penistower | ✪ we walk around pretending we're all grown up ✪

They went to the beach and everything was warm and beautiful for a while. He's immensely glad Steve has found someone to appreciate him as much as he and Pepper do -- especially since Sam shows it better than he ever could. He's also grateful Steve agreed to stay at the Tower when he wasn't in D.C. It did a great deal to ease his mind now that the S.H.I.E.L.D. drama was over with. Or at least, Phase One was over.

It's late and Pepper's sleeping and he's still a little fucked up from his surgery. They told him not to strain himself, which of course he immediately had anyway. He doesn't wait for Steve to come collect him though, hitting the elevator button obediently instead of trying to mount all those stairs -- why did he have so many stairs anyway?

Tony pushes on the door of the training room, knowing the other man is up, punching bags. He's jealous; he just wants to get back to doing dumb shit with his friends. His expression is uncharacteristically wan, soft; very nearly demure. He clears his throat though he also knows Steve has noticed him.

"You missed my bedtime," he criticizes with zero bite, holding up his watch and pointing to its face while still hanging in the doorway -- as if he's afraid to step any closer. Not of Steve, but of what it may symbolize.

Threaded | Flat

Steve is about as close as happy as a man could get. His friend survived surgery, he's in a good relationship, and has a place to call home complete with a family. He still needs to work out where life is taking him next. Who does he want to be until the world needs Cap again?

The question is coming from a healthier place now. While there will be days where he feels lost or is hurting over what he'll never get back, it's more good than bad now. The person he has to thank for that is of course popping in to remind him of bedtime.

Steve stops hitting the bag, holding it still on the off chance he does accidentally knock it across the room for the hundredth time. Life may be good, but sleep still doesn't come easy to him. The War, what happened on the Hellicarrier, and New York will never really leave him. Sometimes he worries his demons will set off Tony's so just maybe he ought to let him rest on his own. The recovery should knock him flat, right? Apparently not.

"I guess I did." He exhales audibly. It's pretty clear he's been at this for a long while to work up a sweat. "You're policing yourself now?" He smiles in amusement. "Keep this up and you won't need me for anything."

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