[FanFic] Crossfire
Series: If You Need Me, I'll Be There
Summary: He sighs, and shakes his head to himself. He’s here now, so he might as well get in. And kind of hope for the best? He really doesn’t know anymore.
Words: 751
Fandom: Marvel
Sub-Fandom: MCU
Genre: Introspective, Angst, Dramatic
Pairing: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Missing Moments, One-Shot, Slash
Notes: So I was walking back home after watching Captain America: Civil War for the second time and Brandon Flower's Crossfire came up randomly on my iPod. At first I didn't notice it, but by the end of it the idea for this fanfic had formed inside my brain, so once I got home I started writing it straigthaway.
It contains minor spoilers for the film's ending.
He’s there, even if he knows he shouldn’t be, for so many reasons. The most obvious one being, someone could be following him. He knows because that’s what he would do, if that was him.
But still. No matter how smart he is, sometimes he just can’t help himself. It’s like he has to do stupid things. Just to remind himself how much of an idiot he really is.
He sighs, and shakes his head to himself. He’s here now, so he might as well get in. And kind of hope for the best? He really doesn’t know anymore. He’s tired. Has been for a while. That’s why he had pulled himself out the first time. There was a part of him that knew this was bound to happen, and still. Sometimes the hardest battles are with ourselves.
He climbs up using the outdoor stairs, the cool summer breeze sending a chill down his spine. Probably just another warning sign which he ignores again. Part of him is even hoping that the information he got from his software is wrong. Wouldn’t that be the best thing, enough to make him sleep at night? He snickers, shaking his head to himself. Yeah right. The loss of sleep seems to be something that he will never get back.
Once on the balcony, he knocks softly on the glass, trying to spot something through the blinds, but he can’t. He stays there for few seconds, then knocks again, thinking how stupid he must seem.
« You here to arrest me? » the voice from inside asks.
He bites his lip, shakes his head: « Would’ve I knocked if I was? »
Does it make sense? He doesn’t know, but it works. The glass slides open, and he gets inside.
It’s dark, but somehow he can still make out the blue of the other man’s eyes. Or maybe it’s his imagination, who knows. He stays there, unable to move. When he set out on this… adventure (for lack of a better word) his only plan was to get in. Now that he’s there, he doesn’t know what to say or what to do.
« So what then? »
He shrugs, takes a deep breath: « I guess I wanted to see you. »
« You could’ve called. »
« This… is personal. »
Rogers sighs, shakes his head, passes his fingers through his hair: « Tony, if you’re stalling… »
« For fuckssake, I miss you! » he explodes, against his own will. Ways to win someone over: do not shout at them. Oh well.
Suddenly a light goes on. He narrows his eyes to let them adjust to the shift from darkness, then he looks around to spot him. He founds him sitting on the bed, his arms crossed over his chest, returning the glance.
He looks away, sighs, tries to find something else to say but he can’t, and the other man stays silent.
Eventually, he snickers softly, hunches his shoulders and turns back.
« I… I’ll show myself out. » he says, and slides the glass open.
He’s got one step already out when the voice calls him back: « Tony… wait. »
He turns around, steps back in: « I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come… »
« Yeah, well, you’re here now, so… »
He dares to look at him, sighs and approaches him: « Can I…? » he points at the bed.
Rogers nods and moves his legs to make room.
They stay in silent for a while, then: « I miss you too. »
He can’t believe his own ears, so blinks and turns to the other man, incredulous.
One hundred questions in his mind now, but he’s afraid of asking each one of them. He keeps quiet, just looking at him. He didn’t plan to say anything he said, so he doesn’t have something to follow that up with.
Finally the other man breaks the silence and, reading his mind, says slowly: « I can’t come back though. »
« I know. » he replies, a sad smile surfacing on his lips.
« I should go. »
A pause, then: « Or you could stay. »
His eyes widen with surprise: « What? »
« Just until dawn. It’s a quiet neighborhood. » smiles, a little nervously.
He stays there, not because he’s unsure but because he’s taken aback. He looks into the blue eyes and eventually nods, returning the smile and crawling towards the other man’s body.