stardustly | au scenarios open post

[Tony had never been a big fan of the whole soulmate thing. He made a lot of noises about being an empiricist, about there being no real scientific evidence, but the truth was a lot more prosaic than that. Howard Stark's son had known what the shield on the inside of his right wrist meant the second he was old enough to understand what a soulmate was.

The universe had tied him to a dead man. Hilarious.

Except it hadn't stopped laughing, apparently, because some three decades later Tony had been in the middle of poking at one of his myriad projects when his chest suddenly twisted so hard that for a second Tony thought the reactor had failed. The surge vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving ghostly echoes of shock, confusion and an overwhelming sadness. And none of it was his.

He'd been in the middle of reaching for the phone when Fury called. And Fury had to have known, for all that he'd been nothing but his usual charming self when he'd barked that Tony had better get his ass over there. Tony had been hiding his mark for most of his life, but Fury was Fury. And no one in their right mind would have called in Tony Stark over something as delicate as trying to re-acclimate a man to a new century if there hadn't been some ulterior motive. For once, Tony hadn't argued.

So here he was. Staring at a man who was born sixty years before him but looked twenty years younger. His right hand twitched slightly at the heat spreading from the mark on his wrist, and he folded his arms across his chest, trying to find some semblance of calm here.]

Captain Rogers. I'm Tony Stark.

[As first introductions went, it probably could have gone better.]

[ Eyes darting around nervously, the cold continued to seep throughout his body, something the scientists and doctors reassured would end soon enough. Being frozen for seventy odd years took time to move past and the fact he could take in air at all proved a feat. It felt the complete opposite of a feat when he felt so out of sorts. The tightness in his chest seemed a little extra jarring but he tried to not consider too much about it. Maybe prior to the incident he might have thought about soulmates again but mother nature decided not to give him one.

Right?

Yet another thing to set him apart before he received the serum but he couldn't really complain. At least, others around him were able to find their soulmates because of his sacrifices.

The man, though, looked almost like a ghost to Steve's eyes, a blurring of the past and the present. It nearly felt like seeing Howard for a second but when he blinked a couple of times the image faded from his view. The heat on his chest remained and the anticipation grew thicker inside of him.

Interesting.

Shivering, he held out a chilled hand for Tony. Manners and all.

Tony Stark. ]

Nice to meet you, Tony. [ He paused for a moment. ] Did you draw the short end of the stick to have to show me around? [ The weakness spreading through his entire body continued but he wanted to hide it from the doctors to be able to leave the hospital wing. He couldn't stand being there for another second or he would scream.

Steeling himself, he slid off the bed and while he wobbled dangerously he managed to stay on his feet. He ripped off the wires and needles, nearly looking at Tony with almost painfully vulnerable hope. ]

[Tony moved forward to take the offered hand on pure reflex, then blinked as the Captain began pulling free of the myriad of medical equipment. He was no expert, but he was pretty sure a lot of that was important.

He might have been about to ask what Steve thought he was doing, but then Tony caught that look. The one that said if he stayed in here any longer, he was going to lose it. Tony was painfully familiar with the feeling.

And even if he couldn't feel some indescribable mix of emotions tugging at his chest, Tony still would have given him the same flash of a grin.]

Nope. I'm here to break you out.

[ For the first time since waking up, a genuine smile worked over Steve's face and he felt lighter somehow. Nodding his head, he moved forward, ducking around the corner to see where the others currently were milling around. Planning a jailbreak probably wouldn't win him many favors but at the moment he couldn't care less.

They should have known better than to corner him in the first place. Clearly, they knew all about him.

Ducking into a side corridor, Steve let out a breath, waiting for Tony to follow him. Two more corridors and they would be out - he hoped, at least. ]

That Fury guy is sure demanding. [ The words were murmured as Steve continued to lead them through the compound, the shivers still working up and down his spine. The trembling made it a little difficult but he had dealt with far worse in the war. ]

You don't know the half of it.

[Tony muttered back with a dry look as they made their way through the corridors. They probably didn't need to be sneaking all that much, but Steve seemed to be enjoying it so Tony left him to it. If Fury didn't want them leaving, he shouldn't have sent Tony in to begin with.

Though he did glance curiously Steve's way when they apparently were paused for a moment.]

How much did they tell you?

[ Sneaking around had become nearly second nature for Steve during the war and even being in a new time period changed very little with his natural instincts. Better safe than sorry and he needed to explore more to trust the war really ended. He hoped, almost desperately but he knew better than to blindly believe anything anyone said, especially those in a government setting.

Gazing over at Tony, he felt his heart beat a little faster and he couldn't understand why. If only he paid more attention in school when it came to their lessons about soulmates and bonding. ]

Not much. I don't think they wanted to overwhelm me. [ He shook his head with a deep frown. ] The basics of I've been frozen for over seventy years and now it's 2011 I think the Director told me. That's - [ His hands clenched for a moment. ] Everyone knows who I am, apparently, and there's a group called the Avengers. Not much other than that. Are you one of them? The Avengers? [ Kind of cheesy name but he'd keep such thoughts to himself. ]

[Tony studied him for a moment before tipping him a wry half-smile.]

Technically, I'm just a consultant. [It still stung, just a little, but Tony was pretty good at ignoring that.]

But if you're asking if I can fill in blanks, then yes, probably. And very likely more than Fury wants me to know. Come on, this way.

[He grabbed the edge of Steve's sleeve, mostly because he didn't trust himself with skin-to-skin contact yet, and pulled him towards the hallway that lead towards the door.]

Just walk briskly and look like you know where you're going. [He murmured it under his breath, glancing briefly Steve's way.] If anyone tries to stop us, let me do the talking.

The smile made his heart flutter right in his chest, which usually never happened to him. Sure, with Peggy he had serious butterflies but something had been off, a disappointment since they weren't soulmates but at least she felt it too. They decided to go their separate ways even before the plane crashed into the water but he still cared for her deeply and always would.

"Why aren't you one of the Avenger people?" Steve asked in his usual blunt manner and without thinking twice about voicing such a thing. It might be a sore topic or something he shouldn't know yet.

Walk briskly and look like he knew things - easy enough. For someone who knew how to look lowkey, perhaps. But Steve? He always stuck out, never too comfortable or sure in his own skin whatsoever.

They were making it close to the exit before suddenly Fury stepped in front of them, looking thoroughly annoyed at both of them.

"What is HE doing out of bed?" Fury asked, leveling a glare at Tony before adding in, "And what do you think you're doing?"

Steve stepped forward a little, trying to muster up his most charming smile possible. "I've always had anxiety attacks and Tony here was helping me work off one. It helps to walk around but I think being outside might help the most. Fresh air and space. Kinda been locked away for awhile -" He tried to look as pitiful as possible and for some reason it worked, Fury gave a nod and jabbed a thumb in the direction of the exit. Success!

Whatever he might have said in response to the question was pretty quickly blown away by Fury's appearance, and Tony only barely managed not to choke on a laugh as Steve all but turned on the bambi eyes. The fact that it actually worked surprised him as much as anyone. Either Fury was turning into a soft touch, or he had some other plan he was running. Didn't matter, Tony could deal with it later.

He didn't, however, manage to resist throwing a quick salute Fury's way, though he stepped through the door before he had time to see the reaction. He probably didn't want to know anyway.

"So that's you sprung," he said as he slipped his sunglasses on in deference to the sudden wash of sunlight and turned to face Steve. "Where to, Dillinger?"

Fresh air greeted him soon after and Steve stopped to take in huge lungfuls. It felt like so long since he last stepped outside and while nothing made sense around him it still felt solid. The ebb and flow of the ocean waves were left far behind but the haunt of them continued to wash over him. It would probably be a long time before he stopped feeling so cold, a more psychological feature than a physical one or so claimed the nurse when he asked about it.

Looking over at Tony, Steve gave a faint smile. "I'm not really sure where I'm supposed to be staying now. Never really got to that point. I don't -" He waved a hand over himself. "Have anything but the clothes on my back right now." To think he owned less than in his childhood.

"I think they said I have money in the bank already? I could find a place to stay," he continued in a ramble, already feeling a little overwhelmed in a real way. The nurse explained about post traumatic something or another but he had zoned out during her explanation on it. "You probably - have a lot to do - if you could just point me in the direction I need to go -" He trailed off with a lost look running over his face.

"Right," Tony said after a moment or so of letting Steve babble, and then promptly began herding him towards the very nice car parked mostly-legally at the curb. They probably could have walked it, wasn't that far to the tower, but Steve was already looking more than a little done with everything and the twisty place in his chest that Tony was doing his best to ignore had started to hurt. So. This was something Tony could fix.

"What's your opinion on pizza?" He asked suddenly once he'd gotten them both settled into the car. "I mean pizza is pizza, but I don't know, you might have feelings on the matter. Or be one of those pineapple people. That's just wrong." Tony might have been babbling himself, just a little, but if there was anything he could do without thinking, it was fill the silence.

Handy too, since there was a lot going on in Tony's head. Steering them through Midtown traffic only took up a bit of attention which meant that he had more than enough brainpower to devote to figuring out exactly what to do about this whole soulmate thing. Steve hadn't mentioned anything, was he just too overpowered by everything else to deal with it? ...did he not know? That was a conversation he did not think he was prepared to have.

But soon enough, he was pulling into the Tower's garage. It occurred, possibly too late, that he probably should have warned Steve where they were going, but hey. The man seemed uncertain.

"You can head somewhere else after we feed you," Tony told him as he climbed out of the car. "If you want. I can take you pretty much anywhere. Just figured you could use somewhere to get your head together a bit."

Even the car seemed so different from the ones he used to see on the streets in his time period. Although, Howard's creations were a little futuristic - the whole flying car aspect. Eventually, he needed to start considering the current era as his own but he doubted he would ever get there. The disconnect lingered and he didn't know how to really rid himself of it. For now, he wanted to focus on having a place to stay and something to eat. Hopefully, somewhere warm and dry, far away from anything water-like. Even the thought of a bath made anxiety claw at his insides and scattered memories throughout his mind.

Images he knew would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Pizza? "I like pizza. Never had pineapple. People put fruit on pizza?" He shook his head at just the thought. "Always been a classics kind of fella - pepperoni and cheese. What about you?" Pizza preferences - were they becoming friends or what? "Tried peppers once and nearly didn't make it that night. I don't think I'd be able to try them again."

They arrived at a really large building and with wide eyes Steve looked over at Tony. "You live here? Or is this where you're -" He trailed off when Tony began speaking again. Okay, apparently, he must live in the building or at least stay there in some capacity.

How caregiving - completely different than what he remembered Howard being like. "Thank you. I mean - for all of this. Who do I need to talk to about staying here?" Climbing out of the car, he shut the door carefully to not accidentally rip it off its hinges. It happened far too easy but he still needed to practice with his abilities.

Tony glanced up from where he had his phone out, letting JARVIS know to put in an order at the regular place -- and to lay low for a bit. Give Steve a little chance to get himself together before he started springing AIs on him. Not something he would have usually done, even for someone who had the context to even start recognizing what JARVIS was, but the lost look in Steve's eyes was...it bothered him. Enough to not want to make it worse.

"I've got an in with the landlord," he said, not really bothering to hide the amusement in his voice. "Come on." And he turned to head towards the elevator, assuming Steve would follow.

He was quiet as the elevator opened and they both slipped inside, but once they started the long trail upwards, it was hard to ignore the amount of tension in the tiny box. "So there's a lot we probably have to talk about," Tony said finally, leaning back against one of the walls to look at Steve. "But I figure it probably won't hurt to feed you first."

Along with the constant cold feeling, Steve also felt an unease within his skin as if he never acclimated to the bulkier frame at all. When he first received the serum, it took some time to come to terms with all the changes - being taller, broader and more agile. A dream come true for a punk kid from Brooklyn who never thought he'd make it to his thirtieth birthday. But anytime he looked in the mirror he still saw himself from before the serum and there were moments it sent a different sort of ache within him. Body image problems were only the tip of the iceberg.

Following after Tony, Steve shoved his hands in his pockets, another shiver working up and down his spine. What he wouldn't give for a nice warm quilt and a cup of hot chocolate. He moved into the elevator carefully, trying to not take up too much space for Tony to have enough room.

"About the Avengers or something else?" Steve asked, eyes watching the numbers dinging on their way up. "They wanted me to meet the team this weekend, I think." The team they wanted him to suddenly lead without even knowing them. With the Commandos at least it slowly built up before suddenly they named him in charge. Plus, he had Bucky.

Bucky. His heart pained with guilt and remorse so thick he nearly drowned in it too.

"About a lot of things."

Tony hadn't quite been watching him, or at least had been trying to pretend he hadn't been, but he still registered the moment something shifted in Steve. Some dark feeling sweeping up, and Tony already found himself shifting unconsciously closer even before he felt and echo of something twist into the space behind his reactor.

He hesitated for just a second, then carefully reached up to set a hand on Steve's shoulder. Careful to keep only on the material of his shirt, not quite ready to deal with skin contact yet. But he left it there, a gentle warm pressure, and nudged at him as the elevator doors finally opened into the penthouse.

"Can I get you anything?" He asked as he moved past him into the space, trying to ignore the fact that he was already missing the contact.

The words sounded ominous but surely there were a lot of matters they needed to discuss with one another. Because while Tony may not be a full fledged member of the Avengers he must work along side them in some capacity or why else would the Director pair them with one another? If only the soulmate bond reacted more on his end of things but the trauma and recovery had a lot to do with it being muted at the moment. Later, it would awaken full force but for now he only felt faint stirrings, nothing at all Tony had to work with.

The warmth of Tony's hand felt anchoring, keeping him in the present rather than drifting off to sea with his wayward thoughts. The comfort in it sparked at their bond a little more on his side of things. A yearning lingered and it didn't feel like all his.

Stepping into the penthouse, Steve let out a low whistle. "Only seen places like this in books or on film. Never in person." With a shake of his head, he carefully moved further inside, heading to the kitchen. "Water would be perfect, thank you." He felt a little thirsty but wanted to be closer to Tony more than that. It surprised him somewhat, the strength of it. "Thanks for - getting me out of the facility and -" Breaking off for a moment, he looked at Tony. "You own all of this, don't you?"

Tony flashed him a brief smile as he got down a glass and filled it for him, then detoured towards the liquor for himself after he handed it over. This was going to be a conversation he was going to need a drink for. At least one. "I do. That's part of what we need to talk about. Come sit," he said already heading towards the couches in the main room.

The New York skyline lit up outside the windows as the sun set, but Tony's attention was entirely on Steve as he settled in. He took a long drink as he waited for Steve to do the same, then reached out to set the glass down.

"So let me get this out of the way first," he said, slightly brusquely. "Howard Stark was my father."

Taking the glass of water gratefully, Steve moved with Tony to sit down, nervously spinning the cup back and forth in his hands a few times. When Tony started to drink, though, he mirrored to do the same, trying and practically failing to look more at ease and calm. He never dwelt well with social situations and this felt more meaningful somehow and he couldn't figure out why.

The first confession nearly had him dropping the glass right onto the floor. "I - thought so - you look like him and the last name," Steve began, setting the glass down before he actually broke it. "He meant a lot to me - Howard. He helped me a lot when I first got the serum." A wistful look took over his face for a moment but he quickly pushed it away. Reminders of the loss were never wise to dwell on.

A chill ran up his spine but he tried to lean back against the cushions to 'settle' himself. "Are you - do you build things too?"

The fact that Steve's first question was something like that made Tony smile slightly despite himself. He really did not want to talk about Howard, especially not with Steve, and the fact that he seemed willing to just move on seemed almost like a godsend. Which meant he probably owed it to somebody to get through the rest of it.

"I do," he agreed. "And I'll show you the parts you'll need to know. But."

He hesitated for a second, but then Tony had never been the best with words, not when it mattered. Instead he just leaned forward a little, took a deep breath, and wrapped his hand around Steve's bare wrist. The air punched back out of him almost instantly at the contact, but Tony made himself hold on. And watched Steve's reaction.

Howard's son; it nearly boggled his mind, especially the man having one in the first place but he probably grew up plenty since Steve knew him. Became more responsible where it mattered, at least, he hoped because Howard had been such a special person while Steve knew him. Had Tony known Peggy too? The thought curled up his insides but he refrained from asking for the moment.

Eyebrows furrowed he started to ask Tony why he looked so serious but the touch stopped every single thought in his mind. It all zeroed in on only one thing. Oh. OH! Everything sparked to life within him, breath sputtering in his lungs so hard, he would have made a joke about Tony making him breathless if he could speak at the moment. A heat settled thickly over him and he suddenly wanted to feel Tony's touch everywhere and where did that even come from.

Heart hammering wildly in his chest, he reached out a trembling hand to cup Tony's cheek. Only one thing would make such a consuming feeling - soulmate. "Well - then you can explain the tattoo on my chest. No one has ever gotten it." Dropping his hand, he started to unbutton his shirt to reveal the arc reactor tattoo on his chest.

Tony almost made a sound of disappointment as Steve's hand fell away, but then he was unbuttoning his shirt, and that was much more interesting. Except right there in the center of his chest was an unmistakably familiar shape, and Tony's eyes went wide.

"I. Yeah," he said, sounding just a little dazed, and reached up to undo his own shirt. Light spilled out before he'd gotten them all the way undone, and then there was the reactor, all metal and glass and set in the middle of Tony's chest. Tony barely even remembered to worry about the scattered scars surrounding it.

"I've always known," he admitted quietly, and blindly reached to strip off his watch to show the shield design marked into the skin inside of his wrist. Oddly that, more than his half-open shirt even, made him feel exposed. He'd been keeping that mark covered since he'd been a teenager, after all.

Seeing the thing on Tony's chest reflective of the tattoo on his own made his thoughts swim more. A murky sort and without thinking twice about it, he reached out a hand to brush along the outer edges of the thing. What did it do? Something with his heart judging by the location of it. His fingertips brushed carefully, the warm sparks like fireworks working up and down his spine from the simple touches. How much stronger would it be if they were closer?

Thoughts for another time, honestly.

Pulled out of his thoughts, Steve's eyes fell onto Tony's wrist when he revealed the tattoo of a very familiar shield. That really confirmed the whole soulmate thing and he couldn't resist reaching out and brushing his fingertips over that mark too. The moment he did everything else whited out and he could only hear Tony's heartbeat as the rest of the world faded away. For that moment, he felt completely consumed by Tony and he almost stumbled back as his hand dropped.

"Wow." Would it happen like that every time he touched the soulmate mark?

Trying to calm down his breathing and steady his own heartbeat, he waved a hand at the reactor. "What is that thing?"

The urge to tense as Steve's hand moved towards the reactor was completely instinctive, but Tony found himself taking a sharp breath as the fingers hit his skin. Instead of the half-expected panic, it was just heat and something that felt almost like comfort. And then Steve was touching the mark on his wrist and Tony was just gone, swept into a feedback loop that obliterated every thought he might have had.

When the contact broke and the world came back, Tony found himself breathing hard and a quick glance over proved that Steve didn't look much better. There was something comforting about that, that after all this time it wasn't just him anymore.

"It's. Uh." He licked his lips as he tried to pull his thoughts back together. "Like a very fancy pacemaker? It's keeping my heart beating." Too scrambled to deflect. That probably said everything.

He couldn't bring himself to regret it, though. If anyone should know, it was probably his soulmate.

"I have. Shrapnel. In my chest. This," he waved a hand at the reactor, "powers an electromagnet that keeps it all from moving."

As he came back to himself, Steve's eyes were resolutely focused on the reactor in Tony's chest. His soulmate's chest. Since they found each other, they were only longer alone, now finally a 'we'. It would be an adjustment for Steve, along with everything else since they unfroze him. But they all promised he would acclimate in time and the constant chill would leave him. The fact Fury wanted to give him a mission already spoke volumes of his 'adjustment time'. Would he be able to bring along Tony? Apparently, it would be an undercover mission and would take him to a cabin. On paper it looked like a rather simple mission but he knew better than to trust that.

It worked as a pacemaker? Shrapnel in his chest? A frown tugged at his lips as he considered it all, his fingertips tracing along the edging again. "If something happens to this reactor -" He trailed off, the thought making his stomach sink. Of course life decided to give him a soulmate he could lose at any moment. No need at all to be on constant edge.

"Did you make it? Design it I mean?" It seemed like something Howard would have developed and Tony being his son and all.

Touching Tony made him feel better he realized and far less cold.

"I. Yeah." He found himself leaning into Steve's touched, still feeling a little dazed by it. Normally he could barely stand having his chest touched, let alone the reactor, but he kind of wanted to just set there with Steve's hands on him forever.

Not that it stopped him from quirking a slight smile up at him. "Nothing will happen to it. It's pretty much unbreakable. And anything that would do that much damage would probably have killed me anyway." Good job being reassuring, Tony. That was probably exactly what Steve wanted to hear.

Like he was trying to make up for it, he shifted in closer until he was practically pressed up against Steve's side. The contact felt good, felt instinctive, and it seemed like they could both use it at the moment. "There's more. With the reactor, I mean. But it can wait." He didn't want to overwhelm the poor guy any more than he already had.

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