imafuturist | Stark Mini-Tower of Healthy Emotional Choices, Wednesday Afternoon

Steve was still holding himself a little more straight than usual thanks to ribs that needed another day or so to fully heal, but he looked completely fine otherwise. Three days of sleep and a lot of food--plus the serum--did wonders.

He was up and about and not above using JARVIS to track down his husband. "You're avoiding me," he said softly from the doorway.

"You should be resting," Tony said, glancing up and then away at his tablet.

"I've rested for a couple of days now," Steve said, walking closer. "I'm tired of sitting still. And I missed you."

Tony took a deep breath and put the tablet that he didn't really need down. "You--"

Oh look at that, words were difficult!

"--missed you," Steve repeated. "I was hurt and you were hiding and blaming yourself, right?"

"It was my fault," Tony replied after a moment.

"Yes," Steve confirmed quietly, "but you weren't exactly in your right mind at the time."

"I hurt you," Tony said, mouth pursed again.

"I hurt you back," Steve said, "but you're a hell of an engineer."

"Not when it's used against the people I care about, I shouldn't be," he sighed.

Steve gestured at the tablet. "How many redundencies and safeguards have you added since Sunday?" he asked softly.

"It wasn't enough this time," Tony insisted, gripping it tightly.

"So we've learned," Steve said. "Tony, look at me, please."

"I have things set up for you," Tony said instead. "I can move out if you need."

Steve looked confused. "Why on earth would you move out?"

"I tried to kill you," he replied like that much should have been obvious.

"Do you want to kill me now?" Steve asked quietly.

"Of course not," Tony replied, looking pained. "But it doesn't change that it happened."

Steve moved closer. "It doesn't," he agreed, "but our lives don't move along normal lines."

Tony didn't retreat when he did that. Well. Not much.

"Does that make it better?" Tony asked.

"I don't think better or worse comes into it," Steve said evenly, stopping his movement towards Tony. "I'm okay. I'm not leaving you."

Please don't buy the Dodgers.

But what if it was through a shell corporation that he was going to put in Steve's name? Did that change things?

"Everything I design destroys things," Tony finally said at that. And he really liked to think he'd gotten better than he was before Iron Man, but here they were.

"Sweetheart," Steve said softly, closing the last bit of distance, "no. The shield you made for me saved my life."

"From me," Tony pointed out. You know. In case Steve forgot.

Steve reached out to touch Tony's shoulders. "From your suits," he said softly. In his mind, there was a difference.

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