Fic: How late they start to shine (Steve/Thor, R) Part Two
Back to Part One
The kisses they’d shared that night on the roof burn in Steve’s memory for several days. They hadn’t gone any further that night- the kiss and the declaration had been more than enough and they’d eventually stepped away from each other’s warmth to return to the party. Steve had been unable to hide the smile, and though several of his teammates questioned him, he only shook his head and enjoyed the rest of the party.
Looking back, Steve wishes they’d done more than kiss. That night the city had been quiet, and their teammates otherwise occupied. Now, finding time alone was proving to be almost impossible. Steve is frustrated, and judging by the way Thor keeps smashing things with his hammer in the training room, he’s not the only one. Each time they steal some alone time, they’re usually interrupted, either by a call to arms or by another Avenger or one of Tony’s assistants inadvertently disturbing them. They’ve had some pretty close calls but and the danger of being caught is causing Steve to have an internal battle about what they should, and can, do.
Steve’s been pretty blunt about wanting to have sex with Thor. There’s no reason to wait, and he’s spent a lifetime dreaming about what it would be like to kiss and hold another man. He aches to touch Thor, and for Thor to touch him, but he can’t help the thrill of fear that runs through him whenever someone radios them or knocks on the door. For Thor, it seems to add to the moment, the frantic need to touch each other before they’re found out. But for Steve it kills his mood and the moment.
The other problem is that, really, Steve isn’t entirely sure of the mechanics of it all. He’s not a virgin- Peggy had taken care of that- and he knows the best ways to touch himself to bring release. But that doesn’t mean he knows how to handle things with Thor. He isn’t even entirely sure if there’s any...special items they’ll need, and in a quiet moment he asks Thor. Thor appears to be equally confused and when they’re called away, the question remains unanswered.
Thor solves this problem by asking the others over breakfast. Despite the vastness of the Tower, something often draws all of the Avengers to Tony's large kitchen. It has become a routine- Tony making omelettes, Clint and Bruce arguing over the coffee maker, Thor being puzzled by the endless supply of children’s cereal Tony always has in the cupboards, while Natasha drinks smoothies and Steve reads the morning paper as he eats his oatmeal. It’s the closest to normalcy that any of them will likely experience, and Steve likes it.
Or he likes it until Thor, pouring himself a bowl full of Lucky Charms, says, "I require your advice. What paraphernalia do humans require to enjoy sexual relations with one another?"
Everyone goes very quiet and freezes in what they're doing, except for Steve, who chokes on his orange juice.
No one says a word for a long moment, until the refrigerator begins to beep angrily at being left open. Natasha emerges from it, clutching a banana and some yoghurt, and kicks it shut. Clint sniggers a little and she gives him a Look.
"Explain 'paraphernalia', big guy," Tony says. "Because if you want me to build you some weird, kinky robot sex toy, it will probably end badly and get stuck somewhere and then Pepper will have to call in a discrete doctor again. Not that that's happened before, of course." The smell of burning fills the air and Tony swears and turns back to his now blackened omelette.
"Don't look at me," Clint says, pointing at Bruce. "He's the doctor around here."
Thor gives Bruce an expectant look.
Bruce sighs. "I'm really not that kind of doctor...I'm not qualified to give advice on this and even if I was..."
Natasha drops her food down onto the table and slides into a seat, giving the others a withering stare. "Alright- here's what you need to know," she says, matter of fact. "First things first, you want some sort of protection. Like condoms."
“Super protection,” Clint pipes up. “Just in case your Asgardian sperm blast their way through regular latex.”
Natasha rolls her eyes. "I'd suggest getting some out of Clint's bathroom cabinet, since all they’re ever going to do is gather dust, but they'll probably be way too small."
Tony snorts as he flips his omelette onto a plate and takes a seat, shovelling in a bite despite the charring. He nudges against Steve as he sits down, and then laughs at how uncomfortable Steve looks.
“I think you’re embarrassing our innocent Captain with his old-fashioned sensibilities,” Tony teases. “No talk of sex at the breakfast table, right?”
Natasha ignores him. “You also want to make sure that the...” she pauses, eyes flitting around the room. She glances at Steve, who quickly looks away, knowing that his cheeks are crimson with embarrassment. "That the person you're going to be...doing this with is comfortable. So you're going to need some lube."
Thor nods, looking serious. “Anything else?”
“Don’t try to run before you can walk,” Natasha says with a wink, then dunks her banana in her yoghurt and takes a big bite.
No one dares laugh, even though Steve knows it’s probably killing Tony to hold his snickering inside. Steve himself is too busy trying to hide his flaming red cheeks behind his newspaper.
“I can’t believe you did that!” Steve says later that evening, when they’re alone in his room. The Tower is as deserted as it ever is- Tony’s at some sort of fundraising function, Natasha and Clint are on some super secret spy mission, and Bruce has been locked away in his lab for most of the day. There are plenty of other people around, of course- the Tower is never completely deserted- but none who are likely to disturb them for at least an hour.
Thor shrugs, like it’s no big deal, and a wave of annoyance runs through Steve.
“What if they’d asked who you were going to use this stuff with?” Steve asks. “What if they guessed it was me? They can’t find out about...this,” he adds, waving his hand between them.
Thor, who has been lying on the bed, watching Steve pace the room, gets to his feet.
“I am sorry,” he says. “I believed it to be the simplest route to solving our dilemma. I did not mean to embarrass you.”
“You didn’t,” Steve says, although it’s a lie. He reaches down and picks up one of the foil packages and stares at it. “I just...I’m scared, alright? I don’t know how they’d react, and that scares me.”
Thor crowds close to Steve, pushing him until his back hits the wall. “I have no desire to make you uncomfortable,” he says, pressing a chaste kiss to Steve’s lips.
When Steve opens his mouth to protest the lack of a decent kiss, Thor drops easily down to his knees and begins to undo Steve’s pants.
“I do not need for the others to know or accept us,” Thor says. “You, in this moment, are enough to fill my needs. I will be mindful in future to prevent them from discovering our relationship.”
Steve nods absently, appreciating Thor’s declaration, but finding himself much more interested in how Thor’s hands are pushing his pants down, freeing his cock.
Thor’s touch, when it comes, is surprisingly gentle. His huge hands slide around Steve’s cock easily and he leans forward to press a kiss against the bared skin of Steve’s stomach.
“I do not wish to start something I cannot finish,” Thor says, gripping Steve’s cock tighter and looking up at him. “But I would pleasure you, if you will allow me?”
Steve can’t speak past the lump in his throat, so he nods, watching in anticipation as Thor leans in to lick a long wet stripe along the underside of Steve’s now-hard cock. He repeats the action, and Steve groans. Thor’s mouth is hot against his tender skin, and he buries his hands in Thor’s hair, wrapping the locks between his fingers, as Thor sucks the head of Steve’s cock between his lips.
This is a first for Steve, and it’s an experience that he doesn’t have the words to describe. The all encompassing warmth and wetness of Thor’s mouth feels both wonderful and safe, while the light pressure of Thor’s fingers as they slide up the slickened length of him pull something deep inside him. There’s a tension building in his groin, a feeling Steve knows well, and he’s determined to savour it for as long as he’s able.
Pleasure washes over Steve. Between how amazing it feels, and how amazing Thor looks with Steve’s cock sliding in and out of his mouth, Steve knows that despite his best efforts, he won’t be able to last long. Thor’s free hand, pressing against his stomach and pinning him to the wall, is the only thing stopping his legs from turning to jelly and sliding down to the ground.
Steve’s so caught up in the moment that it takes him a moment to realise that someone’s speaking to him, over the communication system in the room.
“Steve?” It’s Bruce’s voice, and Steve bites his lip from swearing in frustration. “Are you busy?”
Steve’s fingers tighten in Thor’s hair, trying to stop his head from bobbing up and down on Steve’s cock. When Thor stills, Steve swallows hard, then tries to reply.
“Uh, a little,” he says.
Thor chuckles, and it sends a reverberation along Steve’s cock and straight up his spine.
“Sorry,” Bruce says. “Do you think you could stop by the lab later? I’ve been working on some of the tech we retrieved, and I want to see if you recognise any of the components.”
An exquisite sensation prickles across Steve’s skin as Thor increases the suction on Steve’s cock. Steve had screwed his eyes closed, trying to focus on not moaning out loud while Bruce could hear, but he opens them and gazes down. Thor’s cheeks are hollowed, and the corners of his lips are slightly upturned. At least one of them is amused, Steve thinks.
“Sure,” Steve chokes out.
“Are you okay?” Bruce sounds concerned, and Steve has to bite his bottom lip to keep from making noise as Thor’s tongue swirls and flicks across his skin. It feels so good, and being unable to vocalise that is agonising. A small groan escapes Steve’s mouth and he releases his grip on Thor’s hair to clamp his hand over his mouth.
“Steve?” Bruce says, sounding more urgent. “Everything alright?”
“Yes!” Steve forces out. “Yes. I’m fine. I’ll see you later.”
“Come as soon as you can,” Bruce says. Steve stretches out as far as he can and hits the control panel on the wall, cutting off the call.
“It’s not funny!” he exclaims, glaring down at Thor, who has pulled Steve’s cock from his mouth so he can laugh loudly. “That was agony.”
“I am sorry,” Thor says somberly. “Allow me to make it up to you.”
He takes Steve once more into his mouth. Thor’s fingers grip even tighter around Steve’s cock, , snaking their way up to meet his’s lips as he takes Steve in deeper.
The tension continues to build inside Steve, as if a string between himself and Thor is being wound tighter and tighter. Then Thor’s tongue slides flat along the underside of Steve’s cock, and everything goes taut, holds for a heartbeat, and then snaps. With it, a wave of pleasure hits Steve, throbbing through his body. Spent, he pulls Thor to his feet and kisses him long and hard, tasting himself on Thor’s tongue.
When they part, Thor smiles.
“You should go to Bruce’s lab,” he says.
“I should stay here and return the favour,” Steve says, shaking his head.
Thor chuckles. “Another time,” he says. “This has satiated me for now. We must find a way to be alone and uninterrupted. My desire to lie with you overwhelms all other thoughts.”
Steve is pleased, but isn’t sure how that can be possible. “As long as we are here in the Tower, we’ll never be truly alone.”
“An inevitable truth,” Thor agrees, looking thoughtful. He urges Steve to find Bruce, and reluctantly, Steve straightens his clothing and leaves.
The next day Steve finds out that Thor has a plan for them to escape the city for a few days.
“I have made arrangements for us to be alone and undisturbed,” Thor announces. “It is what is called a ‘romantic getaway’. I saw it advertised during one of my shows.”
Steve can’t keep the scepticism off his face. “Sounds...interesting.”
Thor’s hands rest lightly on Steve’s shoulders, then slide down to rest on his waist. “Trust me,” he says. “I desire nothing more than a moment alone with you, to enjoy each other’s company uninterrupted.”
“And to have sex,” Steve adds, and Thor smirks.
“That too,” he says. “I believe you will enjoy yourself.” He has a wicked look in his eyes that makes Steve shiver.
“What will we tell the others?” Steve asks, and Thor smiles.
“I desire to visit my friend, Dr Selvig,” Thor announces at the next team debrief. “It has been many moons since I saw him last. Our latest battles have been small ones, and I shall be gone only a few days.”
“And I’ll be driving him,” Steve adds. “If Tony will lend us a car.”
“Can’t Thor drive himself?” Tony asks. “Actually, scratch that. I’m not sure I’m ready to inflict Thor’s driving on the unsuspecting public.”
“Hey,” Clint says. “Why do you need to drive anyway? Can’t you just fl- Ow!” He reaches down, rubbing at his shin. “Who kicked me?”
Natasha smiles sweetly at Thor and Steve. “Have a wonderful time,” she says. “I’m sure we can hold down the fort.”
~~~
“I can’t believe how easy that was,” Steve says as they drive out of the city an afternoon later that week. He can’t hide the relief in his voice, or the fact that he’d been expecting more questions from their teammates.
Thor busies himself with the stereo, flicking from station to station as they head north. As they speed along, Steve lets himself imagine that they aren’t Captain America and Thor Odinson, that they aren’t a once skinny kid turned super soldier and an Asgardian god. Instead they are just two ordinary guys, leading ordinary lives, taking a road trip together.
They stop halfway for food, and when they return to the car Thor is holding a giant cup of soda that looks oversized even in his huge hands. He looks pleased with himself.
“We do not have such marvellous things on Asgard,” he explains gleefully, slurping his soda through the straw. Steve watches him for a few moments, an overwhelming feeling of happiness radiating through him. He can’t remember ever feeling this way before- this content, this sense of belonging to something or someone. It’s a novel experience so he takes a moment to savour it before turning the ignition and starting off again.
They meander on the journey, taking their time, as if there is no hurry, but Steve is sure that Thor feels the same excitement and urgency that he does. Soon they will be alone, completely undisturbed and they’ll be able to do the things Steve has been dreaming of doing with Thor for far too long.
Dusk is starting to fall as Steve brings the car to a stop. He stares at the building in front of them, and then back to the map.
“Are we in the right place?” he asks, a strange, nervous feeling beginning to settle over him, pushing away the excited anticipation he’d been feeling for most of the day.
Thor, who appears to have been dozing for the last hour of the trip lifts his head sleepily. He stares at the sprawling manor house with well manicured lawns and points to a sign.
“Bed and Breakfast,” Thor reads and grins. “It is more pleasant than I had expected!”
He opens the car door and jumps out, leaving Steve staring in confusion at the sign.
When Thor had suggested going away, somewhere they could be alone, Steve had pictured a remote cabin, far away from any living soul, where there was no chance of people recognising them. Here he could already see people- a couple walking through the front garden hand in hand, another pair sitting on a love seat on the veranda.
Thor leans in through Steve’s open window. “Do you not like it?” he asks, his joyful expression starting to slide off his face.
Steve hates the disappointment that’s replacing Thor’s earlier happiness. “No,” he says, swallowing his protests. “It’s not that. I was just surprised.”
Thor opens his door, and Steve feels self-conscious as he steps out. Someone is bound to recognise one or both of them and there are still enough questions about them in the media that it won’t take long for people to start gossiping about how Captain America and Thor were seen canoodling at a romantic getaway spot. But Steve can tell this means something to Thor, so he pushes down his worries even further.
Still, he can’t help but turn around, snag a baseball cap from the backseat and jam it firmly on his head. Not that it’s much of a disguise when he’s walking alongside a 6-foot-tall Asgardian who insists on carrying both of their bags.
As they step into the lobby, Steve tenses as the receptionist looks up from the computer and greets them. Thor strides forwards to announce their booking in a voice just a bit too loud for Steve’s liking. He busies himself with looking around- the floral wallpaper and velvet curtains feel a bit oppressive, but he can tell it’s supposed to feel light and romantic.
As he turns his attention back to Thor and the receptionist, he realises Thor is being addressed as ‘Mr Smith’, and he starts to relax. At least using false names will make them harder to trace, should anyone suspect they’re there.
As if sensing his worry, the receptionist turns to him. “I can assure you, we understand the importance of discretion. We have a number of celebrities who visit frequently, and we ensure nothing disturbs their privacy.”
Steve nods curtly, but secretly he’s relieved. He’s always been good at adapting to new situations, to being out of his comfort zone, and by the time they reach their room, he’s feeling relaxed again. Maybe no one will ever even know they were here, and he and Thor will finally, finally, get to be alone.
Unlocking the door, they step inside. The room is a grand one, with a large bed as the centrepiece. It isn’t what Steve had hoped for when Thor had suggested going away somewhere, but now that he’s here, he can already picture pushing Thor down onto the bed.
His smile fades as he sees Thor’s expression. There’s disappointment there, and Steve watches as Thor walks over to the bed and picks up one of the rose petals that’s strewn across the sheets.
“You don’t like it?” Steve asks, and Thor continues to look around the room.
“On Asgard, I would have take you to a chamber and lain with you on rich furs before a fire,” Thor says, displeasure obvious in his tone.
“It doesn’t matter where we are,” Steve says. “We’re here. Together. Alone. No one is going to walk in or radio us. It’s just you and me.”
Thor’s disappointment slowly fades and he looks at Steve with heat in his eyes. “That is true,” he says. “I have waited too long for this moment.”
He steps close to Steve, sliding an arm around Steve’s waist to draw him in. “We have many hours before the dawn,” he says, “but I would lie with you now, if you will have me.”
Steve responds with a kiss, long and slow and heated. All of the frustration he’d felt over the past weeks, desperately trying to find time alone together, all of the pent up lust, is bubbling up from inside him.
He tugs at Thor’s shirt and Thor takes the hint. He removes his clothing, keeping eye contact with Steve as he does so. Each piece of clothing that leaves Thor’s body reveals more and more smooth skin, until all of the clothing lies on the floor.
Naked, Thor is glorious. As he stands before Steve, the muted lighting of the room casting shadows, he looks like a statue of a god, rather than the living, breathing flesh and blood god he is. Steve’s breath catches in his throat.
“You’re beautiful,” he says, then blushes when Thor laughs.
“No more than you,” Thor says, reaching for the hem of Steve’s shirt. He lifts it in one easy motion, up over Steve’s head and drops it to the floor. His hand runs gently across Steve’s chest.
“I wish I had known you, before you became Captain America,” Thor muses and Steve turns his head away.
“You wouldn’t have been impressed,” he says. He’s not ashamed of the body he’d had for so much of his life, but he’s also smart enough to know that most people would find his current physique more attractive. He’d seen it in the eyes of the girls who had smiled at him as Captain America, but ignored him before. It was something he had loved about Peggy, that when she looked at him the belief in her eyes had not changed after the serum.
Thor chuckles and tips Steve’s face back so their eyes meet. “I do not love you for your body,” he says, “but for what is in here.” His hand slides across to rest over Steve’s heart, which is beating so loudly in Steve’s chest he’s afraid Thor will hear it.
Steve doesn’t know what to say, so instead he leans in and kisses Thor. It’s soft and tender at first, but Thor’s lips part, demanding more. Steve buries one hand in Thor’s hair as their tongues slide together, his other hand resting on the bare skin at the small of Thor’s back. Their bodies are pressed together and he can feel Thor’s cock hard and ready against his thigh. His own cock twitches in response and Thor must feel it, as he smiles against Steve’s lips.
“Let us remove the rest of your clothing and retire to the bed,” Thor says, breaking the kiss, his hands hooking into Steve’s waistband. He eases the fabric down, until they drop to the floor on their own, and Steve steps out of his pants, kicking it aside. He had expected to feel self conscious, even though Thor had already seen him naked, in part, several times already. Instead, he feels at ease, even as Thor steps back to take a better look.
Thor’s look is appreciative as his eyes rove over Steve’s body. “I could spend an eternity simply gazing upon you, and even longer exploring every inch of your body,” Thor says. “But I confess that I do not think I can wait that long for our bodies to be joined.”
Steve laughs and walks forward, nudging Thor towards the bed.
“That’s okay by me,” he says. His voice is steady, not betraying his nerves that suddenly flare within him. He glances at Thor’s cock, which is much more well-endowed than he’d expected, and can’t help but swallow hard at the thought of having it inside him. He wants it, God does he want it, but he can’t silence his momentary doubts.
Thor appears to be oblivious to Steve’s hesitance, and is retrieving the prophylactics that had caused Steve such embarrassment.
“On Asgard, we would use luxuriously scented oils in preparation,” Thor explains. “I was unable to obtain anything suitable, so I followed the advice of our teammate.” He holds up a bottle of what Natasha had called lube.
“Would you help, or do you prefer that I prepare myself?” Thor continues and Steve stares at him.
“You mean, uh, that you want me to...” he trails off, not knowing how to explain his worries.
Thor looks at Steve in surprise. “I know you have not lain with a man before.”
Steve nods his head and waits, and Thor reaches out to trace his fingers along Steve’s jaw.
“It is a pleasure beyond words, to feel your lover move inside you,” he explains, “but it is not always enjoyable from the first. I had hoped that our first coupling would be only pleasure and no pain.”
He settles himself on the bed, propped up against the pillows. Steve is lost for words as he watches Thor squeeze some of the lubricant onto his fingers and then reach down between his legs. Torn between watching Thor’s hand as he works to open himself up and watching Thor’s face, Steve finally settles on watching the way Thor’s eyelids slide shut as his fingers slip inside. There’s a lack of control in his expression, something Steve has not associated with Thor in the time he’s known him. Everything Thor does has always appeared very deliberate to him, even when driven more by emotion than reason. So to see Thor spread wantonly on the bed, an expression of bliss on his face, stills the butterflies in Steve’s stomach and replaces them with the low burn of arousal.
“You are welcome to join me, if you desire,” Thor says, pointedly looking at Steve’s cock. Steve doesn’t need to be asked twice and slides up beside Thor, grasping the foil package that Thor hands to him. He opens it and starts to roll the prophylactic on, hands shaking. Steve can feel his heart thumping in his chest, the anticipation causing adrenalin to shoot through his veins. He’s no longer nervous, just anxious to move closer to Thor as soon as possible.
Thor’s hand, still slick from the lubricant, wraps around Steve’s to help him, before nudging Steve closer. Steve holds back, still trying to take in as much of Thor with his eyes that he can. He leans in to kiss Thor, then moves his lips down Thor’s neck and lower. He presses kisses to Thor’s chest and fans his fingers across the skin. He can feel the hard steel of muscle beneath the surface which tenses as Thor laughs. Steve’s finger catches against a nipple and Thor sucks in a breath.
Steve can feel that Thor is hard- the head of Thor’s cock drags against Steve’s chest as he continues to run his mouth over Thor’s chest. Thor tastes of something sharp and electric, like the first rain after a storm. He knows he could do this for hours, exploring every inch of Thor’s skin.
But Thor makes an impatient noise and hauls Steve up so they’re eye to eye.
“Do not tease me,” Thor commands, grasping at Steve’s upper arms.
Steve nods and uses his knee to push apart Thor’s thighs. He settles himself between them, grasps his cock and lines it up with Thor’s entrance.
Steve meets Thor’s eyes as he presses forward, feeling his cock slide inside Thor. It feels incredibly warm and tight and Thor moans. Steve pauses, worried he’s hurting Thor, but Thor’s fingers grip even tighter on Steve’s biceps.
“Do not stop there,” Thor commands, voice sounding ragged and breathless.
Urged on, Steve thrusts forwards until he is buried inside Thor. The sensation of it is almost overwhelming, and he feels torn as two warring decisions battle in his mind. He wants to move, to pull back and thrust back in, and yet at the same time he is reluctant to leave it. It feels right, to be there inside Thor, like puzzle pieces fitting together.
The almost primal urge to move takes over, just as Thor lets out something almost like a roar.
“Do not stop!” he says again, voice urgent.
Steve draws back, watching the expression of bliss on Thor’s face from the motion, and then thrusts forward again. He uses more strength than he means to, thrusting hard enough to shake Thor’s body.
“Harder,” Thor demands through gritted teeth, and Steve complies, moving until a rhythm builds between them. With each thrust forward, Thor presses back towards him, causing their flesh to meet with a sharpness that borders on the edge of pain. Still, Steve can’t stop now, and judging by Thor’s moans and cries which mingle with his own, he has no reason to stop.
Thor’s cock continues to drag over Steve’s stomach, and with each thrust he feels the slick trail it leaves behind on his skin. Steve’s fingers grip Thor’s hip hard enough that he expects there will be some bruises in the morning he will need to kiss. The pleasure is exquisite, a blindingly white hot delight that surrounds Steve completely. He loses all sense of the world around them- there is only Thor and himself, there is only now.
He feels Thor’s body stiffen, back arching, and looks down to see Thor’s hot come striped across his chest. Thor’s hand leaves Steve’s arm and cups the side of his face, directing him in for a kiss. Thor’s smile is lazy, as if he’s half-asleep, but he kisses Steve passionately, his teeth grazing Steve’s bottom lip.
It tips Steve over the precipice, sensation burning through him so suddenly that for a moment his thoughts white out. There is just the sweet sensation, and Thor’s hand on his face. And then he opens his eyes, panting from the exertion.
“Was it worth the wait?” Thor says, after a few moments, when Steve rolls to the side and they lie together, sweat and come cooling on their naked skin.
Steve thinks about how long he’s waited for this moment- with Thor, and before then, as a young man, wondering if he would ever be brave enough to find a man to take as his lover and experience such a thing.
Steve smiles. “Definitely worth the wait,” he says.
~~~
Steve wakes to a loud banging on the door to their room. Thor is already rolling out of the bed, looking annoyed at the interruption. He’s in the process of opening the door when Steve realises that he’s lying naked and exposed on the bed. Steve drags the covers over himself as Thor, still naked and apparently unashamed, opens the door a crack.
An urgent voice is speaking, too quietly for Steve to hear so he grabs his pants and pulls them on before hurrying over to the door.
“What’s going on?” he asks, recognising the receptionist they’d met the day before.
“I was saying that I’m sorry to wake you so early,” she says, “but it’s all over the news- there’s some sort of attack in New York at the, uh...old Stark Tower.” Her voice dips to a whisper.
“Thank you,” Steve says, and Thor shuts the door as Steve goes for the communicator in his bag. Sure enough, the emergency alarm has been activated, muffled from being surrounded by his clothing.
He activates it immediately. When Tony answers, Steve can tell he’s in his suit, in the middle of a battle.
“Nice to hear from you,” Tony says sarcastically. “We’ve had a few guests drop in. Don’t suppose you could stop by?”
Steve calculates how long it would take them to drive back to New York, but even at top speed he knows they’d be too late to be much help. He glances over at Thor.
“We’ll be there in a few minutes,” Steve says and ends the call.
“You’re going to have to fly us both there,” he says to Thor, starting to put on his uniform. “Now I know why you made me bring this.”
“This wasn’t what I had in mind,” Thor says, with a wink. “But we must leave at once.”
He reaches into his bag and pulls out Mjolnir. “Come,” he says, and strides from the room, still completely naked.
Steve hurries after him, pulling on his cowl, hooking his shield onto his back.
Luckily very few people are around at so early an hour to see Thor striding from the building and out into the garden. Steve watches as he raises Mjolnir high. Overhead thunder booms and lightning strikes through the sky. A whirlwind forms around Thor, almost hiding him from view, but Steve can see flashes of silver moulding themselves to Thor’s body.
He’s seen it before, of course. It isn’t often that they’re called into battle already fully armed. But today, as Steve watches the armour form around Thor’s body- the body he’d caressed and explored the previous night- it looks miraculous to him.
When the dust and the wind dies down, Thor turns and offers a hand to Steve. Steve steps up close beside him, and feels Thor’s arm wrap tightly around his waist. Steve holds on as Thor raises Mjolnir high and swings it round, lifting them up into the sky.
Steve will never admit it, but he’s very careful not to look down. They travel towards New York quickly, landing on the top of the Tower within a few minutes. Immediately Steve assesses the situation- HYDRA forces have breached the Tower and there are battles raging on several levels. Somewhere below them they can hear the Hulk roar in anger.
“Go,” Steve orders. “Find Hulk and help him. I’ll find Natasha and Clint.”
Thor runs off, and immediately Steve wishes he’d stopped him, had grasped his arm or kissed him. He wishes he’d told Thor he loved him. Each time they go into battle there’s a risk that one or more of the Avengers won’t return, and the thought of losing Thor- or any of his teammates- breaks Steve’s heart.
But he pushes those thoughts down like a good soldier, and charges into the fray.
It doesn’t take long to find the first of his teammates. Natasha, guns drawn, crouches behind a overturned table, returning fire to several HYDRA operatives. Steve sneaks in behind two, dispatching them quickly, and makes his way towards her.
As Steve nears, he sees a HYDRA operative aim a weapon at Natasha. He has a clear shot, and Natasha’s attention is on another foe.
Steve dives forward, raising his shield. in time to deflect the blast directly back, knocking the operative to the floor. Natasha fires into the other’s chest until he crumples to the ground, then turns.
“Good timing,” she says.
“I aim to please,” Steve replies, getting to his feet. “How many are there?”
“At least thirty,” she says. “I’ve taken down five, and judging by the screams, Hulk has dealt with a few more.”
Steve’s about to issue an order to sweep the level and then move down, when the operative Natasha had shot lifts his arm, pointing a weapon Steve’s never seen before in his direction.
Before Steve can react, an arrow whizzes past his head, knocking the weapon from the operative’s hand and embedding in his arm. Natasha stalks forward to ensure the guy won’t wake up again, and Steve turns to face Clint.
“You’re welcome,” Clint says with a smirk. “Tony’s throwing a few of them around downstairs. He could probably use a hand.”
Steve nods and rushes from the room. Natasha catches up, holding out the strange weapon.
“You seen something like this before?” she asks, offering it to Steve.
He turns it over and shakes his head. “Nope. Maybe this is what they’ve been working on for the past few months. I wonder what it does.”
“Only one way to find out.” Natasha takes it from him and pulls the trigger. A wave of light bursts from it, shattering all of the computer equipment in the room and putting a pretty big hole in the wall.
She lowers the weapon, making an impressed noise as she examines it. “If Tony asks, that was HYDRA’s fault,” she says. “We’ve got to make sure they don’t get a chance to use these. If it does that to glass and metal, what’s it going to do to flesh and blood?”
They pick up the pace, and join Tony, who is surrounded by a pile of bodies. His armour is looking battered, and his helmet is off.
“Took you long enough!” he says when he sees Steve. Before he can say anything else, another wave of HYDRA operatives burst in, all holding the weapon they’d found on the guy upstairs.
They fight until the surviving HYDRA operatives retreat, with Tony in his Iron Man suit following the shuttle they escape in as long as he can. As the dust settles, Steve can hear Tony via radio, reporting that he’d lost them, and issuing orders for someone to check the Tower, to make sure nothing of use has been taken, and HYDRA haven’t left anything behind. It’s something Steve should have thought of, but he’s too busy walking from level to level, counting up the bodies they’ll have to deal with and hoping to find Thor around the next corner.
They find Bruce first, returned to human form. He looks exhausted and, once he knows the coast is clear for now, hurries off as he always does after he’s turned. Steve watches him go, Natasha following behind him.
“Victorious once more,” Thor’s voice booms from behind him, and Steve turns. Thor’s hammer rests on his shoulder, and his cape is torn, but he looks otherwise whole, and Steve relaxes. There’s a pleased glint in his eyes, one that is always present over a battle with no casualties on their side. It’s something Steve can relate to, the satisfied feeling of knowing you have fought your enemy and no one has fallen.
With Clint in the room, he doesn’t know what to say, but Thor strides forwards and clasps Steve’s forearm.
“I am glad to see you unscathed,” Thor says, and Steve grins at him.
“Get a room,” Clint mutters, and Thor frowns. Steve shakes his head, not understanding.
“Is this not a room we are currently in?” Thor asks, and Clint snickers and hurries away.
Steve turns back to Thor.
“Did any of them say why they attacked?” Steve asks.
Thor shakes his head. “No, but I must admit, I did not give them the opportunity. I fear the victory was an easy one.”
“Like it was a warm up for something bigger that’s coming?” Steve asks and Thor nods in agreement.
Steve holds up the weapon. “Some of them were carrying these. They pack a punch. If HYDRA is making new technology...we almost lost the war because of it. We can’t let it happen again.”
“We must get this to the lab at once,” Thor says, starting to leave.
Steve reaches out and stops him.
They stand for a moment, silent amongst the debris of battle, as Steve struggles to find words to say how glad he is that Thor is safe.
Finally, he settles on, “I love you.”
“And I you,” Thor answers, the joy on his face clear.
Without thinking, Steve kisses him, not caring that Thor’s mouth has the coppery taste of blood. As they kiss Steve thinks about how easily the words had tripped off his tongue, how honest they’d sounded. They had been said without fear of judgement and he realises with a start that he hadn’t considered that any of the teammates could have overheard or that they could walk in.
It’s a revelation that makes Steve smile and he laughs, refusing to break the kiss.
“Have I done something to amuse you?” Thor asks, leaning away, looking almost self conscious. Steve runs his thumb along Thor’s jaw and presses his mouth quickly to Thor’s.
“No,” he says. “I’m just happy.”
Thor glances around at the strewn bodies and debris, and Steve knows that as crazy as it sounds, he understands.
He takes a deep breath. “I think we should tell the others,” he says, before he loses his nerve.
Thor stills and watches him carefully. When Steve had pictured this moment, the possibility of telling their teammates that he and Thor were lovers, it had always been an unselfish act to make Thor happy. Now, he knew that he was doing this for himself. He fought elbow to elbow with these people, shared their joys and their sorrows. They were family and for all that Steve feared the rejection, he realises that he trusts his team more than he’d realised.
From Thor’s expression, Steve can tell his announcement has come out of left field. When Thor doesn’t reply for several moments, Steve can’t help but wonder if perhaps, despite Thor’s brave words, he also fears what others might say.
“You are sure that is what you wish?” Thor asks.
“It is,” Steve says firmly. He wouldn’t blame Thor for being afraid, but Thor smiles widely at him.
“Very well,” Thor says. “When you wish, we shall share this with them.”
“I figure there’s no time like the present,” Steve says, thinking how ironic that cliché sounds to him now, and how true it really is.
They walk through the battered Tower, heading to the lab first. They find Bruce there, picking over his damaged equipment for anything salvageable.
“Can you believe this,” he says when they enter. He sounds weary as he kicks aside piles of broken glass and metal. “Almost everything is destroyed.”
“Your research?” Steve asks, knowing how much effort Bruce has been putting in to discovering a cure for himself. Steve had provided numerous blood samples over the months in the hopes they’d help shed some light on the problem.
Bruce shakes his head. “No, I keep all of that safely hidden away.” He moves to a panel on the wall, opening it to reveal a large safe. He opens it to check, revealing a stack of papers, some computing equipment and an icebox filled with samples of some kind.
“You know, I’m sure there are better things for you guys to do than help me here,” Bruce says.
“Actually, we brought you this,” Steve says, placing the weapon onto the lab bench.
“I saw them holding these,” Bruce says, immediately picking it up and turning it over. “Do you know what it does?”
Steve reaches out a hand to stop Bruce from pulling the trigger. “Yeah, you don’t want to do that in here.”
“Thanks,” Bruce says, turning his attention back to the weapon.
“There’s something else,” Steve says after a moment. He exchanges a look with Thor, who nudges him forward.
“Yes?”
“Thor and I...we’re...I mean...” Now that he was faced with it, Steve struggles to find the words to accurately describe to someone else what Thor means to him, when it’s difficult to even explain it to himself.
“Together,” Bruce finishes absently, not looking up from the weapon. “Yes, I know.”
“How could you have known?” Thor asks.
“Because I’m not blind,” Bruce says. “I appreciate you telling me though.”
There’s a lengthy silence, and Bruce finally looks up. “What?” he asks. “Were you worried what I’d say? I’m glad you have each other. I really am.”
Steve realises that he’s never asked Bruce if there’s someone out there he loves, if things had changed for him after the Other Guy came along. He knows that’s something he’ll need to remedy in the future.
“Well, thanks,” Steve says, and Thor echoes his sentiment.
“Are you going to tell the others?” Bruce asks, and when Steve nods he grins. “Good. Tell Clint he owes me twenty bucks.”
Thor is smiling as they leave the lab. “You did not anticipate this reaction,” he says.
“No,” Steve agrees. “I didn’t.” He wonders if he’s been unfair to his teammates, assuming a bad reaction from them based on no evidence. When they find Clint and Natasha, Steve is smiling.
“I come bearing a message from Bruce,” Thor says. “You now owe him ‘twenty bucks’.”
Clint frowns. “What for?”
Natasha glances from Steve to Thor and back again. She smirks. “Looks like you owe me twenty bucks too,” she says, giving Steve an approving nod.
Clint frowns for a moment longer, then his eyebrows lift in surprise. “Oh, really?”
Steve glances at Thor, who nods.
“About time!” Clint laughs. “Hey, do me a favour, don’t tell Tony yet. I don’t want to be out another twenty dollars.”
“You enjoyed your getaway then?” Natasha asks with a sly grin, and Steve shoots a look at Thor.
Thor shrugs. “I was in need of aid to use the ‘Google’ to make suitable arrangements.”
Steve sighs. “Let’s find Tony.”
Tony is pouring himself a scotch at his bar. “Did you see what those bastards did to this place?” he asks, gesturing at the mess Natasha had made earlier with the weapon.
“A sad casualty of the war,” Thor agrees.
“So, looks like we’ll be doing a rebuild,” Tony says. “Again.”
He sets down his scotch and walks over to one of the few remaining screens and brings up some blueprints.
“I’ve got a few ideas about what we can do with Steve’s floor- I’m thinking a completely interactive, adapting AI training area to really test our abilities.”
“On my floor?” Steve asks.
Tony nods. “I figure a couple of months, and you’ll be moving in with Thor, right?”
Steve stares at him. “What- why-“
“JARVIS is a gossip,” Tony says. “He told me weeks ago about you guys.”
“I have not been programmed to gossip,” JARVIS’s voice says. “You overrode my privacy protocols out of curiosity when I suggested that Captain Rogers should not be disturbed one evening, forcing me to reveal their relationship.”
Tony waves a hand. “Semantics,” he says. “Anyway, look at this-“
He pulls up a 3D model of the adaptive training area, and begins to point out its various features.
Steve glances at the date in the corner, and wonders if Thor has also noted that the plans are from the previous year, long before Steve had begun to realise his feelings, let along act on them.
As they listen to Tony talk about the improvements they can make to the Tower now, Steve thinks that life certainly isn’t perfect and this certainly isn’t where he expected to end up. There are a lot of unanswered questions about the HYDRA resurgence, and the ominous feeling that something big and dangerous is brewing hovers above them like a cloud. But when he glances over at Thor, who is listening to Tony intently, a warm, safe feeling sweeps over Steve. He’s pretty sure the feeling is happiness.
The kisses they’d shared that night on the roof burn in Steve’s memory for several days. They hadn’t gone any further that night- the kiss and the declaration had been more than enough and they’d eventually stepped away from each other’s warmth to return to the party. Steve had been unable to hide the smile, and though several of his teammates questioned him, he only shook his head and enjoyed the rest of the party.
Looking back, Steve wishes they’d done more than kiss. That night the city had been quiet, and their teammates otherwise occupied. Now, finding time alone was proving to be almost impossible. Steve is frustrated, and judging by the way Thor keeps smashing things with his hammer in the training room, he’s not the only one. Each time they steal some alone time, they’re usually interrupted, either by a call to arms or by another Avenger or one of Tony’s assistants inadvertently disturbing them. They’ve had some pretty close calls but and the danger of being caught is causing Steve to have an internal battle about what they should, and can, do.
Steve’s been pretty blunt about wanting to have sex with Thor. There’s no reason to wait, and he’s spent a lifetime dreaming about what it would be like to kiss and hold another man. He aches to touch Thor, and for Thor to touch him, but he can’t help the thrill of fear that runs through him whenever someone radios them or knocks on the door. For Thor, it seems to add to the moment, the frantic need to touch each other before they’re found out. But for Steve it kills his mood and the moment.
The other problem is that, really, Steve isn’t entirely sure of the mechanics of it all. He’s not a virgin- Peggy had taken care of that- and he knows the best ways to touch himself to bring release. But that doesn’t mean he knows how to handle things with Thor. He isn’t even entirely sure if there’s any...special items they’ll need, and in a quiet moment he asks Thor. Thor appears to be equally confused and when they’re called away, the question remains unanswered.
Thor solves this problem by asking the others over breakfast. Despite the vastness of the Tower, something often draws all of the Avengers to Tony's large kitchen. It has become a routine- Tony making omelettes, Clint and Bruce arguing over the coffee maker, Thor being puzzled by the endless supply of children’s cereal Tony always has in the cupboards, while Natasha drinks smoothies and Steve reads the morning paper as he eats his oatmeal. It’s the closest to normalcy that any of them will likely experience, and Steve likes it.
Or he likes it until Thor, pouring himself a bowl full of Lucky Charms, says, "I require your advice. What paraphernalia do humans require to enjoy sexual relations with one another?"
Everyone goes very quiet and freezes in what they're doing, except for Steve, who chokes on his orange juice.
No one says a word for a long moment, until the refrigerator begins to beep angrily at being left open. Natasha emerges from it, clutching a banana and some yoghurt, and kicks it shut. Clint sniggers a little and she gives him a Look.
"Explain 'paraphernalia', big guy," Tony says. "Because if you want me to build you some weird, kinky robot sex toy, it will probably end badly and get stuck somewhere and then Pepper will have to call in a discrete doctor again. Not that that's happened before, of course." The smell of burning fills the air and Tony swears and turns back to his now blackened omelette.
"Don't look at me," Clint says, pointing at Bruce. "He's the doctor around here."
Thor gives Bruce an expectant look.
Bruce sighs. "I'm really not that kind of doctor...I'm not qualified to give advice on this and even if I was..."
Natasha drops her food down onto the table and slides into a seat, giving the others a withering stare. "Alright- here's what you need to know," she says, matter of fact. "First things first, you want some sort of protection. Like condoms."
“Super protection,” Clint pipes up. “Just in case your Asgardian sperm blast their way through regular latex.”
Natasha rolls her eyes. "I'd suggest getting some out of Clint's bathroom cabinet, since all they’re ever going to do is gather dust, but they'll probably be way too small."
Tony snorts as he flips his omelette onto a plate and takes a seat, shovelling in a bite despite the charring. He nudges against Steve as he sits down, and then laughs at how uncomfortable Steve looks.
“I think you’re embarrassing our innocent Captain with his old-fashioned sensibilities,” Tony teases. “No talk of sex at the breakfast table, right?”
Natasha ignores him. “You also want to make sure that the...” she pauses, eyes flitting around the room. She glances at Steve, who quickly looks away, knowing that his cheeks are crimson with embarrassment. "That the person you're going to be...doing this with is comfortable. So you're going to need some lube."
Thor nods, looking serious. “Anything else?”
“Don’t try to run before you can walk,” Natasha says with a wink, then dunks her banana in her yoghurt and takes a big bite.
No one dares laugh, even though Steve knows it’s probably killing Tony to hold his snickering inside. Steve himself is too busy trying to hide his flaming red cheeks behind his newspaper.
“I can’t believe you did that!” Steve says later that evening, when they’re alone in his room. The Tower is as deserted as it ever is- Tony’s at some sort of fundraising function, Natasha and Clint are on some super secret spy mission, and Bruce has been locked away in his lab for most of the day. There are plenty of other people around, of course- the Tower is never completely deserted- but none who are likely to disturb them for at least an hour.
Thor shrugs, like it’s no big deal, and a wave of annoyance runs through Steve.
“What if they’d asked who you were going to use this stuff with?” Steve asks. “What if they guessed it was me? They can’t find out about...this,” he adds, waving his hand between them.
Thor, who has been lying on the bed, watching Steve pace the room, gets to his feet.
“I am sorry,” he says. “I believed it to be the simplest route to solving our dilemma. I did not mean to embarrass you.”
“You didn’t,” Steve says, although it’s a lie. He reaches down and picks up one of the foil packages and stares at it. “I just...I’m scared, alright? I don’t know how they’d react, and that scares me.”
Thor crowds close to Steve, pushing him until his back hits the wall. “I have no desire to make you uncomfortable,” he says, pressing a chaste kiss to Steve’s lips.
When Steve opens his mouth to protest the lack of a decent kiss, Thor drops easily down to his knees and begins to undo Steve’s pants.
“I do not need for the others to know or accept us,” Thor says. “You, in this moment, are enough to fill my needs. I will be mindful in future to prevent them from discovering our relationship.”
Steve nods absently, appreciating Thor’s declaration, but finding himself much more interested in how Thor’s hands are pushing his pants down, freeing his cock.
Thor’s touch, when it comes, is surprisingly gentle. His huge hands slide around Steve’s cock easily and he leans forward to press a kiss against the bared skin of Steve’s stomach.
“I do not wish to start something I cannot finish,” Thor says, gripping Steve’s cock tighter and looking up at him. “But I would pleasure you, if you will allow me?”
Steve can’t speak past the lump in his throat, so he nods, watching in anticipation as Thor leans in to lick a long wet stripe along the underside of Steve’s now-hard cock. He repeats the action, and Steve groans. Thor’s mouth is hot against his tender skin, and he buries his hands in Thor’s hair, wrapping the locks between his fingers, as Thor sucks the head of Steve’s cock between his lips.
This is a first for Steve, and it’s an experience that he doesn’t have the words to describe. The all encompassing warmth and wetness of Thor’s mouth feels both wonderful and safe, while the light pressure of Thor’s fingers as they slide up the slickened length of him pull something deep inside him. There’s a tension building in his groin, a feeling Steve knows well, and he’s determined to savour it for as long as he’s able.
Pleasure washes over Steve. Between how amazing it feels, and how amazing Thor looks with Steve’s cock sliding in and out of his mouth, Steve knows that despite his best efforts, he won’t be able to last long. Thor’s free hand, pressing against his stomach and pinning him to the wall, is the only thing stopping his legs from turning to jelly and sliding down to the ground.
Steve’s so caught up in the moment that it takes him a moment to realise that someone’s speaking to him, over the communication system in the room.
“Steve?” It’s Bruce’s voice, and Steve bites his lip from swearing in frustration. “Are you busy?”
Steve’s fingers tighten in Thor’s hair, trying to stop his head from bobbing up and down on Steve’s cock. When Thor stills, Steve swallows hard, then tries to reply.
“Uh, a little,” he says.
Thor chuckles, and it sends a reverberation along Steve’s cock and straight up his spine.
“Sorry,” Bruce says. “Do you think you could stop by the lab later? I’ve been working on some of the tech we retrieved, and I want to see if you recognise any of the components.”
An exquisite sensation prickles across Steve’s skin as Thor increases the suction on Steve’s cock. Steve had screwed his eyes closed, trying to focus on not moaning out loud while Bruce could hear, but he opens them and gazes down. Thor’s cheeks are hollowed, and the corners of his lips are slightly upturned. At least one of them is amused, Steve thinks.
“Sure,” Steve chokes out.
“Are you okay?” Bruce sounds concerned, and Steve has to bite his bottom lip to keep from making noise as Thor’s tongue swirls and flicks across his skin. It feels so good, and being unable to vocalise that is agonising. A small groan escapes Steve’s mouth and he releases his grip on Thor’s hair to clamp his hand over his mouth.
“Steve?” Bruce says, sounding more urgent. “Everything alright?”
“Yes!” Steve forces out. “Yes. I’m fine. I’ll see you later.”
“Come as soon as you can,” Bruce says. Steve stretches out as far as he can and hits the control panel on the wall, cutting off the call.
“It’s not funny!” he exclaims, glaring down at Thor, who has pulled Steve’s cock from his mouth so he can laugh loudly. “That was agony.”
“I am sorry,” Thor says somberly. “Allow me to make it up to you.”
He takes Steve once more into his mouth. Thor’s fingers grip even tighter around Steve’s cock, , snaking their way up to meet his’s lips as he takes Steve in deeper.
The tension continues to build inside Steve, as if a string between himself and Thor is being wound tighter and tighter. Then Thor’s tongue slides flat along the underside of Steve’s cock, and everything goes taut, holds for a heartbeat, and then snaps. With it, a wave of pleasure hits Steve, throbbing through his body. Spent, he pulls Thor to his feet and kisses him long and hard, tasting himself on Thor’s tongue.
When they part, Thor smiles.
“You should go to Bruce’s lab,” he says.
“I should stay here and return the favour,” Steve says, shaking his head.
Thor chuckles. “Another time,” he says. “This has satiated me for now. We must find a way to be alone and uninterrupted. My desire to lie with you overwhelms all other thoughts.”
Steve is pleased, but isn’t sure how that can be possible. “As long as we are here in the Tower, we’ll never be truly alone.”
“An inevitable truth,” Thor agrees, looking thoughtful. He urges Steve to find Bruce, and reluctantly, Steve straightens his clothing and leaves.
The next day Steve finds out that Thor has a plan for them to escape the city for a few days.
“I have made arrangements for us to be alone and undisturbed,” Thor announces. “It is what is called a ‘romantic getaway’. I saw it advertised during one of my shows.”
Steve can’t keep the scepticism off his face. “Sounds...interesting.”
Thor’s hands rest lightly on Steve’s shoulders, then slide down to rest on his waist. “Trust me,” he says. “I desire nothing more than a moment alone with you, to enjoy each other’s company uninterrupted.”
“And to have sex,” Steve adds, and Thor smirks.
“That too,” he says. “I believe you will enjoy yourself.” He has a wicked look in his eyes that makes Steve shiver.
“What will we tell the others?” Steve asks, and Thor smiles.
“I desire to visit my friend, Dr Selvig,” Thor announces at the next team debrief. “It has been many moons since I saw him last. Our latest battles have been small ones, and I shall be gone only a few days.”
“And I’ll be driving him,” Steve adds. “If Tony will lend us a car.”
“Can’t Thor drive himself?” Tony asks. “Actually, scratch that. I’m not sure I’m ready to inflict Thor’s driving on the unsuspecting public.”
“Hey,” Clint says. “Why do you need to drive anyway? Can’t you just fl- Ow!” He reaches down, rubbing at his shin. “Who kicked me?”
Natasha smiles sweetly at Thor and Steve. “Have a wonderful time,” she says. “I’m sure we can hold down the fort.”
~~~
“I can’t believe how easy that was,” Steve says as they drive out of the city an afternoon later that week. He can’t hide the relief in his voice, or the fact that he’d been expecting more questions from their teammates.
Thor busies himself with the stereo, flicking from station to station as they head north. As they speed along, Steve lets himself imagine that they aren’t Captain America and Thor Odinson, that they aren’t a once skinny kid turned super soldier and an Asgardian god. Instead they are just two ordinary guys, leading ordinary lives, taking a road trip together.
They stop halfway for food, and when they return to the car Thor is holding a giant cup of soda that looks oversized even in his huge hands. He looks pleased with himself.
“We do not have such marvellous things on Asgard,” he explains gleefully, slurping his soda through the straw. Steve watches him for a few moments, an overwhelming feeling of happiness radiating through him. He can’t remember ever feeling this way before- this content, this sense of belonging to something or someone. It’s a novel experience so he takes a moment to savour it before turning the ignition and starting off again.
They meander on the journey, taking their time, as if there is no hurry, but Steve is sure that Thor feels the same excitement and urgency that he does. Soon they will be alone, completely undisturbed and they’ll be able to do the things Steve has been dreaming of doing with Thor for far too long.
Dusk is starting to fall as Steve brings the car to a stop. He stares at the building in front of them, and then back to the map.
“Are we in the right place?” he asks, a strange, nervous feeling beginning to settle over him, pushing away the excited anticipation he’d been feeling for most of the day.
Thor, who appears to have been dozing for the last hour of the trip lifts his head sleepily. He stares at the sprawling manor house with well manicured lawns and points to a sign.
“Bed and Breakfast,” Thor reads and grins. “It is more pleasant than I had expected!”
He opens the car door and jumps out, leaving Steve staring in confusion at the sign.
When Thor had suggested going away, somewhere they could be alone, Steve had pictured a remote cabin, far away from any living soul, where there was no chance of people recognising them. Here he could already see people- a couple walking through the front garden hand in hand, another pair sitting on a love seat on the veranda.
Thor leans in through Steve’s open window. “Do you not like it?” he asks, his joyful expression starting to slide off his face.
Steve hates the disappointment that’s replacing Thor’s earlier happiness. “No,” he says, swallowing his protests. “It’s not that. I was just surprised.”
Thor opens his door, and Steve feels self-conscious as he steps out. Someone is bound to recognise one or both of them and there are still enough questions about them in the media that it won’t take long for people to start gossiping about how Captain America and Thor were seen canoodling at a romantic getaway spot. But Steve can tell this means something to Thor, so he pushes down his worries even further.
Still, he can’t help but turn around, snag a baseball cap from the backseat and jam it firmly on his head. Not that it’s much of a disguise when he’s walking alongside a 6-foot-tall Asgardian who insists on carrying both of their bags.
As they step into the lobby, Steve tenses as the receptionist looks up from the computer and greets them. Thor strides forwards to announce their booking in a voice just a bit too loud for Steve’s liking. He busies himself with looking around- the floral wallpaper and velvet curtains feel a bit oppressive, but he can tell it’s supposed to feel light and romantic.
As he turns his attention back to Thor and the receptionist, he realises Thor is being addressed as ‘Mr Smith’, and he starts to relax. At least using false names will make them harder to trace, should anyone suspect they’re there.
As if sensing his worry, the receptionist turns to him. “I can assure you, we understand the importance of discretion. We have a number of celebrities who visit frequently, and we ensure nothing disturbs their privacy.”
Steve nods curtly, but secretly he’s relieved. He’s always been good at adapting to new situations, to being out of his comfort zone, and by the time they reach their room, he’s feeling relaxed again. Maybe no one will ever even know they were here, and he and Thor will finally, finally, get to be alone.
Unlocking the door, they step inside. The room is a grand one, with a large bed as the centrepiece. It isn’t what Steve had hoped for when Thor had suggested going away somewhere, but now that he’s here, he can already picture pushing Thor down onto the bed.
His smile fades as he sees Thor’s expression. There’s disappointment there, and Steve watches as Thor walks over to the bed and picks up one of the rose petals that’s strewn across the sheets.
“You don’t like it?” Steve asks, and Thor continues to look around the room.
“On Asgard, I would have take you to a chamber and lain with you on rich furs before a fire,” Thor says, displeasure obvious in his tone.
“It doesn’t matter where we are,” Steve says. “We’re here. Together. Alone. No one is going to walk in or radio us. It’s just you and me.”
Thor’s disappointment slowly fades and he looks at Steve with heat in his eyes. “That is true,” he says. “I have waited too long for this moment.”
He steps close to Steve, sliding an arm around Steve’s waist to draw him in. “We have many hours before the dawn,” he says, “but I would lie with you now, if you will have me.”
Steve responds with a kiss, long and slow and heated. All of the frustration he’d felt over the past weeks, desperately trying to find time alone together, all of the pent up lust, is bubbling up from inside him.
He tugs at Thor’s shirt and Thor takes the hint. He removes his clothing, keeping eye contact with Steve as he does so. Each piece of clothing that leaves Thor’s body reveals more and more smooth skin, until all of the clothing lies on the floor.
Naked, Thor is glorious. As he stands before Steve, the muted lighting of the room casting shadows, he looks like a statue of a god, rather than the living, breathing flesh and blood god he is. Steve’s breath catches in his throat.
“You’re beautiful,” he says, then blushes when Thor laughs.
“No more than you,” Thor says, reaching for the hem of Steve’s shirt. He lifts it in one easy motion, up over Steve’s head and drops it to the floor. His hand runs gently across Steve’s chest.
“I wish I had known you, before you became Captain America,” Thor muses and Steve turns his head away.
“You wouldn’t have been impressed,” he says. He’s not ashamed of the body he’d had for so much of his life, but he’s also smart enough to know that most people would find his current physique more attractive. He’d seen it in the eyes of the girls who had smiled at him as Captain America, but ignored him before. It was something he had loved about Peggy, that when she looked at him the belief in her eyes had not changed after the serum.
Thor chuckles and tips Steve’s face back so their eyes meet. “I do not love you for your body,” he says, “but for what is in here.” His hand slides across to rest over Steve’s heart, which is beating so loudly in Steve’s chest he’s afraid Thor will hear it.
Steve doesn’t know what to say, so instead he leans in and kisses Thor. It’s soft and tender at first, but Thor’s lips part, demanding more. Steve buries one hand in Thor’s hair as their tongues slide together, his other hand resting on the bare skin at the small of Thor’s back. Their bodies are pressed together and he can feel Thor’s cock hard and ready against his thigh. His own cock twitches in response and Thor must feel it, as he smiles against Steve’s lips.
“Let us remove the rest of your clothing and retire to the bed,” Thor says, breaking the kiss, his hands hooking into Steve’s waistband. He eases the fabric down, until they drop to the floor on their own, and Steve steps out of his pants, kicking it aside. He had expected to feel self conscious, even though Thor had already seen him naked, in part, several times already. Instead, he feels at ease, even as Thor steps back to take a better look.
Thor’s look is appreciative as his eyes rove over Steve’s body. “I could spend an eternity simply gazing upon you, and even longer exploring every inch of your body,” Thor says. “But I confess that I do not think I can wait that long for our bodies to be joined.”
Steve laughs and walks forward, nudging Thor towards the bed.
“That’s okay by me,” he says. His voice is steady, not betraying his nerves that suddenly flare within him. He glances at Thor’s cock, which is much more well-endowed than he’d expected, and can’t help but swallow hard at the thought of having it inside him. He wants it, God does he want it, but he can’t silence his momentary doubts.
Thor appears to be oblivious to Steve’s hesitance, and is retrieving the prophylactics that had caused Steve such embarrassment.
“On Asgard, we would use luxuriously scented oils in preparation,” Thor explains. “I was unable to obtain anything suitable, so I followed the advice of our teammate.” He holds up a bottle of what Natasha had called lube.
“Would you help, or do you prefer that I prepare myself?” Thor continues and Steve stares at him.
“You mean, uh, that you want me to...” he trails off, not knowing how to explain his worries.
Thor looks at Steve in surprise. “I know you have not lain with a man before.”
Steve nods his head and waits, and Thor reaches out to trace his fingers along Steve’s jaw.
“It is a pleasure beyond words, to feel your lover move inside you,” he explains, “but it is not always enjoyable from the first. I had hoped that our first coupling would be only pleasure and no pain.”
He settles himself on the bed, propped up against the pillows. Steve is lost for words as he watches Thor squeeze some of the lubricant onto his fingers and then reach down between his legs. Torn between watching Thor’s hand as he works to open himself up and watching Thor’s face, Steve finally settles on watching the way Thor’s eyelids slide shut as his fingers slip inside. There’s a lack of control in his expression, something Steve has not associated with Thor in the time he’s known him. Everything Thor does has always appeared very deliberate to him, even when driven more by emotion than reason. So to see Thor spread wantonly on the bed, an expression of bliss on his face, stills the butterflies in Steve’s stomach and replaces them with the low burn of arousal.
“You are welcome to join me, if you desire,” Thor says, pointedly looking at Steve’s cock. Steve doesn’t need to be asked twice and slides up beside Thor, grasping the foil package that Thor hands to him. He opens it and starts to roll the prophylactic on, hands shaking. Steve can feel his heart thumping in his chest, the anticipation causing adrenalin to shoot through his veins. He’s no longer nervous, just anxious to move closer to Thor as soon as possible.
Thor’s hand, still slick from the lubricant, wraps around Steve’s to help him, before nudging Steve closer. Steve holds back, still trying to take in as much of Thor with his eyes that he can. He leans in to kiss Thor, then moves his lips down Thor’s neck and lower. He presses kisses to Thor’s chest and fans his fingers across the skin. He can feel the hard steel of muscle beneath the surface which tenses as Thor laughs. Steve’s finger catches against a nipple and Thor sucks in a breath.
Steve can feel that Thor is hard- the head of Thor’s cock drags against Steve’s chest as he continues to run his mouth over Thor’s chest. Thor tastes of something sharp and electric, like the first rain after a storm. He knows he could do this for hours, exploring every inch of Thor’s skin.
But Thor makes an impatient noise and hauls Steve up so they’re eye to eye.
“Do not tease me,” Thor commands, grasping at Steve’s upper arms.
Steve nods and uses his knee to push apart Thor’s thighs. He settles himself between them, grasps his cock and lines it up with Thor’s entrance.
Steve meets Thor’s eyes as he presses forward, feeling his cock slide inside Thor. It feels incredibly warm and tight and Thor moans. Steve pauses, worried he’s hurting Thor, but Thor’s fingers grip even tighter on Steve’s biceps.
“Do not stop there,” Thor commands, voice sounding ragged and breathless.
Urged on, Steve thrusts forwards until he is buried inside Thor. The sensation of it is almost overwhelming, and he feels torn as two warring decisions battle in his mind. He wants to move, to pull back and thrust back in, and yet at the same time he is reluctant to leave it. It feels right, to be there inside Thor, like puzzle pieces fitting together.
The almost primal urge to move takes over, just as Thor lets out something almost like a roar.
“Do not stop!” he says again, voice urgent.
Steve draws back, watching the expression of bliss on Thor’s face from the motion, and then thrusts forward again. He uses more strength than he means to, thrusting hard enough to shake Thor’s body.
“Harder,” Thor demands through gritted teeth, and Steve complies, moving until a rhythm builds between them. With each thrust forward, Thor presses back towards him, causing their flesh to meet with a sharpness that borders on the edge of pain. Still, Steve can’t stop now, and judging by Thor’s moans and cries which mingle with his own, he has no reason to stop.
Thor’s cock continues to drag over Steve’s stomach, and with each thrust he feels the slick trail it leaves behind on his skin. Steve’s fingers grip Thor’s hip hard enough that he expects there will be some bruises in the morning he will need to kiss. The pleasure is exquisite, a blindingly white hot delight that surrounds Steve completely. He loses all sense of the world around them- there is only Thor and himself, there is only now.
He feels Thor’s body stiffen, back arching, and looks down to see Thor’s hot come striped across his chest. Thor’s hand leaves Steve’s arm and cups the side of his face, directing him in for a kiss. Thor’s smile is lazy, as if he’s half-asleep, but he kisses Steve passionately, his teeth grazing Steve’s bottom lip.
It tips Steve over the precipice, sensation burning through him so suddenly that for a moment his thoughts white out. There is just the sweet sensation, and Thor’s hand on his face. And then he opens his eyes, panting from the exertion.
“Was it worth the wait?” Thor says, after a few moments, when Steve rolls to the side and they lie together, sweat and come cooling on their naked skin.
Steve thinks about how long he’s waited for this moment- with Thor, and before then, as a young man, wondering if he would ever be brave enough to find a man to take as his lover and experience such a thing.
Steve smiles. “Definitely worth the wait,” he says.
~~~
Steve wakes to a loud banging on the door to their room. Thor is already rolling out of the bed, looking annoyed at the interruption. He’s in the process of opening the door when Steve realises that he’s lying naked and exposed on the bed. Steve drags the covers over himself as Thor, still naked and apparently unashamed, opens the door a crack.
An urgent voice is speaking, too quietly for Steve to hear so he grabs his pants and pulls them on before hurrying over to the door.
“What’s going on?” he asks, recognising the receptionist they’d met the day before.
“I was saying that I’m sorry to wake you so early,” she says, “but it’s all over the news- there’s some sort of attack in New York at the, uh...old Stark Tower.” Her voice dips to a whisper.
“Thank you,” Steve says, and Thor shuts the door as Steve goes for the communicator in his bag. Sure enough, the emergency alarm has been activated, muffled from being surrounded by his clothing.
He activates it immediately. When Tony answers, Steve can tell he’s in his suit, in the middle of a battle.
“Nice to hear from you,” Tony says sarcastically. “We’ve had a few guests drop in. Don’t suppose you could stop by?”
Steve calculates how long it would take them to drive back to New York, but even at top speed he knows they’d be too late to be much help. He glances over at Thor.
“We’ll be there in a few minutes,” Steve says and ends the call.
“You’re going to have to fly us both there,” he says to Thor, starting to put on his uniform. “Now I know why you made me bring this.”
“This wasn’t what I had in mind,” Thor says, with a wink. “But we must leave at once.”
He reaches into his bag and pulls out Mjolnir. “Come,” he says, and strides from the room, still completely naked.
Steve hurries after him, pulling on his cowl, hooking his shield onto his back.
Luckily very few people are around at so early an hour to see Thor striding from the building and out into the garden. Steve watches as he raises Mjolnir high. Overhead thunder booms and lightning strikes through the sky. A whirlwind forms around Thor, almost hiding him from view, but Steve can see flashes of silver moulding themselves to Thor’s body.
He’s seen it before, of course. It isn’t often that they’re called into battle already fully armed. But today, as Steve watches the armour form around Thor’s body- the body he’d caressed and explored the previous night- it looks miraculous to him.
When the dust and the wind dies down, Thor turns and offers a hand to Steve. Steve steps up close beside him, and feels Thor’s arm wrap tightly around his waist. Steve holds on as Thor raises Mjolnir high and swings it round, lifting them up into the sky.
Steve will never admit it, but he’s very careful not to look down. They travel towards New York quickly, landing on the top of the Tower within a few minutes. Immediately Steve assesses the situation- HYDRA forces have breached the Tower and there are battles raging on several levels. Somewhere below them they can hear the Hulk roar in anger.
“Go,” Steve orders. “Find Hulk and help him. I’ll find Natasha and Clint.”
Thor runs off, and immediately Steve wishes he’d stopped him, had grasped his arm or kissed him. He wishes he’d told Thor he loved him. Each time they go into battle there’s a risk that one or more of the Avengers won’t return, and the thought of losing Thor- or any of his teammates- breaks Steve’s heart.
But he pushes those thoughts down like a good soldier, and charges into the fray.
It doesn’t take long to find the first of his teammates. Natasha, guns drawn, crouches behind a overturned table, returning fire to several HYDRA operatives. Steve sneaks in behind two, dispatching them quickly, and makes his way towards her.
As Steve nears, he sees a HYDRA operative aim a weapon at Natasha. He has a clear shot, and Natasha’s attention is on another foe.
Steve dives forward, raising his shield. in time to deflect the blast directly back, knocking the operative to the floor. Natasha fires into the other’s chest until he crumples to the ground, then turns.
“Good timing,” she says.
“I aim to please,” Steve replies, getting to his feet. “How many are there?”
“At least thirty,” she says. “I’ve taken down five, and judging by the screams, Hulk has dealt with a few more.”
Steve’s about to issue an order to sweep the level and then move down, when the operative Natasha had shot lifts his arm, pointing a weapon Steve’s never seen before in his direction.
Before Steve can react, an arrow whizzes past his head, knocking the weapon from the operative’s hand and embedding in his arm. Natasha stalks forward to ensure the guy won’t wake up again, and Steve turns to face Clint.
“You’re welcome,” Clint says with a smirk. “Tony’s throwing a few of them around downstairs. He could probably use a hand.”
Steve nods and rushes from the room. Natasha catches up, holding out the strange weapon.
“You seen something like this before?” she asks, offering it to Steve.
He turns it over and shakes his head. “Nope. Maybe this is what they’ve been working on for the past few months. I wonder what it does.”
“Only one way to find out.” Natasha takes it from him and pulls the trigger. A wave of light bursts from it, shattering all of the computer equipment in the room and putting a pretty big hole in the wall.
She lowers the weapon, making an impressed noise as she examines it. “If Tony asks, that was HYDRA’s fault,” she says. “We’ve got to make sure they don’t get a chance to use these. If it does that to glass and metal, what’s it going to do to flesh and blood?”
They pick up the pace, and join Tony, who is surrounded by a pile of bodies. His armour is looking battered, and his helmet is off.
“Took you long enough!” he says when he sees Steve. Before he can say anything else, another wave of HYDRA operatives burst in, all holding the weapon they’d found on the guy upstairs.
They fight until the surviving HYDRA operatives retreat, with Tony in his Iron Man suit following the shuttle they escape in as long as he can. As the dust settles, Steve can hear Tony via radio, reporting that he’d lost them, and issuing orders for someone to check the Tower, to make sure nothing of use has been taken, and HYDRA haven’t left anything behind. It’s something Steve should have thought of, but he’s too busy walking from level to level, counting up the bodies they’ll have to deal with and hoping to find Thor around the next corner.
They find Bruce first, returned to human form. He looks exhausted and, once he knows the coast is clear for now, hurries off as he always does after he’s turned. Steve watches him go, Natasha following behind him.
“Victorious once more,” Thor’s voice booms from behind him, and Steve turns. Thor’s hammer rests on his shoulder, and his cape is torn, but he looks otherwise whole, and Steve relaxes. There’s a pleased glint in his eyes, one that is always present over a battle with no casualties on their side. It’s something Steve can relate to, the satisfied feeling of knowing you have fought your enemy and no one has fallen.
With Clint in the room, he doesn’t know what to say, but Thor strides forwards and clasps Steve’s forearm.
“I am glad to see you unscathed,” Thor says, and Steve grins at him.
“Get a room,” Clint mutters, and Thor frowns. Steve shakes his head, not understanding.
“Is this not a room we are currently in?” Thor asks, and Clint snickers and hurries away.
Steve turns back to Thor.
“Did any of them say why they attacked?” Steve asks.
Thor shakes his head. “No, but I must admit, I did not give them the opportunity. I fear the victory was an easy one.”
“Like it was a warm up for something bigger that’s coming?” Steve asks and Thor nods in agreement.
Steve holds up the weapon. “Some of them were carrying these. They pack a punch. If HYDRA is making new technology...we almost lost the war because of it. We can’t let it happen again.”
“We must get this to the lab at once,” Thor says, starting to leave.
Steve reaches out and stops him.
They stand for a moment, silent amongst the debris of battle, as Steve struggles to find words to say how glad he is that Thor is safe.
Finally, he settles on, “I love you.”
“And I you,” Thor answers, the joy on his face clear.
Without thinking, Steve kisses him, not caring that Thor’s mouth has the coppery taste of blood. As they kiss Steve thinks about how easily the words had tripped off his tongue, how honest they’d sounded. They had been said without fear of judgement and he realises with a start that he hadn’t considered that any of the teammates could have overheard or that they could walk in.
It’s a revelation that makes Steve smile and he laughs, refusing to break the kiss.
“Have I done something to amuse you?” Thor asks, leaning away, looking almost self conscious. Steve runs his thumb along Thor’s jaw and presses his mouth quickly to Thor’s.
“No,” he says. “I’m just happy.”
Thor glances around at the strewn bodies and debris, and Steve knows that as crazy as it sounds, he understands.
He takes a deep breath. “I think we should tell the others,” he says, before he loses his nerve.
Thor stills and watches him carefully. When Steve had pictured this moment, the possibility of telling their teammates that he and Thor were lovers, it had always been an unselfish act to make Thor happy. Now, he knew that he was doing this for himself. He fought elbow to elbow with these people, shared their joys and their sorrows. They were family and for all that Steve feared the rejection, he realises that he trusts his team more than he’d realised.
From Thor’s expression, Steve can tell his announcement has come out of left field. When Thor doesn’t reply for several moments, Steve can’t help but wonder if perhaps, despite Thor’s brave words, he also fears what others might say.
“You are sure that is what you wish?” Thor asks.
“It is,” Steve says firmly. He wouldn’t blame Thor for being afraid, but Thor smiles widely at him.
“Very well,” Thor says. “When you wish, we shall share this with them.”
“I figure there’s no time like the present,” Steve says, thinking how ironic that cliché sounds to him now, and how true it really is.
They walk through the battered Tower, heading to the lab first. They find Bruce there, picking over his damaged equipment for anything salvageable.
“Can you believe this,” he says when they enter. He sounds weary as he kicks aside piles of broken glass and metal. “Almost everything is destroyed.”
“Your research?” Steve asks, knowing how much effort Bruce has been putting in to discovering a cure for himself. Steve had provided numerous blood samples over the months in the hopes they’d help shed some light on the problem.
Bruce shakes his head. “No, I keep all of that safely hidden away.” He moves to a panel on the wall, opening it to reveal a large safe. He opens it to check, revealing a stack of papers, some computing equipment and an icebox filled with samples of some kind.
“You know, I’m sure there are better things for you guys to do than help me here,” Bruce says.
“Actually, we brought you this,” Steve says, placing the weapon onto the lab bench.
“I saw them holding these,” Bruce says, immediately picking it up and turning it over. “Do you know what it does?”
Steve reaches out a hand to stop Bruce from pulling the trigger. “Yeah, you don’t want to do that in here.”
“Thanks,” Bruce says, turning his attention back to the weapon.
“There’s something else,” Steve says after a moment. He exchanges a look with Thor, who nudges him forward.
“Yes?”
“Thor and I...we’re...I mean...” Now that he was faced with it, Steve struggles to find the words to accurately describe to someone else what Thor means to him, when it’s difficult to even explain it to himself.
“Together,” Bruce finishes absently, not looking up from the weapon. “Yes, I know.”
“How could you have known?” Thor asks.
“Because I’m not blind,” Bruce says. “I appreciate you telling me though.”
There’s a lengthy silence, and Bruce finally looks up. “What?” he asks. “Were you worried what I’d say? I’m glad you have each other. I really am.”
Steve realises that he’s never asked Bruce if there’s someone out there he loves, if things had changed for him after the Other Guy came along. He knows that’s something he’ll need to remedy in the future.
“Well, thanks,” Steve says, and Thor echoes his sentiment.
“Are you going to tell the others?” Bruce asks, and when Steve nods he grins. “Good. Tell Clint he owes me twenty bucks.”
Thor is smiling as they leave the lab. “You did not anticipate this reaction,” he says.
“No,” Steve agrees. “I didn’t.” He wonders if he’s been unfair to his teammates, assuming a bad reaction from them based on no evidence. When they find Clint and Natasha, Steve is smiling.
“I come bearing a message from Bruce,” Thor says. “You now owe him ‘twenty bucks’.”
Clint frowns. “What for?”
Natasha glances from Steve to Thor and back again. She smirks. “Looks like you owe me twenty bucks too,” she says, giving Steve an approving nod.
Clint frowns for a moment longer, then his eyebrows lift in surprise. “Oh, really?”
Steve glances at Thor, who nods.
“About time!” Clint laughs. “Hey, do me a favour, don’t tell Tony yet. I don’t want to be out another twenty dollars.”
“You enjoyed your getaway then?” Natasha asks with a sly grin, and Steve shoots a look at Thor.
Thor shrugs. “I was in need of aid to use the ‘Google’ to make suitable arrangements.”
Steve sighs. “Let’s find Tony.”
Tony is pouring himself a scotch at his bar. “Did you see what those bastards did to this place?” he asks, gesturing at the mess Natasha had made earlier with the weapon.
“A sad casualty of the war,” Thor agrees.
“So, looks like we’ll be doing a rebuild,” Tony says. “Again.”
He sets down his scotch and walks over to one of the few remaining screens and brings up some blueprints.
“I’ve got a few ideas about what we can do with Steve’s floor- I’m thinking a completely interactive, adapting AI training area to really test our abilities.”
“On my floor?” Steve asks.
Tony nods. “I figure a couple of months, and you’ll be moving in with Thor, right?”
Steve stares at him. “What- why-“
“JARVIS is a gossip,” Tony says. “He told me weeks ago about you guys.”
“I have not been programmed to gossip,” JARVIS’s voice says. “You overrode my privacy protocols out of curiosity when I suggested that Captain Rogers should not be disturbed one evening, forcing me to reveal their relationship.”
Tony waves a hand. “Semantics,” he says. “Anyway, look at this-“
He pulls up a 3D model of the adaptive training area, and begins to point out its various features.
Steve glances at the date in the corner, and wonders if Thor has also noted that the plans are from the previous year, long before Steve had begun to realise his feelings, let along act on them.
As they listen to Tony talk about the improvements they can make to the Tower now, Steve thinks that life certainly isn’t perfect and this certainly isn’t where he expected to end up. There are a lot of unanswered questions about the HYDRA resurgence, and the ominous feeling that something big and dangerous is brewing hovers above them like a cloud. But when he glances over at Thor, who is listening to Tony intently, a warm, safe feeling sweeps over Steve. He’s pretty sure the feeling is happiness.