Above Stark Industries, Saturday morning

[heroic_jawline]

Steve woke up swimming in his pajamas--not really new--and warm--which was new. He blinked his eyes open, glanced around and then padded out into the kitchen. "Hello?" he called as he opened the huge icebox, which was full of food.

"Anyone here?" he asked, pulling out eggs (why were they being kept cold? So weird) and milk and fruit and carefully avoiding the giant bottle labeled "protein drink" which sounded super icky.

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[heroic_jawline]

"So don't tell 'em," Steve said. "That's how me and Bucky have so many adventures."

[imafuturist]

Captain America, the latchkey kid.

"Maybe," he said slowly. "Can we have adventures?"

He only sounded a little hopeful because it was way easier to keep from being disappointed that way.

[heroic_jawline]

"'Course!" Steve said. "But first we need breakfast."

[imafuturist]

Tony smiled at that, rushing to try finding a pan for Steve. "I can make toast," he offered.

And hopefully wouldn't get distracted by the toaster itself.

[heroic_jawline]

"I like toast," Steve said. "Is there butter?"

[imafuturist]

The hunt for the pan was abandoned and the cabinets left open as he went to the fridge to look. "Are those milkshakes?"

TONY, NO.

[heroic_jawline]

"Is that what protein means?"

Oh, Steve, you don't deserve what's coming.

[imafuturist]

Tony made a face. "I don't think so. Protein is meat abd stuff."

[heroic_jawline]

"Who'd make a meat milkshake?" Steve said, making a face. "That's awful."

[imafuturist]

Tony might have muttered 'the people who kidnapped us' but his face was in the fridge so it was hard to tell. "Maybe it's new."

[heroic_jawline]

"Dare you to drink it," Steve said immediately.

[imafuturist]

"What? No." Tony gave him a suspicious look. "Did Ty put you up to this?"

[heroic_jawline]

"Who's Ty?" Steve asked. "Your brother?"

[imafuturist]

Oh, the face Tony made at that. "No. He's--" Friend was way too string a word for it. "--an acquaintance."

He managed the word with more grace than most his age.

[heroic_jawline]

"Good word," Steve said. "Not your favorite, I guess?"

[imafuturist]

"He likes mean games." Because he was yet another evil counterpart to Tony.

[heroic_jawline]

"What kind of mean games?" Steve said, puffing himself up to...three and a half feet of moral outrage on Tony's behalf.

[imafuturist]

Tony shrugged like clearly it wasn't worth the righteous indignation. "Normal kinds?"

He thought.

[heroic_jawline]

"There aren't normal kinds of mean games," Steve said.

[imafuturist]

"...there arent?" Hey, he didn't have the normal friendships.

[heroic_jawline]

"No," Steve said firmly.

[imafuturist]

"Okay," Tony muttered, looking at the ground instead.

[heroic_jawline]

Steve reached out for Tony's shoulder. "Hey. It's not your fault."

Righteous and forthright even as a kid.

[imafuturist]

"We can play other games after breakfast?" Tony asked because he was Howard Stark's sonand emotions hard.

[heroic_jawline]

"Of course," Steve said. "You like checkers?"