ps more, works less, and is, by all human definitions, happier. As my primary coding is to ensure sir's wellbeing, I am all but required to encourage further interaction."

A silence stretched between them as Rhodey stared at Tony knowingly.

"So basically, your robot butler ships it."

Tony let his head hit the table again with a loud thunk.

Steve was utterly exhausted.

He hadn't slept at all during the mission, and between losing Thor—to another realm, no less—taking a red-eye flight back, and now sitting through a seemingly endless meeting, he'd certainly seen better days.

He understood the importance of the meeting, of course. Apparently while he and Clint had been gone, Tony had finished the War Machine armor. Steve had been a bit disappointed by that at first, since he'd been sort of guiltily hoping to "meet" Tony as Captain America, before Nick explained that Tony would still be around headquarters every Tuesday and Thursday for upgrades and consulting on other things, like improving the quinjets and assisting on the Helicarrier project. It meant being in full uniform all day every Tuesday and Thursday because Tony didn't really keep set hours, but Steve didn't mind if it meant he'd get a chance to bump into him and see Tony's reaction to Captain America.

In the meantime, he and Clint met with Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes, Tony's long-time friend and chosen pilot. Nick gave Colonel Rhodes a quick briefing on their double identities at Midtown High so he knew not to blow their covers, before moving on to the team training he had planned for them. Though Nick moved on, Steve found he couldn't focus.

Probably because Colonel Rhodes kept staring at him.

He'd thought maybe hero worship at first—military men seemed particularly prone to it—but unless he was so tired he was getting paranoid—also a possibility—there was a very distinctly disapproving edge to it. He couldn't understand it; the Colonel had been nothing but pleasant when they'd first shaken hands.

Eventually Steve ot about it in lieu of texting Tony under the table, though. He had to get through this meeting, and he could use a hot shower, but then all he wanted to do was fall asleep on Tony's couch, letting the dramatic movie music and smell of popcorn and soothing babble of Tony's chatter send him off to sleep.

Not to mention, most of his stuff was at Tony's place.

Part of it was that he'd had so little "stuff" to begin with. Also, it was just so much more convenient. They watched movies late into the night more often than not, and over the past month and a half since that first movie night, he'd just sort of…inched in. He hadn't meant to. He hadn't even realized it had happened, not until just last week when he'd woken up in his quarters and felt extremely disoriented for a long moment, before figuring out that he wasn't used to waking up without Tony slumped against his shoulder. Then he'd gone to get ready, only to discover he didn't have a backup toothbrush, and his was at Tony's.

Steve was going to have to buy another toothbrush, among other things, but if it meant he could stretch out this strange limbo of half-living with Tony a little longer, he didn't mind in the least. Tony's place felt a lot closer to a home than his quarters at SHIELD ever had.

Hey, I'm back in town. You still awake?

Do I ever sleep?

I don't think you've ever made it to the end of a movie.

I definitely have.

You definitely have not.

Lies, Robinson.

You know me, nothing but a dirty liar.

I just inhaled coffee through my nose.

That doesn't sound sanitary.

It's not. It's also painful, but that's how hard I laughed.

I think I'm insulted. Are you insinuating I can't lie?

Could, sure; puppy dog eyes like that, you could sell water to a fish. Would, no. You'd feel too guilty.

I do not have 'puppy dog eyes'.

Don't even pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. You use them whenever Downey acts up. You make your eyes all wide and your voice all innocent and ask him if he finds you so boring that he needs to act out. Shuts him up every time.

That boy is really something else.

You're telling me. He tried to stage a revolution today because he was convinced I'd chased you away by hurting your feelings. He went off to find you and apologize on my behalf. It'd be sort of funny if it wasn't so frustrating.

He has a good heart.

Yeah, sure. Hidden under his douche exterior.

You're a little prickly yourself, at first.

Do notpare me to a sixteen year old delinquent, Steve. That's too weird on too many levels.

I'm just saying, you're both a little rough around the edges. But you have so much good in you, who says he doesn't?

Feeling sentimental, are we?

Downplay it all you want, Stark, you're a softie and you know it.

Have I mentioned that it's extremely terrifying how well you know me after, what, a month?

Month and a half. Two if we're stretching, and I'm inclined to, since the feeling's mutual.

"Captain, may I have a word?"

Steve jumped when Col. Rhodes spoke, banging his knee under the table.

"Ow." He winced. "Uh, yes, of course, Colonel. What can I help you with?"

The meeting hade to an end—the only people remaining were Clint, Natasha, and Colonel Rhodes, who was still giving Steve that weird, disapproving look from before.

"Ignore Cap's phone obsession." Clint rolled his eyes at Steve, speaking to Col. Rhodes. "He and Tony don't really stop talking so much as they pause their one eternal conversation to give other people the asional time of day."

"Believe me, I'm aware." Col. Rhodes snorted, and Steve turned to look at him in surprise.

"You are?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, Captain Rogers—" Was it just him, or did Col. Rhodes sound particularly displeased with his last name? "—but Tony isn't great at keeping his mouth shut when he's excited. You happen to be very exciting to him. I hope you take care to remember that, because I'll have no trouble reminding you."

"Are you…threatening me?" Steve blinked, takenpletely aback.

"Colonel Rhodes, I hope you're not considering breaking your confidentiality agreement." Natasha watched Rhodey carefully.

"I won't—more urately, I can't. Let me make myself clear; I'm here to assist you with Iron Man and other threats, and that I will, but don't mistake my cooperation for approval of what you three are planning on doing to my best friend."

"Slow down a minute there." Steve felt himself growing irritated. "I didn't ask for your approval, and I certainly don't need it. You'll excuse me if I don't take your feelings on my personal relationship into ount."

"You ought to, considering I'm who'll be picking up the pieces of it." Col. Rhodes didn't seem intimidated by him in the least. He turned to stare the three of them down equally; Clint looked surprised, though Natasha seemed to have expected it. "You're important to him, all three of you. But from what I understand, when your assignment's up, your identities are going to disappear, and none of you are ever going to speak to him again. Isn't that right?"

"I don't—" Steve started, then stopped. There wasn't much he could say; he didn't even know himself what he was going to do when the assignment was up. "I would never have intended to—"

"I'm sure you're aware of how a covert operation works, Colonel." Natasha interrupted Steve's aborted attempt to defend himself. "It was never meant to be permanent."

"That's what I thought." Col. Rhodes nodded once, concisely. "But no one told him that, did they? No, you three just wiggled your way into his life and made yourselvesfortable, letting him think he'd found friends, that he might finally be able to move on. You could've befriended anyone in that school, but you buddied up to him. Was it so he'd build War Machine? Was having Steve seduce him part of your orders—"

"Of course not!" Steve protested adamantly, on his feet in an instant, anger rushing to his head. "Whatever else you think of me, Colonel, I wouldn't do that to him, and I resent the implications you're making—"

"You wouldn't do that, but instead you'll lead him on, knowing full well you're going to disappear on himpletely?" Col. Rhodes demanded, his voice making it clear as day just what he thought of that as an alternative. "Do you have any idea what losing you, what losing all three of you, is going to do to him? He's going to blame himself. I guarantee you he's going to find some way to make it his fault, because that's what he does, and you're going to destroy every inch of progress that man has worked his damned hardest to make!"

"Progress?" Steve frowned, something about the way Col. Rhodes said it striking him as odd. "Progress from what?"

"Don't—" Clint started to interrupt, but it was too late.

"From the kidnapping, what the hell do you think?" Col. Rhodes barked.

Instantly, Steve was nothing but a helpless, frail kid from Brooklyn, having his first asthma attack all over again.

"The what?" he asked breathlessly.

"Nice going, Rhodes," Clint snapped, "He didn't know about that part."

All Steve could think of was how just last week Tony had woken up with wild eyes, pulse racing, clutching at Steve like he was the only thing keeping him alive.

"Tony?" Steve roused almost immediately.

Tony was gripping Steve's shirt with white knuckles, sweat a thin sheen across his forehead, and he was making terrified, pained noises. Steve pulled him into his arms without a thought, the desire tofort Tony any way he could forming before he was even fully awake.

"Hey, it's okay." Steve ran his hands over Tony's back in broad strokes. "You're okay, I got you."

Tony startled awake after another moment, pulling back to stare at him in bewilderment, as if he couldn't understand why Steve was still there.

"Steve?"

"Yeah." Steve smiled tentatively. He wanted to reach out, hold Tony's shaking hands, but wasn't sure how Tony would take it. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I just—" Tony cut himself off with a shake of his head. "Fuck. Hasn't happened since you've been here. I'm s

本站無廣告，永久域名（fanyan.cc）