shaking their heads in disbelief..

"I can't even imagine what else she could've done if Thor didn't stop her." Bruce commented.

“And still he let her go.”

“He said she was being used as much as Steve was…”

“Maybe. And maybe she'll come back to finish the job.” Tony coldly said, looking down. “He should have killed her.”

Bruce took a deep breath, “You think Steve would’ve killed her?”

“I would have.”

“Are you sure?” Bruce smiled a bit at his nervous look. “I trust Thor, that's all. And if she really was forced to work for those people, Steve would have done the same thing."

Tony didn't insist. “You think Steve knew it about her?” he asked instead.

"I don't know. He probably did?" Bruce shrugged, “We can ask him directly when he wakes up."

Tony felt the anger coming back. “Yeah, he's gonna have a lot to answer to.”

Bruce stared intently at him. “Don’t do that.”

“What?”

“Don’t hate him for the decision he made.”

“I don’t hate him. I do hate his decisions, though.”

“You just hate the fact that he risked his life for you."

"That too."

"Tony..."

"You think that he did the right thing? Really?"

"Yes, because every single decision he made so far, was having the safety of someone else in mind," Bruce said, his voice calm, but also firm on his thoughts. "If it wasn't for Thor, someone would have died, and Steve was prepared for that possibility. We can disagree with him, but I can't say he was wrong this time."

Tony took a long, deep breath. "I guess I never thought he could be such a good liar."

“We all fell for it.”

“Yeah… Someone more than others.”

Bruce looked puzzled at him.

Tony then glanced at his watch. "JARVIS's done with the recordings. Do you want to help me watch them?”

The doctor nodded, “Sure... Just help me up.” He accepted Tony's hand and they both were back on their feet. "What about you? Is the reactor ok? How you’re feeling?”

“I’m fine.” Tony was already sitting in front of the computer. “JARVIS, any news?”

“All the records involving Captain Rogers have been collected.”

“Good, then we can-“

“Also, Thor requested support in the laboratory.”

Both men stopped moving. “Something happened?” Bruce asked, already turning to the staircase, but had to hold onto to couch when his head started spinning..

“I got this,” Tony said helping him sit down. “Why don’t you start watching some of the recordings?”

“Ok... Call me if you need.”

Tony slowly walked upstairs, tense. Once in front of the door, he took a deep breath, staring at the blurry glass for a moment before stepping inside: the first thing he saw was of course Steve’s form lying in bed- the same bed where he woke up after the attack at the mansion; he was shirtless, his chest covered in bandages, with a few needles in his arm and an oxygen mask on his face. Some bloodied bandages and chirurgic tools had been left on the nearby desk; a screen was reporting his vitals… Steve's heartbeat.

“He's recovering faster now.”

Tony looked away from Steve, finding Thor leaning against the opposite wall. “Is he?”

“His blood is cleaning itself from the poison, and the wound from the operation is also healing. I’m sure he will be fine in a few days.”

Tony nodded, standing still at the entrance. “You called for help?”

“I just need to talk with Sif. Can you stay with him for a while?”

Tony swallowed down a tense gulp. “He’s still in pain...?”

“It's bearable now...” Thor grabbed Steve’s wrist again, closing his eyes for a second, then looked back at him, “I'll be right back, alright?"

“Yeah... Ok.”

Thor smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder as he walked past him, closing the door.

Tony didn't move for a while, staring at Steve. He took another deep breath and approached the bed. He slowly reached the soldier’s side, staring at his sleepy form, a small red stain on the bandages over his heart. Tony found himself thinking about the time he woke up in a dark, humid cave in Iraq…

“At least you don’t need a reactor,” he murmured, pushing those memories away. His little smile slowly faded looking at how pale Steve was, how hurt he was…

It was then that Steve moved slightly, his fingers grasping the blanket covering half of his body.

Tony looked around, unsure, then carefully sat next to him on the bed, taking his hand- and he was so damn cold! “It's ok... You’re going to be fine,” he said, wondering if that would be true for both of them.

Then, Steve’s eyes opened a little.

Tony froze, staring back at him- then, he looked down, feeling Steve's fingers trying to squeeze his hand, even so weakly. Tony forced himself to meet his eyes again. “I'm fine. Don’t you dare try to apologize, ok?”

Steve was breathing slowly, eyes half open, and fell asleep in a few seconds.

Tony breathed deeply and grabbed his hand more firmly. “I'm the one that should say sorry...”

“Tony.” Bruce called him from the entrance. “I think we found something.”

After a moment, they were back in the living room, and Tony followed Bruce’s gaze on the laptop’s screen: the recording was the moment when Christopher arrived there, then all of the cameras went black. "That was him- Christopher. The man that came here yesterday to take the reactor."

“That's him?” Bruce asked.

“Yeah. Why? You know him too?” Tony didn’t have enough energy to be surprised anymore.

“No, but I saw his body down in the street when I got here... What was left of him, I mean.”

Apparently, Tony did have still some strength in him. "He's dead?" he asked, shocked.

“We saw him falling," Bruce nodded, glancing at the balcony for a moment. "You think Steve killed him?”

“I don’t know… JARVIS, do we have records from outside?”

“No, Sir.”

“Use the cameras around the building. Find the ones that can show us what happened.”

“Some of the cameras might require permission to-”

“I don’t care. Give me everything you can find.” Tony said and noticed Bruce staring at him. “I am tired of these secrets, ok? I want to know why Steve ended up under surgery in my office.”

Bruce silently glanced at the screen. “Then we’ll need that body too.” And Tony's eyebrows raised. “I- I’m not going to steal a corpse. The police probably took it away already... I’ll call Fury and see what can be done about it.”

“He won’t let you go without you answering all his questions, you know that, right?”

Bruce huffed a laugh, grabbing his jacket, “We'll see about that.”

Chapter Text

The first time Steve "died", it happened too fast for him to even elaborate on what it felt like... Now, he could only wonder if it had been as painful as he felt while lying on the floor of the Stark Tower, with an unknown poison killing him from the inside.

It hurt so much, for so long, until he didn't feel anything anymore… And then, he was awake again.

Steve opened his eyes with a weak gasp. Looking around the empty, silent room, he saw needles in his arm and the machine next to the bed started beeping faster and faster, trying to follow his heartbeat.

He quickly sat up and started removing them, leaving the bed wearing only a pair of gray sweatpants, grasping on the bed to keep his balance. Looking down at himself, he saw the bandage around his torso- and patches over his heart. Not again…

He made it to the door when it suddenly opened and a shadow stood in front of him.

“Captain- you’re awake!” Thor smiled, hugging him, “I left just for a moment and you're already on your feet again!”

It took Steve a second to push back the instinct to fight. “Thor…?”

“Yes?”

“I… Is this real?”

Thor frowned and moved away a little to look at him. Then smiled patiently, “It is real. We made it.”

“Did we?”

Thor nodded more fiercely. “The enemy has been defeated. You are not in danger anymore.”

"What about Tony?"

"He is alive and well too."

Steve's shoulders dropped, and the relief was so big that he almost fainted.

Thor promptly held him up. “You need to rest now, my friend. You have been through a lot lately,” he said, helping him back to bed. Once done that, he glanced at the needles, unsure. “I have no idea how to use these, I'm afraid. Wait here, I’ll call for the doctor.”

Steve saw him leaving the room before he could even try saying something. He took some deep breaths, a hand over his heart, slowly recognizing the room he was in as the one Tony gave him... He was still at the Stark Tower. After a moment, he stood up and left: he needed to see... He needed proof that that nightmare was over or he would have never found peace.

He didn't meet anyone walking down the corridor, but one in the living room, the memories started to come back: him screaming on the floor, Tony almost dying, and Christopher falling down...

Steve glanced at the balcony, then turned the other way, heading to the laboratory, which turned out to be as empty as the rest of the hall.

“Good afternoon, Captain,” JARVIS said, “Considering your medical conditions, I'd suggest for you to-”

“What are my medical conditions?” Steve interrupted him, the door closing behind him, "What happened to me?"

“You have been under surgery for approximately eight hours."

“What? But- when? how?”

“There was no time to move you to the nearest hospital, so Doctor Banner decided to operate here, in this laboratory.”

“Bruce...?"

“SHIELD also provided support. I can offer a full report for the operation. For any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.”

Steve sat on a chair with a groan, feeling dizzy. He moved a hand over his heart and then heard people's voices downstairs.

“Why did he leave his room?” Bruce's voice sounded nervous.

“No idea. Maybe he was hungry.”

“Tony, this is really not the time."

“I told him to wait. Maybe he needed to use the bathroom?” Thor was saying.

“Guys, seriously…”

“Captain Rogers is currently in the laboratory," JARVIS then said, his voice echoing from the hall.

Steve heard footsteps quickly coming upstairs and after a moment Bruce and Thor were next to him.

“Steve, you ok?” Bruce asked, checking his pulse.

“Yeah...”

“You shouldn’t walk around, Captain. You are still hurt,” Thor said.

“I’m fine, I just need to…”

“The only thing you need is rest and heal," Bruce told him, checking the bandages where holding in place. "Thor, give me a hand.”

“Of course.” They both moved to each of his side and helped him up.

Steve wanted to object, to move away and say that he was fine, but he could feel his body so heavy he could barely move. Heading to the stairs, he glanced at Tony, standing at the door, and noticed how he quickly looked away, his expression unreadable.

Steve let the other two take him back to his bedroom in silence. There were so many things he wanted to tell Tony, but he didn't have the strength at that moment... And to make everything worse, the fact that Tony couldn't even look at him hurt almost as much as the poison did.

Steve couldn't remember if he talked with Bruce before drifting into a dreamless sleep after he and Thor brought him to his room.

When light started to brighten the walls, Steve was already awake, collecting his thoughts while staring at the ceiling. After a while, he sighed and said, "You don't have to stay here all the time."

Thor turned around from watching out of the window. “I'm just following doctor's Banner orders.”

“You're a God..."

"And he can be really scary when he gets angry."

Steve smiled, shaking his head a bit. "How long I was out?"

“Just another night.” Thor moved closer, “How are you feeling?”

“Better…” Steve sat up, keeping a hand over his chest. “It wasn't that bad...” He said, and saw him taking a deep, long breath with a serious expression “Was it?”

“I'm not a doctor, but I've never seen anyone going through such a procedure...” Thor sat on the chair close by, "I can only hope it'll never happen again. I'm just glad I was able to help."

“You were there too?”

“You were in a lot of pain because the device poisoning you," Thor said. "When I got here, Stark asked me to help reduce your suffering. He was very worried about you. We all were.”

Steve could vaguely remember himself screaming in pain, and he wished he couldn't.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of, Captain," Thor said, as if reading his mind. “What matters is that our plan worked, and you got your memories back... You do remember, correct?"

Steve nodded. “I saw the lightning and then I remembered everything..." Steve could also remember the moment when he took the reactor- and Tony’s expression would have haunted him for the rest of his life. “So... What about the bombs?”

“Sif took care of them, with some help from our friend Hawkeye."

"I thought you were supposed to help her?"

"I found something better: the witch.”

Steve blinked, confused, then it clicked. "The superhuman spying on me? It was a witch?”

“Based on her powers, that's how I would describe her," Thor nodded.

“What kind of powers?”

“Controlling people's minds and their actions- spying into their memories...” Thor looked at him with a serious glare, “She was very dangerous, Captain, and I fear that there was very little you could’ve done against her, all by yourself.”

Steve forced out a little, sad smile. “Luckily for us, we have a God on our side."

“It was the least I could do," Thor said, but then he looked down. "Still, I have disappointed you and Stark.”

“Why?" Steve asked, confused. "You saved me. You've saved me and Tony both.”

“I had the opportunity to kill the person responsible for your suffering, Captain, but I didn’t.” Thor met his gaze again, “Maybe I should have done that, as Stark said... When I found her she was so scared, and yet she also seemed relieved. She used her powers to protect herself, but not once she attacked me.”

"She didn't?"

Thor shook his head. "The people guarding her, they did fight to keep me away as long as they could. When I found her, she attacked them to escape... And I let her go."

Steve stared at him for a moment. “You think they were using her? Forcing her to use her powers on me?”

“I do believe so. And if I'm wrong, then I'll take responsibility for my mistake.” Thor took a deep breath, “I saw those eyes in the past, Captain, and they didn't belong to a killer.”

"I can't say that that's enough for me to forget what she did..." "You don't have to," Thor quickly added. “But I trust your judgment," Steve continued. "Just be ready to come back here if she tries to kill me a second time.”

Thor nodded. “I’ll tell Heimdall to keep an eye on the situation.”

“I wish I didn’t have to get you involved in the first place…”

“I’m glad that we could help,” Thor said, grabbing his shoulder, his hand more similar to a bear trap, "and that you and Stark are both safe now. Their plan was very well elaborated.”

“It sure was...” Steve nodded sadly, moving his legs out of bed to stand, but then decided to just sit there. “Did you know the name of the girl- of the witch?”

Thor shook his head. “I couldn't find anything regarding her identity, but I was told SHIELD is investigating, so they might come up with something," he explained, adding, "I call her Red Witch."

Steve frowned. "Red witch?"

"Because her powers were bright red, like blood, flowing through her fingers.”

The other sighed. "Well, I hope I'll never have to see that. Or her, for the matter." That said, he noticed the necklace around Thor's neck shining slightly. "What's that?"

“Oh... It's the sign that it's time for us to go home." Thor said. "They have been calling for a while, but I wanted to be able to talk to you first."

"I'm sure they're gonna love to hear about your fight against the Red Witch,” Steve said and finally stood up, wearing a shirt left for him on the bed. “Thanks for the help, Thor,” he then said, offering a hand that the God of Thunder held strongly.

Thor smiled a nod and then looked a bit worried, “Just a word of advice, you and Stark should talk about what happened. He didn't take well my involvement while being unaware of the situation himself...”

“Did he ask you anything about it?”

“Not really... He did spend the last few days researching how the enemy managed to enter the Tower. Stark wasn’t happy about that either.”

“I can imagine.” Steve sighed as they left the room. “The others are alright? You said Clint helped Sif with the bombs…?”

“Yes, they are both well. Sif left for Asgard yesterday, sending you her wish for a fast recovery.”

The Tower was quiet as they crossed the living room and walked outside, where shades of purple and violet were just starting to appear. Thor stopped in the center of the balcony and raised a hand: the hammer flew into it in a few seconds.

“Say thanks to Sif and Meryn for me. And to Heimdall too,” Steve said, standing a few steps away.

“Will do. Take care, Captain.” Thor nodded before looking up and disappearing in flashes of lights and colors that left just some smoke on the floor.

Steve took a deep breath and moved closer to the edge, watching the city underneath, remembering Christopher's last moments. He still couldn't believe the story was over... There was only one way to make sure.

He walked back into the laboratory, finding it empty. Touching anything there without his permission maybe wasn't a good idea, but he could explain that too later. “JARVIS?” he called with a low voice. Even just calling for the AI made him feel even worse…

“Good morning Captain,” JARVIS's calm voice welcomed him. “How can I assist you?”

Steve thought for a moment, then asked, “Can you tell me something about the surgery I went through the other day?”

“The device was successfully removed and your condition started stabilizing in a few hours without any complications. No consequent damage was reported, but rest is highly suggested.”

Steve nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. "Ok. Thanks.

“Doctor Banner intended to complete some checkups today. I can call for him if needed.”

“No. No, let him rest. It's still too early, anyway...” Steve looked around, then asked, “Can you- do a scan of my body? Just to see if everything’s alright?”

“Of course. A direct permission is required to do so.”

“Didn't you do it already, once?”

“Because it was a direct order from Mr. Stark.”

Steve remembered Tony kneeling next to him, worried and confused when he finally realized something was wrong. “Alright... Yeah, you have my permission.”

“In the center of the room, please.”

Steve moved further ahead and was wondering if that was a good idea when a thin light started to move over his body, head to toe.

“Vitals are stable. No damage to the organs is reported,” JARVIS said, continuing on a medical speech that, at some point, not even the Captain could follow.

“Can I see it?” Steve then asked, and a hologram of himself appeared in front of him, like a ghost. He moved around it, watching his beating heart- and there was nothing there anymore, no strange shadow or creepy devices. Nothing. He was free again.

“What are you doing?”

Steve blinked and looked back to the entrance: Tony was standing there, his hair a bit messy and the shirt was halfway inside his trousers. He looked like he just woke up and ran there. “Just… checking myself,” Steve said.

“Bruce could help.”

“It's fine. I just asked JARVIS.”

"I can see that." Tony moved closer to look at the hologram.

Steve noticed how he was keeping his distance from him, and that was another stab in the back. "Can we-"

“Sit down,” Tony said without looking at him, walking to one of the computers.

Steve obeyed, sitting on a nearby chair. Without asking why- without asking anything. If Tony wanted to punch him or break one of his legs, or both things at the same time, he would have let him. Still, for now, Tony kept moving behind him until the hologram slid through Steve's body, making him flinch.

"Is this the thing you were looking for?" Tony asked, slowly coming to a stop next to the hologram, showing a little, transparent bag.

Steve stared at the small, squared piece of metal inside of it and a shiver of anger made him clench and relax his fingers.

“The doctors asked Bruce if he wanted to keep it, and he said yes," Tony said, throwing the bag into his lap. "You know, before Fury could get his hands on it.”

Steve carefully grabbed the bag, staring at the device in silence: something so little managed to almost destroy his life- and almost killed him.

“We checked it already. It’s nothing so complicated, but maybe I can see if- or you can just destroy it. Ok.” Tony sighed, watching him destroy the device in one fist. “They must have had some good surgeons with them. To connect that thing to your heart and-“

“That’s enough.”

Tony stopped only for a second. “I thought you wanted to know what happened?”

“About the operation, Tony. I know that this thing could kill me already, so no, I don’t want to hear about it. If you can make it disappear completely from this world, do it.” Steve said standing up to leave the remains of the device on the table. Turning back to him, he noticed Tony had stepped away even more.

"I'll try," Tony said, and the hologram was gone a moment later, leaving them in silence.

Steve felt the guilt crashing over his shoulder. “Tony, I... I tried to fight them. At first, I thought it was all about me- about the serum, but then they asked for your reactor and told me about the bombs, and that thing inside my body..."

“You didn’t have much of a choice. I know,” Tony said, his voice flat and empty. So empty.

“I never wanted to betray you and steal the reactor. I told them that I was the wrong person for the job, that you… That you didn't trust me enough to make their plan work...”

"Really?" Tony scoffed, leaning to sit on one of the tables, shaking his head.

"I thought-"

"Yeah, and I can do that too, so no need for you to do it for me."

Steve was taken aback for a moment. Was I wrong? Did I get it all wrong? He had to stop those thoughts to not make everything even worse. "Tony, I almost killed you. I’m just trying to say that I’m sorry.”

“And I’m trying to say that you don’t have to," Tony's voice was a mix of controlled anger and frustration. "If we're gonna start the what if game, we'll have to stay year for a week at least, so please...”

That instantly called Steve back to the present. "You think this was a game for me?"

"I saw the crack in the wall, downstairs," Tony stopped him. "I saw you and that man, Christopher, have a chat on the stairs and you punching the wall, and I saw him casually coming back the other day. JARVIS had to hack half of New York, but I saw what happened. He even made a report when you punched the tower, but guess what? I didn't even read it because why should I? See what I mean?

Steve looked away, feeling suddenly overwhelmed by those memories- by everything that happened in the last week.

“What if I did read it? What if I saw how strange you were acting and decided to just stalk your every move? Even Bruce noticed it, but you being you, we all decided to leave you alone…"

“Don’t try to put all this on yourself,” Steve said.

“It’s on both of us.”

“No, it’s not. I end up in that situation by myself. I should have-”

"What? Predict the future? Steve, you were kidnapped. If you dare to say that's your mistake, I swear..."

"It was a mistake!"

"Breaking a glass is a mistake! Do you really think that any of us would get angry at you for getting kidnapped?!" Tony yelled back, and watching the Captain look down was enough to make him want to punch him. "Are you-" he stopped and calmed down before trying again, "This is exactly what I hate about you. You have this need to be perfect- to have everything go as planned even when it's out of your control."

"How can I lead our team in battle if I can't-"

“And how can you lead us if you're dead?” Tony angrily asked. "What made you think that sacrificing your life for me was the right thing to do?"

Steve knew Tony wouldn't have let that slide. “It was the only choice that I had at that time.”

“That doesn’t make it a good choice.”

“So I should've let those bombs destroy New York?”

“If that meant not having to see you bleed to death in front of me, then yes!” Tony screamed and turned around, facing the window, passing a hand over his eyes.

Steve didn’t answer to that. How could he respond to that? Another sorry that would have probably started another fight? "You always said that you can read me as an open book," he then said, "then you know why I did it. Why it’s so hard to accept now?” and the answer hit him the second he said those words. Too little too late.

Tony looked at him as if he just stabbed him in the back. "Yeah, I wonder why." He huffed a laugh, so cold and sad. “I’ll tell Bruce that you’re awake.”

“Wait- Tony, I-“ Steve tried to follow him, but the door slammed shut between them, locking him inside, and Tony was out of sight a moment later. Steve shut his eyes, thumping his forehead against the glass. Clearly, he could ruin everything even without Christopher’s help.

“Bruce…?”

“Mh?”

“Are you angry?”

“No.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“Because- you know, your hands are a bit… green?”

Bruce looked away from the device he was passing over Steve's heart and down on his hands, then glanced in silence at the man sitting on the laboratory's bed.

“Never mind,” Steve simply said and looked down again.

Bruce took a deep breath and put away the device and then his glasses, massaging the spot between his eyes. When he looked down again, his hands were of a normal color. “Your heart seems to be in perfect condition,” he calmly said. “That’s kind of impressive.”

Steve nodded. "I wish we never had to get to this point in the first place.

Bruce nodded. “Still, I’m glad that you’re ok. And that this entire situation ended up with no one dying.”

“Me too.”

“It was a terrible, well-made plan. They thought about almost everything. They knew you and Tony so well...”

Maybe even better than I know him myself. Steve sighed. "I hope Fury will find something about those people, now that they can't rely on the superhuman anymore."

“You think they won’t give up on the reactor?”

“After risking so much, would be weird if they did.”

Bruce nodded slowly, “We’ll be ready. I mean, Tony will be for sure. He’s already working on an upgrade for the tower's security system... Now that he knows where the weak spots are.”

“You're still talking about the tower or...?”

Bruce watched him smiling sadly. “Yes...?”

“Sorry, I just... I'll be surprised if I'll still be allowed to get in here.”

Bruce sighed patiently. “Tony doesn't consider you a threat, Steve. He knows that you never wanted to hurt him.”

“Still, I can't blame him if the little trust he had in me is gone now."

Bruce stared at him for a moment. “I think you’re missing the point.”

“Which is?”

“That it's you. He will forgive you. He probably already did.”

Steve felt those words like a punch in the stomach, “Do you really believe that?”

Bruce stared again at him for a long, intense moment. “Steve, you do realize it's not just about trust, right?”

"It's not...?" Steve watched him taking a deep breath, shaking his head- and his fears started kicking in. "I mean, he... I don't... He's not... Is he?"

Bruce smiled, removing the patches from his chest. “I don’t know what happened between you two during this week, but if you care about him just a little, maybe you should be honest with him as much as he tried to be with you?”

“I am. I-” and Steve stopped because, yeah, that could be something he needed to work on. After all, during the last week, Tony has been the most honest he's ever been... Steve was free now, and the least he could do was try and save what was left of their bond. Losing it now, was like let Christopher win.

But- what kind of bond do we have? What do I want to protect? Steve wondered, millions of thoughts crossing his mind.

“Honey, I’m home- hey, here you are.” Clint appeared at the entrance to the laboratory. “Captain. Welcome back on team free will.”

“Thanks.” He said with a little smile.

“How’s your shoulder?” Bruce asked him.

“Healing well. A couple of days and I’ll be as new,” he said, staring at Steve’s light scar over his chest.

Steve noticed it. “Any news from Fury?” He asked, wearing his shirt.

Clint sighed, looking at him with a more serious glare. “He sent me to take you back to SHIELD, for some checkups and questions about what happened, but,” he added, before anyone could interrupt him, “I was already off my working hour when he called me, so I stopped listening and brought you all breakfast.” He offered a plastic bag with an innocent smile. “There are also some donuts and green tea for Bruce, don’t you dare say that I don’t care about you. Here.”

“What a good friend,” Bruce smiled, accepting the tea.

“I thought Fury already knew what happened?" Steve said, grabbing a coffee cup.

“I told him most of it,” Bruce said, “and that you were fine after the operation. I might have also gently reminded him that you need to rest, so visiting is not encouraged at the moment.”

“Gently,” Clint echoed with a grin.

“Very gently,” Bruce confirmed, peacefully sipping his tea.

Steve nodded slowly, afraid to know how gentle that Bruce could be.

“Where’s Tony, anyway? I thought coffee’s smell was enough to make him appear. You know, like dog food?” Clint said, looking around.

“He was still working downstairs. I’ll bring it to him,” Bruce offered.

Clint watched him leave, then turned to Steve, “Did you talk with Tony? That's why he's not here?”

Steve almost choked on the coffee. “We talked a bit… I think we both need some time to elaborate on what happened.”

Clint took his coffee as well, sitting next to him, “You have to try. You both. I don’t know who’s feeling more guilty between all of us, really.”

Steve looked at him, frowning, “Who's all of us?”

“We all feel kind of guilty, Steve. Come on, it was clear that something was wrong, but we decided to let you handle it like you always want to do... And I know this time was for the better because of the Witch spying inside your brain, but… It still sucks.”

Steve looked down, then smiled at him. "Sorry about… And thanks for helping Thor with those bombs.”

“It's ok,” Clint said, finishing his drink. “By the way, we did find something in the witch's hideout. I sent everything to Tony while you were recovering.”

"Anything useful?”

“I didn't have the time to read much of it. You should ask Tony. He probably went through all that stuff by now.”

Steve took a breath and nodded, “I'll talk to him later… Or try to.”

Clint nodded. "He was really pissed when we got here.”

“He was?”

“He punched Thor.”

Steve blinked, surprised. "He did?"

“Yup. Still, he was more worried about you than his almost broken hand.” Clint sighed, his voice more serious now as he stared at the Captain. “You should talk to him.”

“I will...?”

"I mean it, Steve," he insisted. "He really cares about you. Don't keep him hanging."

Steve felt himself blushing. "That was never my intention, but after what happened..."

"Well, now you're free to do whatever you want, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Then it's time to make decisions on your own again." Clint smiled and then checked his phone as it beeped. “Gotta go. See you soon, alright?” and patted on his shoulder before standing up.

Steve watched him leaving, sitting with his half-empty coffee cup. He was indeed free now... Free to do everything, say everything- he could even pack his things and leave without a word to anyone else. He could, and still, he found himself thinking that he didn't want to leave to Tower.

Later that morning, Steve walked back to his room to take a shower and collect his thoughts- or try to.

Drying his hair, he thought about what Tony said before taking the reactor from him… Did he really fall in love with me while I stayed here? My acting was that good?

He cared about Tony. He respected him, and he learned to trust him during the time they spent together. Of course, he would help him without a second thought, being because of another house crashing down or some random psycho... Steve wanted to keep him safe not because of Christopher, but because he couldn’t stand to lose anyone else... And Tony hated that.

If there was something Steve learned about the man, was that Tony's mindset was I can die for whoever, but don't you dare do the same for me. And Steve couldn't stand that.

Was it really all an act?

Steve sat on the bed, falling with his back on the mattress. What can I do? Leave as if nothing happened? Both of us pretending last week never happened?

He kept thinking about the past days: listening to Tony's crazy ideas, his past, their breakfast together- both maybe a bit surprised that that wasn't bad at all... How protective Tony got towards him when SHIELD or Fury was mentioned- and how Tony tried to save him while the mansion was collapsing, despite knowing of the serum...

What if I was falling too...?

"Damn it..." Steve groaned, hiding his face with both hands, face getting red.

Leaving was not an option, now. It never was. Tony deserved better than that. No matter how confused and scared Steve was: staring at the ceiling, he could only hope it wasn't too late to fix their broken bond.

Steve decided to go back to the laboratory in the afternoon, with the colors of the sunset turning the walls a deep orange.

He stopped at the door with a plastic bag in hand and knocked. When he was ready to knock again, the door opened and, relieved, Steve entered.

Tony was sitting at the desk, his chair spinning slowly in front of a screen full of calculations and blueprints. “Cap. Need something?” He asked while staring at the ceiling.

Steve wasn't surprised by that distant voice and tried to ignore it. “No, but I think you do,” he said, standing on the other side of the desk, watching Tony look down at him and then at the bag. “It’s Italian.”

“You can leave it here. Thanks," Tony said, focusing on one of the screens.

Steve placed the bag on the table but then stood there, watching him.

“Anything else?” Tony then asked, writing something on the screen.

Steve took a deep breath. “I was going to ask you the same thing.”

Tony stopped, finally staring at him with cold eyes. “Oh really?”

“Yes." Steve hoped they could talk things out... No such luck. Tony was staring at him in complete silence. “I mean, we kind of talked before, but... If you want to, I don’t know, punch me-“

“Me punching you?”

“-or ask me something, please, do. No more lies or secrets.” Steve wasn't sure where he was going with this, but he couldn't just throw his feelings at Tony's face... What kind of feelings anyway? Am I actually going to do this? Now?

Tony kept staring, then looked away. “You explained everything already and I know the rest, so it’s ok.”

Steve knew what was happening: Tony was giving up. He wasn’t sure of anything anymore, and Steve ended up more confused than he was.

And what if it wasn’t so important anymore? Too much lies, too much pretending… What if Tony’s choice to give up was for the best? The best for both of them?

“….spacing out?”

Steve blinked, finding the other studying him with a light frown on his face. “Sorry, what?”

“You were spacing out.”

“Yeah, sorry… I think I still have a lot to think about. That’s why I wanted to fix this, at least.”

“This?”

“Us. What happened between us.” Steve was going to hit a wall with his head for how stupid he was sounding right now.

Tony stared at him for a moment. “We good,” he cut short and turned to the screen again.

"Ok..." Steve couldn’t find anything else to say. Better this way, he thought, turning around the leave. Was I really expecting something good to come out of such a mess? Am I really that stupid?

“You know what I wanted to ask you,” Tony then said, making him stop and turn around, “so why all this scene?”

“I'm not sure if-”

“How much was real?” Tony asked in exasperation, dropping the pen. “If there was something real in the first place.”

“Of course there was.”

“So, tell me.” Tony crossed his arms, “There. One question for you.”

Steve took a deep breath, thinking. “It was true that I wanted to stay here... That I wanted to stay out of Fury’s radar for a while.”

“What about that trip to your old friend?”

“That was a lie.”

“So even Clint fell for it. You should be proud of yourself.”

“I’m not.”

Tony's eyes stayed on him, his expression serious. “When did they kidnap you?”

“The night before the party. They were waiting for me in my apartment.”

“That’s three days before you showed up again...”

Steve tried not to think about it, simply saying, “I know.”

Tony stared at him in silence, then shook his head in disbelief, leaning against the back of the chair.

Steve walked closer, standing at the other side of the desk again. “I’m sorry about all this. And I’m sorry that you were the target." No running away this time. He took a deep breath, “Tony, this last week was-“

“I think you should leave the Stark Tower,” Tony interrupted him, voice flat. “At least until the apartments for the rest of the team will be ready.”

Steve stared at him, his mouth closing a moment later, all his thoughts suddenly disappearing. He didn’t see that coming.

“Also, you’re free again and I'm sure you can’t wait to go home and have your daily runs.”

I don’t care about that...

“Fury’s still waiting for a report too, so… Let your patriotic spirit go wild and go talk to him so I don't have to, thanks.”

“Tony, if this-“

“I know that story about you being connected to the New Element- having to stay close to me, right? Clint made some of the bad guys talk and turned out that was also a lie. Just that Witch playing with your mind again,” Tony continued. “Allergic to New Element? Come on… They just wanted you to keep a close eye on me.”

Steve felt a knife cut deep into his heart, only this time it wasn’t because of any device. Sometimes words can hurt just as bad.

Tony sighed, “So… Yeah. Go enjoy the freedom you’re so proud of.”

Steve stared at him for another moment, then forced himself to say something, “If you’re asking me if I want to leave-“

“I am asking you to leave,” Tony said, face as blank as his voice. "I mean, after all this, it would be weird to keep living together, don’t you think? Better stay away from each other for a while. I’m sure you need it…”

“I-“

“and I need that too,” Tony finished, looking straight at him.

Steve kept quiet because he knew he wasn’t going to win this. He lost his chance. The sad thing was, deep down he thought he didn't deserve it in the first place.

Tony was still staring at him, face stone cold.

“You're right. I... I’ll leave tomorrow, then,” Steve said with a little nod, and turned to leave the laboratory.

He stopped at the bottom of the stairs for a moment, holding tightly on the banister, then took a deep breath and walked back to his room to collect his belongings.

Chapter Text

The next morning, New York woke up under big, gray clouds.

Steve had been looking outside for a while before eventually snapping out of it, looking down at the shield he was going to take. He picked it up and blocked in on the front of his backup. Checking the clock on the bedside table: 8 AM. He could have left earlier- even at five in the morning since he was already awake by then, but his body just refused to move.

Part of him hoped to receive a call from JARVIS telling him that Tony wanted to talk; part of him wanted to storm into the laboratory and say that he didn't want to leave and that he needed more time to understand his own feelings... Still, he couldn't do any of that. Not with Tony directly asking him to leave. He had all the right to want him out of his house after everything that happened.

Steve took a deep breath and grabbed the backup, leaving the room and closing the door behind him. Glancing at the kitchen area, he wondered if he and Tony would have had another breakfast together anytime soon... Sending a look at the laboratory, the windows once again blurred to hide what was happening inside, he turned the other way, pressing the button to call the elevator.

“Steve.”

Turning around, he found Bruce coming from the corridor. “Hey…” he saw his sad face and nodded, “’Guess you’ll have more space now.”

“There's plenty already," he sighed. "I tried talking to Tony yesterday night, but…"

"It's not easy to change his mind..."

"He almost called the other guy out of me,” Bruce shook his head. “I’m sorry that you’re leaving.”

“It's better this way. After what happened, it would be awkward to stay here, Tony's right about that.”

Bruce sighed, “Well, as long as I stay here, I can still invite you in.”

“Thanks, but I’m sure Fury will keep me busy for a while...” The elevator distracted them for a second. “That's for me. Thanks for what you did for me, Bruce.”

“Don’t mention it.” Bruce smiled at him until the doors closed.

Steve took a deep breath and, before he could push the button for the first floor, his phone beeped. Fishing it from the pocket of his jacket, Steve's eyes widened as he read the message: '14th floor'.

A second after leaving the elevator on the 14th floor, Steve ran to the staircase with a murderous look on his face and the shield already strapped on his arm. He wasn't going to let anyone even think about threatening him or anyone of his team again.

Descending the first ramp of stairs, he then stopped as he found someone standing in the same spot where Christopher used to meet him, facing outside the windows. After another step, he frowned, “Susan?”

Susan Harrison turned around, smiling calmly at him, the badge of Stark employee pinned on her shirt. “Captain.”

Steve’s brain was trying to elaborate on what was happening as fast as possible. “You sent me that message?”

“Yes. I didn’t mean to scare you-“ she was interrupted when Steve dropped the shield to grab her by the collar of her jacket, pinning her against the wall.

“So it was you?” Steve angrily asked, “You’re the witch?!” It suddenly made so much sense: she was inside the Tower, close enough to keep an eye on them, and she was at the mansion too…

“You would be already dead if I was,” Susan said, her voice still calm.

Steve tightened the grip on her. “Who are you then?”

“Well, this is Susan Harrison's body. I'm just borrowing it for a moment.”

Even more confused, Steve saw her eyes turning from dark brown to bright red. “You’re controlling her?”

“For now. You two seemed to be on good terms, so I thought she was the right choice-"

“What else do you want from me?” Steve interrupted her. “Your friends haven't learned their lesson the first time?”

“They were not my friends,” she said, her voice more serious, “and I’m not here to threaten anyone.”

“You better. Because I'm eager for a rematch, and so is Thor,” he commented, and that hit a nerve: the red in Susan's eyes got brighter for a second.

After a moment of staring at each other, she said, “They had my brother.”

Steve took a deep breath. "They were using you too?" he asked, and she nodded. He shut his eyes for a second and let her go, taking a step back.

“Everything I have done, I’ve done it to protect my family. Just like you," the witch said.

“This is your way to apologize or...?”

“I’m not. I had my reason to do what they wanted.”

"You mean you had no other choice," Steve said, and she looked down. He sighed, shaking his head, “If you're not here to apologize, then why use Susan to talk to me?”

“Because I wanted to meet you."

Steve scoffed coldly, "Being inside my brain for a week wasn't enough?"

"I couldn't talk to you that way..."

"I don't think we have anything to talk about."

She studied him for a second, then took a step closer. "I just wanted to tell you that I didn’t force you to do anything. Since the first time I connected to you, you were not under my control. Not like Susan is right now, as you can see.”

Steve didn't move, holding her gaze. “You were inside my mind...“

“Just to make sure you wouldn't go against the rules, and warn them if you did try to.” She shrugged slightly, "I was a mere observer. Nothing more.”

"And you think that's not another way to control people?"

"Your thoughts and feelings were only yours, Captain. You were not fighting against me but against yourself."

Steve was even more confused and flinched back when she moved closer.

"I can prove it to you," she said, looking down at him. Her eyes glowed red when they stared at each other once again. “Don't forget about it.”

Steve frowned and a second later promptly jumped forward to hold Susan into his arms as she suddenly collapsed: when she opened her eyes, they were not red anymore.

“What- Captain Rogers? What happened?” she asked, confused, a hand on her head.

“Uh- we were talking and you fainted,” he lied, helping her up.

“Oh… Really?”

“I think we both need a coffee,” he said, grabbing the shield, both of them heading to the elevator.

Steve left Susan in her office with a coffee and a piece of cake before going back to the elevator once again. Leaning against the wall, he stared at the shield attached to his bag, thinking about the conversation with the witch... He surely wasn't expecting her to visit him, but she was free not, they both were, including her brother- and maybe Steve should have felt alarmed, warning the others about it, but she daring to approach him directly felt more like a sign of respect than a threat.

The doors opened and he walked through the main hall, busy with people, until a man in a black suit stopped him. "Captain Rogers, there's a car waiting for you outside," he said with a polite smile.

Steve looked wary at him. "I didn't call for a taxi...?"

"Mister Stark did. I'll drive you anywhere you need to be for today."

That hurt more than a stab in the back. Steve nodded and handed over his bag. "Thanks. I... I just need a moment."

"Of course. Whenever you're ready, I'll be waiting outside." That said, the man walked away.

"Your thoughts and feelings were only yours, Captain. You were not fighting against me but against yourself."

Steve thought about those words and it just hurt even more because she was right: he could’ve just taken the reactor right away but he didn't; he tried to make it easier for Tony, not caring about any consequences on himself... The witch didn’t force him to put Tony first, above anything else, or to risk his life for him… He wanted to keep him safe, and he wanted to have his trust- he didn't want to lose him.

I want to keep having breakfast together. That thought made Steve smile, and his eyes watered a bit. He turned around, considering going back to give Tony his answer, but... What if he changed his mind? What if it was too late and Tony was tired of waiting for him? What if their bond was broken beyond repair?

"Don't forget about it."

Steve blinked, and then looked down, just like the witch did... And his eyes stopped on the metal bracelet around his wrist. That was Tony's... The bracelets he used to wear to talk to JARVIS and control the suit.

Steve removed it, wondering if that was enough as an excuse to go back, but then noticed three red little dots blinking on the inside. Unsure, the name left his lips without even realizing, "JARVIS?"

The AI's voice coming from the bracelet was low but clear: "Emergency. Assistance is required. Emergency. Assistance is required-"

Steve could barely stand still inside the elevator, watching every floor’s number appear above the doors, eager to arrive at the top of the tower.

He looked down at the bracelets still in his hand, the three red dots blinking at him, and, even if he couldn’t hear it, he was JARVIS would still repeat the same words that scared him so much just a moment before, unable to elaborate on them.

I just saw him yesterday. He was fine, Steve told himself, wondering what could have happened in just one night. Bruce was also there– he would have rushed to Tony’s help if necessary, right?

As the doors finally opened, Steve rushed into the living room but found no one. Turning to the laboratory, he saw the door was open and quickly made a run for it.

“Tony?” stepping inside, he noticed two things: one, Tony was standing in front of his desk, not facing him, and two, there was a smell of something burning in the air. “Tony, what-?”

“Why are you still here?” he asked without turning around.

Steve noticed his voice was strangely low, and his shoulders were moving up and down fast. “I… I forgot to give you back your bracelet. Are you alright?”

“Couldn’t you just leave it at– at the reception?”

“I just–”

“I told you to leave, didn’t I? Why do you keep–!” Tony started yelling, but then almost collapsed, having to hold on the desk.

Steve took a step forward. “What’s wrong?”

“I asked you to leave and you’re still here, that’s what's wrong!” Tony tried to stand up but only managed to turn around a bit before falling to his knees.

Steve once again moved to help only to hold back. It was pure torture seeing him in such pain again. "Tell me what's going on."

“I have– nothing to–”

“Just tell me!” Steve angrily interrupted him. He kneeled next to him and noticed Tony’s shirt was the cause of the burning smell: the fabric was turning darker just where the reactor was. “Tony, your shirt…?”

Tony suddenly arched his back a little, tightly grasping Steve’s arm.

Steve didn't even flinch. “Tony, please, let me help you.”

Breathing heavily, Tony glanced at him and quickly let go. “I was testing a prototype. It’s- overheating…”

"Ok..." Steve said, looking between him and the burning fabric. “Can you cool it down?”

Tony was already shaking his head, moving a hand over his eyes. “It burns. Can’t- I can't take it out…”

That thing is burning him from the inside?! Steve moved to open his shirt but then stopped: Tony was shaking slightly, clearly in pain, and the last thing he needed was for Steve to take the reactor again. “JARVIS, can you tell Bruce to come here?” he then asked to the ceiling.

"Doctor Barner is already on his way," the AI said.

Steve nodded, jumping slightly when Tony grabbed his arm again, groaning in pain. He then noticed a light smoke rising from his chest. "Ok, listen, I’ll just unbutton your shirt so it doesn’t catch on fire, alright? I’m not gonna touch the reactor, I promise.” He waited for Tony to nod and only then he started unbuttoning the shirt, and, opening it, he saw the skin around the reactor was already turning red.

Steve looked worriedly at him, “Is there anything I can do?”

“T- the other reactor- ” Tony cried aloud now.

"Where is it?" Steve asked, quickly catching up.

“Safe- on the floor… Under the desk…”

Steve stood up to go check, and the safe unlocked a second after he saw it: the arc reactor was placed in a box made of glass, with different little green lights blinking on one side; Steve carefully brought it to its owner. “Here,” he said, opening the box for him.

Tony looked at it, then moved a hand to remove the reactor inside his chest, flinching when the metal burned his fingers. “Shit-”

Steve gently stopped his hand. “Let me do it?” He didn’t want to ask, but that moment was turning into the kind of dejavu none of them needed.

Shaking, Tony stared at him for a moment, “You– you’ll get burned…”

Steve smiled and moved closer to get a better grip on it: it worked like the other two times, only now the reactor was as hot as a rock that had been thrown into the fire– still, he welcomed the pain and carefully removed the damaged reactor, putting the good one into Tony’s chest right away, gently pushing it forward until he heard the familiar click.

He took a deep breath and saw Tony’s shoulders relaxing a bit– then their eyes met.

“Why… Still here?” Tony asked.

Steve could've told him about the witch, and that he heard JARVIS calling for help via the bracelet he forgot to give him back… He could have, but then Steve just leaned forward and kissed him.

He felt Tony flinching slightly, surprised, but he didn't push him away.

Steve then moved back, getting embarrassed watching multiple shades of red crossing Tony’s face. “Because I wanted to do this,” he answered, somehow feeling something heavy was finally lifted from his shoulders. “Sorry…?”

Tony stared at him, his breathing still a bit too fast. “Hand…”

“You shouldn’t get up yet–”

“No- Steve, your hand– you’re getting burned!” Tony said, pulling his arm again.

Steve looked at the reactor still in his hand, just in time to see Bruce taking it and putting it into the same glass box that he quickly locked.

Bruce waited for all the lights to turn green and then looked at the other two, taking a deep breath. “Are you guys trying to blow up the entire tower or what?” he asked with a murderous glare, and the other two simply breathed out in relief.

After Bruce made sure Tony was alright, he walked with Steve to the kitchen, preparing a bag of ice that he could keep in his burned hand.

Steve didn't miss how the doctor studied it for a while. "It's going to heal in a few hours, don't worry," he reassured him.

"Still, you almost got your hand burned to the bone just a moment ago."

"Better my hand than leaving that thing inside Tony's chest," Steve said and felt himself blushing a bit as the other smiled at him.

"I guess you're not leaving the tower for now?" Bruce then asked.

"I did promise Tony to leave, so..." Steve looked down at the icebag in his hand. That kiss wasn't planned, but still...

Bruce then looked past him, "All done?"

"Yeah." Tony slowly reached him to the other side of the table, handing the box containing the malfunctioning reactor. "You take it from here. I'm done with this thing."

Bruce smiled patiently and took it. "I'll see what I can do," he said, walking back to the laboratory.

Left alone, Steve took the chance to check Tony up: he looked still tense, but his breathing was steady now; his shirt buttoned up again, the sign of the burns still visible on the fabric.

“I’m fine,” Tony said as if reading his mind, staring at the table. His voice was low, and tired.

Steve straightened his back, feeling caught doing something bad. “Are you sure you shouldn't rest for a bit?"

"No need. I'm getting used to people messing with my reactor, anyways."

Steve felt that stab in the back but didn't complain.

“I didn't mean-" Tony added before the other could talk. He sighed, "You asked me to remove it. I needed help. It's alright."

Steve nodded. "I'm just glad you're ok."

Tony took a deep breath, then moved the ice bag up to look at his hand. "I told you you were going to get burned. You do get burned."

"And I do heal faster than a normal human being."

"Really? You want to show off now of all times?"

Steve smiled and noticed Tony glancing briefly at him before putting the ice away to grab the bandages Bruce left there. "Tony-"

"I asked you to leave," he stopped him, slowly covering his hand. "I told you to leave."

"You did." Steve removed the bracelet from his wrist and put it on the table. "I just wanted to give you this. I didn't realize I was still wearing it until I was outside..."

"And heard JARVIS call for reinforcement..." Tony finished, making a knot to block the bandage before looking up at him. "That's why you came back?"

Steve held his gaze- barely. "Yes, but- that wasn't the only reason."

"No? What else? Forgot your shield?"

Steve shook his head. "Something more important." He was expecting a reaction, but Tony's face was blank. He wondered if it really was too late and he just made everything more awkward.

"Come with me," Tony said, heading to the corridor.

Unsure, Steve followed him until they reached a bedroom- Tony's bedroom.

"Help me take this off?" Tony asked as he stopped near the bed and turned to face him.

"This...?"

"My shirt." Tony breathed out and raised a hand, smiling bitterly as his fingers were shaking. "It's been for a while and the smell of smoke is driving me insane."

"Oh... Sure. Ok." Steve moved closer and slowly started unbuttoning his shirt once again. He thought Tony wouldn't let him get that close ever again, but, apparently, he was wrong...?

"How many times have I told you to leave by now?"

Steve's hands stopped as he heard Tony's low voice so close to his face. He didn't sound angry- it sounded completely different. "What if I don't want to?" he asked, opening another button.

"Are you going to beg me to stay?"

Steve knew Tony wanted to hit on his pride, and it was working. "Please-!" He barely registered Tony closing the distance between them to kiss him, pushing both of them backward so suddenly the door slammed closed as Steve's back hit it. Surprised, he moved his hands to grab Tony's shoulders, but again, a voice inside his mind forced him to stop. Eyes closed, he shivered as Tony's hand moved from his hair down to slide on the sides of his neck as they kept kissing more passionately than Steve thought was possible.

When Tony moved away a little, breathless, it took him a moment to find his voice again. "Don't... Don't you dare ever beg me- for anything, alright?"

Steve could see his red face and the pure desire in those brown eyes. "I thought-"

"I was kidding! You-" Tony took a deep breath, shaking his head, "Do you realize how close I was to pushing you on that bed?"

And that was enough for Steve to blush furiously as well.

"Do you want me to tell you the reason? Because if it's not clear, I wanted to-"

"Oh, come on, I get it!"

"Do you?" Tony was more serious now- and his eyes were a bit sad. "Do you, now?"

"I did kiss you in the lab, didn't I?"

"I thought that could be just- a friendly kiss or-!"

Steve rolled his eyes and grabbed his shoulders to pull him into another kiss that slowly started leading them toward the bed. When he felt Tony bumping against it and almost lose his balance, Steve held him close and enjoyed the view of a fully flustered Tony Stark in his arms. "Better?"

The other sighed, nodding. "Took you long enough, huh?"

Steve took a deep breath. "Sorry?" he said with half a smile, and having Tony laughing against his chest was something he suddenly knew couldn't have lived without anymore.

Chapter Text

A few weeks later, Tony was leaving after a long, tiring meeting when he spotted the car waiting for him in the street.

As he descended the building’s staircase, a man opened the door for him and he quickly dropped inside. “God, Pep, this was a-” Looking to the left, he blinked a few times. “You’re not Pepper,” he said as the door was closed.

Steve smiled at him, “And here I thought you wouldn’t notice.”

Tony opened his mouth to say something but then got distracted as his eyes wandered all over the man sitting next to him: Steve was wearing a blue and white suit, but he could see the lines of his muscles still– and weren't his blonde hair shining more than usual?

Steve looked curiously at him.

“Uh, you’re– hi. Why are you here, again?”

Steve shrugged, “Surprise?”

Tony couldn’t stop a laugh. “You waiting in my car was enough for that. What about the suit?”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing! I’m just– surprised, I guess.” Tony sighed, leaning against the seat, and then quickly turned to him again, “Did something happen? What happened?”

“Mh? No, I–”

“Fury called? Are you ok?”

“Tony, everything’s alright,” Steve moved closer, taking one of his hands. “I just asked Pepper if I could escort you back to the tower tonight, that’s all.”

Tony was still confused but squeezed his hand regardless. “And you dressed up just for me?”

“What if I did?” Steve grinned before leaning against his shoulder. “You dress up for no reason most of the time.”

“That’s mostly a habit… Is it that bad?”

“Not really. I like you all dressed up.”

“I thought you liked me more undressed?”

“Oh, I do, but I can’t have that all the time.”

Tony raised his eyebrows, “Wow… Who would have thought one day Steve Rogers would sit next to me sharing dirty talks.” He heard Steve laughing as he sat on top of him to unbutton his shirt, but stopped when the soldier gently took his hands.

“Let’s wait to be home?” Steve said with an apologetic smile.

Tony sighed, crashing against him. “You’re such a tease…”

Steve welcomed him into his arms. He still couldn’t believe what his life had turned into after Christopher and his group almost destroyed it…

Only a few weeks had passed, and Steve still had nightmares about those days, but it was slowly getting better– they had each other now, living together at the tower not because someone was forcing him to, but because he realized that was the place he wanted to stay at, next to the person he learned to trust the most.

“We’re here,” Steve said as the car stopped, hearing Tony murmuring something against his shoulder. “Did you fall asleep?”

“Mmno…” Tony said moving on his seat before turning to look at him.

Steve was fixing his jacket when he noticed his glance. “What?”

Tony took a deep breath and then smiled a bit, “I’m just happy you’re still here.”

“Where else should I be?” Steve said, enjoying the blush on Tony’s face before moving out of the car.

Tony did the same, waiting for him on the sidewalk. “Does the elevator count as home or–?”

“No,” Steve sighed, walking away.

“I mean, technically–”

“Still no, Tony.”

“You’re no fun.”

Crossing the hall of the Stark Tower, they both entered the elevator talking about dinner.

“Alright, then let’s call the restaurant down the street and–” Tony moved to exit the elevator, just to come to a halt as he found a curtain of colorful paper stripes in front of his nose. “What the…?” walking through it, he saw the entire living room had been decorated for a party, with balloons and flowers hanging all over the place– and Natasha and Clint were in the kitchen, busy cooking something that smelled delicious.

Natasha was the first to see them approaching, sitting on the table. “Welcome back.”

“Hey. Sorry, dinner is not ready yet,” Clint said, stirring something in a pan. “It’s gonna take a while. You guys can go change if you want.”

”Ok…?” Tony looked at them in pure confusion. “I thought you guys were still in…?”

“Ireland. We came back this morning as Steve asked,” she explained.

Tony frowned and turned to Steve who just smiled innocently. “This was your idea?”

“It has been a while, so… I called for an assemble,” Steve explained.

Tony couldn’t believe his ears. “And the reason being…?”

“Movie night.” Natasha and Clint said as if it was the most obvious thing.

“STARK!”

Tony jumped when someone hugged him from behind, but it took him a second to recognize who it was. “Ow– hey, Thor!”

“It is a pleasure to see you all safe and well,” Thor said putting him back down, and Steve moved closer to help Tony stay on his feet.

“How’s the tv? Bruce can fix it?” Clint asked.

“He is still working on it. I’m sure Stark could be of help?” Thor asked.

“Y-yeah… I’ll be there in a second,” he nodded.

“Rhodes will be here a bit later. Got busy at the office,” Natasha said.

“Just in time for dinner, then. You guys like eating spicy, right?” Clint asked.

Tony watched them all talking and cooking, wondering if that was really his life. He slowly moved away, heading to his bedroom, leaving to door ajar as he took a deep breath. A light knocking made him turn around.

“Everything’s ok?” Steve asked, closing the door.

“Yeah… I wasn’t expecting one surprise after the other, that’s all.”

“Too much?” Steve moved closer, a bit worried. “Too soon?”

“Mh, not really… I was thinking about arranging another party, just didn’t have the time to call everyone yet.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Steve said, and the other nodded. “I’ll go check on Bruce, then. Take your time, ok?”

Tony nodded. “Hey, Steve?” he called, and the other looked back at him. “Thank you.”

Steve smiled and walked back to kiss him. Tony’s hand holding his arm made it hard for him to leave, “Who’s teasing now?”

“Well, we are at home, now…” Tony murmured against his neck.

Steve grabbed his face with a hand to look at him, smiling at his sulking. “Don’t tempt me, Stark,” he said slowly, his voice low, and kissed him again before turning around to leave, hearing the other groaning in comic agony.

Once outside, Steve stood there for a moment, holding the door’s handle, a warm feeling growing inside his chest.

He was still smiling when he met Bruce in the other room.