Chapter Text
Steve wasn’t sure whether it was his pounding head or the gnawing emptiness of his stomach that woke him up from a deep sleep. He groggily opened his eyes, realizing that not only did he have no idea how he’d gotten to his own bedroom, but that he wasn’t alone. Tony was sleeping next to him.
At first, Steve assumed he was dreaming again; but his teammate (who he probably shouldn’t be having those kinds of dreams about anyways) was both fully clothed and laying on top of the blankets.
“Tony?”
Those familiar whiskey brown eyes fluttered open, and a fond smile momentarily crossed Tony’s face. But it was quickly replaced by a shocked expression as he exclaimed, “Steve! You’re you again!”
Steve blinked in confusion. “What do you mean I’m me again? What are you doing here? What happened?”
Tony scrambled up to his feet with an almost guilty look. “Hold on. What do you remember happening before this?”
“Uh,” Steve scrubbed a hand over his face. “We were fighting Loki and he hit me with a blast that apparently knocked me out.”
“That was three days ago, Cap,” Tony replied somberly.
“Three days?” Steve’s heart sank. “How badly was I hurt?” He sat up in order to look himself over for bandages and scars only to realize he had apparently been sleeping in the raw. The blood rushed to his cheeks and Tony turned away with an embarrassed cough.
“You weren’t exactly hurt — more like put out of commission,” Tony explained. “But before we get into the details, I’m gonna need coffee … and you’re gonna need pants. I’ll meet you out in the kitchen.” As he finished his explanation, Tony strode out of the bedroom.
As Steve got out of bed, he noticed a few bright scraps of cloth tangled in the blankets. He retrieved them to discover they were clothing: a red child sized tee shirt and a yellow pair of shorts to match. They were both torn in half, reminding Steve of Bruce’s clothing after his transformation into the Hulk.
A series of images and sensations blindsided Steve as he noted the Iron Man mask on the shirt; they were accompanied by a tangle of emotions. He didn’t quite understand what they meant, but it sounded like Tony could shed light on what had happened.
Steve dressed quickly before joining Tony in the kitchen of his suite. “Do these have anything to do with the last three days?” he asked, holding out the torn clothing.
Tony’s lips quirked in a not-quite smile. “Yeah.” The microwave dinged and Tony pulled out a plate full of breakfast sandwiches. He took one and set the rest in front of Steve. “Here. I bet you’re starving.”
“Thank you.” It was an oddly familiar and comforting feeling to have Tony taking care of him. But before he took his first bite, Steve asked, “You said you were going to explain?”
“To make a long story short,” Tony said, “Loki cast a spell on you. Turned you into a little kid - somewhere around two to three years old, best we could tell.” He recounted the visit to the infirmary and Clint’s temporary assumption of the Captain America mantle. “Obviously, the fewer people who were aware of what happened to you, the better.”
“But why are you here instead of, say, a SHIELD agent?”
“You kind of … imprinted on me, I guess. Didn’t want to let me out of your sight.” Steve felt his cheeks heat at Tony’s words, even as he wondered at the fond tone in his teammate’s voice.
“I’m sorry to have been such a burden,” he replied with a mix of guilt and embarrassment .
“No, it’s okay, you were a good kid, for the most part,” Tony replied reassuringly. “A little mule-headed at times, like when you told JARVIS not to call you Captain, but that’s how we knew it was really you.”
“What do you mean, ‘we’?”
“The rest of the team. Clint was there at the beginning, and what he knows, Nat knows. I had to let Pepper in on the situation, so she could clear my schedule. Bruce helped keep an eye on you health-wise and Thor brought his mother here to see if she could help.”
His words shook more of Steve’s memories loose. “The Lady Frigga. She was dressed in yellow robes, wasn’t she?” Tony nodded in confirmation, but when asked if she’d been the one to break the spell, he shook his head.
“Not exactly. She told us the enchantment played off something that you desperately wanted, but didn’t think you could have.”
Steve’s breath caught in his throat; but before he could say a word about his attraction to Tony, his teammate continued. “I get it. There’s days when I wished I’d stayed with the script Coulson gave me instead of that whole ‘I am Iron Man’ bit. Tossed the armor in the closet or given it to Rhodey right at the beginning.”
Tony absently rubbed at his chest. “That’s why I redesigned the Tower with somewhere for everyone to stay. So we’d have a place where we could just be ourselves — you know, Nat and Clint and Bruce instead of Black Widow, Hawkeye and the Hulk.” He reached across the table and patted Steve’s hand. “We’re not just a team, Steve. We’re … well … kind of a family, and we all wanted to make sure you knew that.”
“So, that explains why Natasha and Pepper let me paint their nails, Clint gave me a foam bow and arrow set, and Bruce let me climb all over him?” Steve struggled to keep his voice steady, recalling the kindness his friends had shown him during his transformation. It was true at times, that he’d be all too glad to lay down the shield and take up a normal life, but Steve knew that wasn’t what he was meant to do.
“More or less,” Tony replied with another fond smile, “though we did draw the line when you asked if the Hulk could come out and play.”
“But you’re the one who stayed with me, Tony. You made sure I was cared for.” There was one more memory Steve had to share. “And I told you I loved you, didn’t I?”
Tony chuckled, but there was a guarded look on his face. “Yes - but you said the same thing to a bowl of ice cream about fifteen minutes before that, so I didn’t take you too seriously.”
Steve took a deep breath. “What if I said you could?”
Tony’s eyes widened with surprise but also with what Steve hoped was joy and relief. “Wait, you mean you’re —“
“Queer too? Yeah, I think so,” Steve admitted. “I know I loved Peggy, but I also know that I’m falling pretty damn hard for you.”
“Why?” The question was soft and disbelieving and broke Steve’s heart.
Steve got to his feet as the words he had kept penned up for so long came spilling out. “Because you see me for who I really am, Tony. Just like Peggy did. That and you’re brilliant, generous, funny and kind. And the fact that you’re drop dead gorgeous certainly doesn’t hurt. ”
He held out a hand to Tony, tugging him gently to his feet. “You've given me a home -- and I can’t help but give you my heart in return. ” Looking deep into Tony’s eyes, he added, “I’d really like to kiss you right now.”
Tony’s face lit up like a sunrise as he leaned forward. “I’d like that too.”
Their kiss was like nothing Steve had experienced before. Some of it was because he was kissing another man, he supposed, but the rush of emotion welling up in his soul was altogether new. When he’d kissed Peggy, it was a kiss goodbye. This was a kiss of welcome, full of promise and pleasure. And -- Steve had very good reason to hope -- only the first of many more.