"Damn, you saw through my plan," he says, though the drama is thrown off by the wobble in his voice. Did Steve really not know that before he told him? He thinks about Howard. His father never told him he loved him. Now Tony works hard to say the things he means to the people he most cares about. Of course Steve didn't know, it wasn't in his nature to assume his own worth like it was for Tony. Somewhere along the line, he started clinging, the strong arm around him familiar and safe. This was what he'd come to find, and it doesn't make him feel shame; just an overwhelming sense of belonging and yes, love.

"You're stuck with me, at least," he points out, face disappearing against the other man's throat. He lets his ankle catch on Steve's in order to bring him even closer, knowing how weird they are and yet feeling no awkwardness for it. No one is sure how long Steve will live, but Extremis will extend Pepper's life, and eventually his own. They can all be a family together. Especially if they can find Bucky and save him after all. His own eyes prickle with unshed tears, blinking them back and fighting the rising tide of wrongness the tightness in his chest brings up. He's not sure if he misses the reactor, but there is a certain physical absence he can't deny. Something visceral and strange. "...I can't speak for you."