Stark Tower but Smallish [Sunday afternoon]

[heroic_jawline]

It had been weirdly awkward between Steve and Tony since the emotional baggage day. Tony had been working in the lab, Steve had been eating all the Moobyburgers working out, restocking the cheese fridge, and checking in with his colleagues at home.

But today, Father's Day, Steve was giving Tony another hour before going into the lab and dragging Tony out, feeding him, and making him talk. He missed them being them.

[OOC: For that husband.]

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[heroic_jawline]

"But I hurt you," Steve said insistently. "I'm so, so sorry."

[imafuturist]

"I just needed time to push on through it." To not caring what people thought about him. With his husband. It had not worked. But Howard Stark didn't raise a quitter! He raised himself an absolute wreck of a human being, but not a quitter.

[heroic_jawline]

"You shouldn't have to push through it," Steve said. "I said something that hurt you, and I'm sorry. I'm the person who's always on your side."

[imafuturist]

"You're generally correct about things like that, so I just..." Well, he was real good at hiding from the truth.

[heroic_jawline]

Steve reached out and slid his finger under Tony's chin. "Not always," he said, "and I was off my game that day, too. The bags aren't right, they're just aimed at our soft spots."

[imafuturist]

"It's fine," Tony said, startling a little at the touch.

[heroic_jawline]

"You're flinching from me," Steve said. "I screwed up big time."

[imafuturist]

"You startled me," Tony replied, grabbing Steve's hand to keep it in place. Because both of them were stubborn as hell. "That's all."

[heroic_jawline]

Steve sighed softly and shifted so he was looking straight at Tony. "You are it for me," he said, making as much eye contact as Tony would allow. "All in, head over heels, until death do us part it. And I never want to hurt you. So I am sorry for doing so."

[imafuturist]

He was cagey as hell, but allowed it for the most part. The whole turning into a cat thing was really apt in moments like these.

"Apologizing doesn't look good on you, you know," Tony muttered. He was resisting the urge to pick a fight over something utterly stupid to avoid all this. Which was growth. Maybe.

[heroic_jawline]

"I'm not very used to making them," Steve said.

[imafuturist]

"Looks awful," Tony said, inhaling deeply and not sniffling like a child. "Try not to do it in the future, huh?"

[heroic_jawline]

"I'll do my best," Steve said, running his thumbs under Tony's eyes for no reason, really. "I love you."

[imafuturist]

No reason at all. Don't draw attention to it. It was ridiculous to even consider any possible reason.

"Love you too," he said quietly.

[heroic_jawline]

"And all of my shortcomings?" Steve asked just as quietly.

[imafuturist]

"What shortcomings?" Tony asked with a wet laugh, wiping his eye with the heel of his hand.

[heroic_jawline]

"I have many," Steve said, "and you know it better than most people."

[imafuturist]

"Not in comparison," Tony muttered despite himself. Then inhaled again to say louder, "I love you flaws and all. Always."

[heroic_jawline]

Super-hearing caught that, Tony. He leaned in and nudged his nose into Tony's.

[imafuturist]

"Sorry," he said, somewhere between not trusting the comfort and desperately wanting to bury himself in it. "For hiding."

It was one of his flaws.

[heroic_jawline]

Steve could put together when that habit might've begun and he was kicking himself for being the source of it again. "I'm glad to have you here now," he said.

[imafuturist]

"Yeah?" That was nice to hear.

[heroic_jawline]

"I wasn't making up missing you," Steve said.

[imafuturist]

"Here I thought a little break would make people happy," he said with a laugh.

[heroic_jawline]

"Stop that," Steve said without heat. "I notice when you're not around, and when you're not in the lab on a happy engineering high."