Stark Industries, Saturday afternoon

[heroic_jawline]

Steve came into the shop and let his shield drop to the ground with a muted clang. He wiped at the dust on his face, then squared his shoulders with visible effort and called out, "Tony? You around?"

Another lead, another fruitless Bucky search, this time in stupidly muggy Singapore. Steve needed a shower, a pizza or three, and a nap.

And a hug, but he was kind of hoping he wouldn't need to ask for one of those.

"I'm back!" he added a little needlessly.

Comments

[imafuturist]

Tony hummed, noncommittal. "It's been known to happen."

[heroic_jawline]

"And you're worried that I will, too?" Steve asked, no judgment in his tone.

[imafuturist]

"Steve, I've been with people who I willingly let degrade me," he replied dryly, glancing over at him. "Because I liked parts of it "

[heroic_jawline]

Steve nodded, filing that away. "Which parts?" he asked.

[imafuturist]

Tony just watched him cautiously for a moment. "I like what we do too."

[heroic_jawline]

Steve gave him a small, shy smile. "I'm learnin' that," he said. "But as you said, I don't have notions about...what else we might be doing, too." He bit his lower lip, then asked, "Are there any...dealbreakers...about things you need if I don't like 'em?"

[imafuturist]

"Dealbreakers?" Tony asked because all of that--that face was cheating against him. He was sort of helpless against that. "You can say no to anything, Steve. I wouldn't stake our relationship on some stupid kink."

[heroic_jawline]

Steve relaxed a bit himself to hear that. "Okay," he said, smiling more broadly. "Sex is just such a...bigger part of the conversation than it ever was back then. We talked around it. Or not at all."

Steve had been a fan of the not-at-all approach, then.

[imafuturist]

Weird, that!

Tony sighed, reaching up to touch his cheek because the smiling was awful and terrible and perfect and made something unclench in his chest.

[heroic_jawline]

Steve leaned into Tony's hand. "Feeling better?" he asked softly.

[imafuturist]

"A little," Tony said, leaning in to rest his forehead against Steve's. "You can read those books and decide what you want to do then."

[heroic_jawline]

"Do I have to start right now?" Steve teased gently.

[imafuturist]

"What?" Tony asked, starting away from him. "No. Whenever you want to. Or never if you're not comfortable with it."

[heroic_jawline]

They were both just twitchy disasters when it came to conversations about feelings, huh.

"Tony," Steve said, squeezing his hand, "If it's gonna explain some of the reactions I have to you and tell me more about things that make you happy, of course I want to learn."

[imafuturist]

They really were!

Tony leaned forward and kissed him for that. Because he needed to do something with all those nerves.

[heroic_jawline]

Steve cupped Tony's head between his hands and kissed him back like he was something incredibly precious because, well, yeah.

"But I'd rather do more of this and less reading right this second," he said when he came up for air. "And we really should eat."

[imafuturist]

"I also promised you ice cream and cartoons," Tony said, not quite pulling away yet. But not for the same reasons as before, now it was just about being close to Steve.

It was probably disgustingly sentimental.

[heroic_jawline]

"You did," Steve said with a smile. "Finish up here and we can crash on the couch together?"

And snuggle like giant saps.

[imafuturist]

Because nothing called for romantic cuddle time quite like talking about kinks.

"I really ought to get a bigger couch," Tony said with one last quick kiss and an answering smile.

[heroic_jawline]

"Well, Christmas is coming," Steve said. "Put it on your list."

[imafuturist]

"Is that what you want for Christmas?" He teased, picking up his curry again.

[heroic_jawline]

Steve grabbed a new dish--something that smelled spicy, with rice--and grinned. "I haven't really thought about it. I could use some socks, I guess, too."

[imafuturist]

"Anything you want," Tony promised with a fond look. "Socks and a couch. J, start a list."

[heroic_jawline]

"How about a couch that feels like socks?" Steve teased. "And what do you want for Christmas?"

[imafuturist]

"I would be happy with just you." Wrapped in a bow. Probably just a bow, hiding by Tony's expression.