Archive of Our Own ^beta

"No." Tony tapped his pen on the table. "I vote no."

"Okay, but…" Mr. Andrews gave Tony a firm look he'd started to label the Disappointed Dad Look. "I understand you don't have as much experience as some of the other members of the board -" Tony decided by "experience," Mr. Andrews must have meant "bypasses" considering the way he was huffing from the exertion of sitting down and voting on board motions. "- but there are ways things are done."

"I don't agree with promoting someone just because his uncle owns a business we want to deal with! We have at least four better candidates."

"Tony…" Mrs. Tyler started. "He's very qualified..."

"I'm not changing my vote."

"Okay but -"

Tony sprung up out of his seat. He pulled his phone out. "Important call coming in. I'll be back in five." He fled, seething. They just wouldn't listen. He'd always be nothing more than his father's son and it didn't matter what changes he wanted to make in the company. He went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. He didn't have any calls, but he did have a missed text from Steve. He opened it. It seemed Steve had made it to cheezburger cat memes in his self-directed History of the Internet study. Tony grinned down at the kitten with terrible grammar. 

**

Tony sipped his wine and smiled kindly while Janie described every flower arrangement at her last corporate event. "Sounds gorgeous," he murmured when she paused.

"Oh, Tony." She waved a hand at him, giggling. "You're so kind."

"Well, it's easy to be charming when I'm so utterly charmed." Tony winked. "I'm so glad you agreed to work with us on this event, Janie. The Maria Stark Foundation has been desperate to join forces with you for a long time now."

"I'll be delighted to support such a worthwhile cause, Tony. And it's always a pleasure to work with you." She grinned at her chicken parm.

Tony charmed and flirted and complimented his way through appetizers, entrees, dessert, and coffee, then walked Janie to a cab. She leaned a hand on his chest and pressed in close. "Why don't you come back to my place and we'll… talk more details?" She fluttered her eyelashes. 

Tony's heart sank. He really needed this connection to work out, but he wasn't attracted to Janie and wasn't interested in a night with her - or anyone - tonight. He forced a smile. "Ah, Janie, my dear. I'm afraid I need my beauty sleep. Unlike you, I require every minute to stave off the crow's feet. I'm sure we can discuss the details at the onboarding meeting next week."

Janie pouted. "Okay, but…" Her hand traced down Tony's chest. "I have a very nice bottle of wine in the fridge, and we could have some fun together." She smiled demurely up at Tony.

Tony grimaced at the cabbie who looked entirely unamused at the delay. "I'm so sorry. Tonight just isn't going to work," Tony said gently. 

"Well, okay, then. But we really must do this again. It was lovely."

He tugged open the cab door and guided Janie in. "Goodnight, Janie."

She didn't stop her fake pouting, but she wiggled her fingers in a silly wave goodbye and the cab pulled into traffic. Tony breathed a sigh of relief.

**

"He's CEO of Stark Industries, he's Iron Man. Please welcome my guest, Tony Stark!"

Tony stepped out to the thunderous applause of the audience, waving. He took the plushy armchair and kept waving with a smile until the applause died down. "Hello, George!"

"Tony! So glad you could join us. I'm sure you're very busy with superheroing and being the richest man on earth -"

Tony forced a humble chuckle.

"- but we appreciate you carving out some time for us."

"Always a pleasure, George."

The host leaned closer. "So, Tony. You live with the Avengers."

Tony shrugged. "Feels more like living with a pack of wild wolf puppies, but sure. I accept your premise." Cue laughter.

"Spill. What's that like? Who leaves their towels on the floor? Who's secretly hooking up? Who stays up late playing video games?"

"Well, the last one's me." Tony waited for the laughter to die down. "And because I'm not the answer to number two, I also don't know number one. We each have our own apartments in the tower."

George laughed. "Pity." He tapped his cards on the desk. "Alright. But here's what everyone really wants to know: what's the wildest orgy you've ever been part of?"

Tony gritted his teeth behind a fake smile. He shook his head and adjusted his seat in the chair. "Now, George…" He tried. "A gentleman can't talk about that."

"Okay, but… come on, Tony! Just between us friends."

Tony glanced at the hundred people in the audience and the bank of cameras. He pointedly rolled his eyes then shook his head while they laughed. "Let's just say… I've lived an eventful life, George."

"He's being cagey, folks! Okay, okay, but let me move on to The Avengers…"

Back in the penthouse, Tony walked straight to the shower, peeling off his clothes and leaving them in a trail across the bedroom. Okay, but… okay, but… Over and over. What was the point of even trying to have boundaries if no one respected them? Tony was exhausted. Why was everything a constant battle?

**

Steve looked up from the couch as Tony shuffled into the common floor's kitchen with a yawn. "Good morning." His smile was enough to lift Tony's spirits a little. "How are you?"

Tony tugged bread out of the cupboard and tossed two slices in the toaster. "Tired. But good. I was out of bread. You?"

"Pretty good." Steve shifted up to fold his arms over the back of the couch and rested his chin on them. "What's on the docket?"

Tony smiled. "I have the whole day clear, thank god. Finally, a true day off. Nothing booked, nothing scheduled. Just Tony time."

Steve visibly brightened. "That's wonderful! Would you like to come to the art museum with me today? You mentioned a few weeks ago you might want to come."

Tony tried to hide his wince. He loved spending time with Steve, but he really needed some alone time to decompress after a few very long weeks. He didn't want to hurt Steve's feelings, though, and it would have been a much gentler rebuff if he had a work excuse. Of course, he'd already revealed that he didn't. Blunt honesty was his only way out. "I really appreciate the offer, but, no, thank you. I really need to just be flat and quiet today."

"Okay," Steve said, and Tony braced himself for the but. "I'm glad you're getting some rest. You deserve a break. If you change your mind and want any company, even just for a movie, let me know! I'll be in the library, most of the day."

Tony stood stock still, staring at Steve. It was that easy? Steve didn't even look hurt or disappointed. Maybe the offer had all been for show and Steve was actually relieved - he didn't want to go with Tony at all. Or maybe it was an unspoken, but, the passive aggressive kind. Tony searched for a clue. "You're not going to go if I don't go?" he tried, guilt swirling in his stomach.

"Oh, no, no," Steve said. "I was always planning on going on Thursday. I just thought since you had the day free today, if you wanted to, I'd bump it up, that's all. I have a donor pass, so I can go whenever and the pop art exhibit is open until March." He smiled again, and Tony couldn't find anything hidden in it. Then it faded a little. "You alright?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry." Tony waved away his concern. "Just… still booting."

Steve got up off the couch and walked to the kitchen. He tugged Tony's toast out of the toaster and put it on a plate, then spread peanut butter on top. He sliced a banana and stuck the slices to the toast, just the way Tony liked, then handed the plate over. "Not sure you're safe to a use knife, right now," he joked. "Go have your Tony time. I'll send a message with JARVIS if I order lunch to see if you want any."

"That's amazing, thank you." Tony shot Steve one last considering look then turned and made his way to the elevator. He pushed the button for the private theatre, planning to watch a few movies to while away the morning. But alone on one of the squishy loveseats, idly flicking through his options, his mind wandered back to Steve. Was he really okay with Tony not going to the museum? His uncertainty made Tony want to test, want to push, want to see how Steve really felt.

**

"That's not going to work," Tony said firmly. He tucked the phone against his shoulder to start typing a message to Pepper.

"Okay, but have you looked at next quarter's projections, because I really think -"

"I've seen the numbers," Tony interrupted. "It's not going to work."

He could hear three people sighing through the conference call.

"I don't control the results of science!" Tony proclaimed. "It's not going to work. Back to the drawing board."

"Okay, but what if we ran the test again and this time left it all night."

Tony pulled the phone away to silently whack his forehead against the edge of his desk. He put the phone back to his ear. "Leaving it longer isn't going to magically fix the problem."

Several voices cut in, all arguing and Tony let his attention roll on to other things. Better to let them burn themselves out, anyway. No one was listening to him anymore.

**

Tony: You booked me in for the firefighter thing on Friday

Pepper: I told you it was important

Tony: I told you it was a bad night for me, Pep

Pepper: Okay, but what if I cleared Monday instead? You can have a three-day weekend. Please? I promised Jeff you'd be there.

Tony: Fine. I need Monday, though.

Pepper: 👍

**

Two weeks later, Tony found himself with an unusual rush of energy - or possibly too much caffeine rushing through his bloodstream - and a free evening. He asked Steve if he wanted to cash in the museum raincheck.

"I would love to! Are you sure you have time?"

"You have me all evening," Tony said boldly. 

Steve grinned. "Wonderful. Maybe I can take you for dinner after?"

"Sounds perfect."

The museum was lovely, and Steve was right about Tony enjoying the pop art exhibit immensely. Dinner was a charming mom and pop diner with crispy, golden fries Tony stole off Steve's plate and a shared slice of apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream.

By the time they were in the cab on the way home, Tony's heart was fluttering and there was no doubt in his mind that Steve wanted this to be a date. He looked at Steve's hand resting on the seat between them and imagined holding it.

They both stepped into the elevator together and Steve hit the button for the penthouse. "Can I walk you home?" he teased, and Tony laughed.

"Sure, that'd be nice. Been a long time since anyone walked me to my door."

Steve offered his arm and Tony slipped his through it as the elevator climbed up towards the penthouse. He fixed his eyes on the elevator buttons. "I had a really nice time," he said softly. "I'd like to do this kind of thing again."

"You mean go on a date with me?" Tony asked cheekily, grinning when that made Steve blush.

He owned it, though. "Yes." He turned to look at Tony. "Exactly that."

"Okay, good. Me too."

"Really?"

Tony nodded, which made Steve light up like a little kid. The doors sprung open and Steve led them down the hall to Tony's door where they parted, standing face to face.

"I really mean it, Tony. Even if you don't want to date, I love spending time with you, and I hope we can do that more. It means a lot to me, our friendship. You make the future feel like home, and I can't even tell you how big a deal that is." Steve's eyes dropped to the floor, he took a breath, then rolled them back up to meet Tony's. "Thank you."

Tony couldn't speak, his heart was taking up too much space in his throat. His eyes flickered down to Steve's lips, watching them part. Steve moved closer, leaning in a little, and the second Tony realized he was going in for the kiss, he panicked. "No."

Steve froze for a heartbeat and then he jerked back out of Tony's space. "Sorry." He flushed.

"No, no, don't be sorry. I was doing the vibe thing. I just - I want to kiss you, but I need you to wait."

"Okay," Steve said.

Tony frowned. "Is it?"

"What?"

"Is it really okay? Everything is okay with you." Confusing anger surged up inside him.

Steve took another step back. "Why wouldn't it be okay?" He shoved his hands in his pockets, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "You don't have to ever want to kiss me, Tony. It's really okay. It's not going to change how much I care about you."

Tony opened his mouth then snapped it shut when he realized angry words were going to come out. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I'm tired. I should go to bed."

"Oka- Alright." Steve mumbled. "Yeah. Sorry. I'll go. Thank you for today. Sleep well." He took off for the elevator.

Tony stared after him, stomach churning uncomfortably. He wasn't sure why he'd even said no, let alone bit Steve's head off. It was like he needed to know Steve would stop, needed to know there was no but. And of course Steve had stopped, that was Steve. He was always considerate, always gracious, and always respected Tony's boundaries. 

Tony was in love with him.

And he was just standing here at his door, alone, like an idiot. "Fuck!" 

Tony took off for the stairs, and bolted down the two at a time. He burst out of the door on Steve's floor just as the elevator doors chimed and slid open. Tony didn't have a chance to catch his breath before Steve appeared, double taking. His eyes jerked up to the elevator numbers as if he thought he was still at the penthouse. 

Tony approached him. "I'm sorry. I think I was testing you and then got weirdly mad when you passed and I don't know why. All of that is shitty, and I'm sorry."

Steve stepped out of the elevator and approached Tony hesitantly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm great. Unless you're upset with me - which I wouldn't blame you for - in which case I'm heartbroken."

"Tony… what -?"

"I really, really, want to kiss you. I want to kiss you and hold your hand and call you my boyfriend and go on more dates. I want that. I said no because I'm so used to people saying yes for me, that it was just a reflex, but I shouldn't have, because you never do that." Tony held out his hand and Steve looked at it for a moment, before reaching out and sliding his fingers between Tony's. "I don't want this date to be over yet."

Steve stepped closer. "Are you sure? Because I can wait. I don't want to rush you. I just need you to tell me what you want."

"I want you. Honest. I want this." Tony leaned in and cupped Steve's jaw as he pressed their lips gently together. "I want this."

Steve smiled into the next kiss then wrapped his arm around Tony's waist. "Okay, but…"

Tony raised an eyebrow at him.

"... can we continue this date inside? The hallway's kind of drafty."

Tony laughed. He grabbed Steve's hand and started backing up to his apartment door. "Absolutely."