Love and Memories (RP with iron_tony)

[starspangledcap]

[OOC: RP with iron_tony. Takes place in the House of TM, directly after this discussion with Sally; this probably won’t make any sense if you haven’t read that. This is the night before Steve goes shopping with Wanda.]Steve said goodnight and watched Sally leave the room, head bowed, finally apologetic. Relief ran warm through his bloodstream. He hadn’t

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[iron_tony]

When Tony heard Steve behind him, he realized he had been chewing on a fingernail, a habit that he suspected his partner silently disapproved of. Lowering his hand, he kept his eyes on the screen, where he had been reading the file on the young X-men called Hellion.

"You know, he's a telekinetic," said Tony. "Also a Keller -- do you remember those people? Insufferable." He restrained himself from saying something about new money. He wasn't actually a snob except when it was convenient. "Standardized test scores -- very good, but not outstanding. If I need to, I could offer to write him a reference for MIT if he backs off."

Turning around, he looked at Steve, trying not to seem overly worried. "Lots of hot water?" Because if asked the question, Steve wouldn't want to answer it. And if Steve wanted to answer it, Tony wouldn't have to ask.

[starspangledcap]

"Mmm," Steve said, in response to the water question. He crossed the room, placing a hand on Tony's shoulder and peering at the screen in front of him, which featured a picture of a dark-haired boy with a smug grin and a red X-uniform. "Sally would kill you if you scared him off. And while I'd personally rather she not date until she's 35, we might as well see how this plays out." He paused, squinting disapprovingly at the boy's less-than-stellar disciplinary record. "But if he hurts her, we'll both be suiting up and paying him a visit."

Steve lifted his hand off of Tony's shoulder and moved it to the back of his husband's neck, playing with the ends of his hair. "I'm sorry I overreacted back there," he said, his voice quieting. "I don't know what came over me."

[iron_tony]

Tony reached back and put his arm around Steve's waist, almost gasped at how warm his skin still was, but just rested his head against the taut stomach muscles and said, simply, "Don't you?"

[starspangledcap]

Steve looked down, moving his hand from the back of Tony's head to the front and brushing the hair off of his forehead, grateful for the contact of Tony's arm on his waist.

"Yes," he admitted. "But it's not fair to Sally. She can't grow up with the shadow of a boy who died almost seventy years ago hanging over her. I just get so worried sometimes." He moved his other hand to his side and grasped Tony's fingers where they were pressed against his waist. "She's the same age he was when I met him. I can't shake the association. And I don't... at this point, I really don't think I could handle losing someone else I love. If I lost Sally, or you, or Tommy or Billy or Wanda or Jean, I'd..." He trailed off, looking down, letting his arm drop from Tony's hair.