Steve sits down on a weight bench and stares at the phone in his hands, a slightly bewildered look on his face. This is the sort of thing he'd expect from Tony when he's exhausted and rambling, but he knows he's reasonably well-rested. Which means, Steve realizes, perhaps a little belatedly, that he's nervous about the prospect of him coming to visit, that having Steve in his home is a vulnerability he's not quite comfortable with.
It doesn't have to be this weekend. My social calendar isn't exactly teeming with obligations.
He's just not even going to address the bulk of that, except- And please stop drinking coffee before your heart explodes.
Tony glances at the mug halfway raised to his mouth. He frowns and slowly sets it down. You don't have Natasha spying on me, do you? Is that how you'll enforce the no diddling rule? Here I thought we were using the honor system.
...do you really think it's that hard to guess how over-caffeinated you are?
But you're right, we're using the honor system. If Nat's spying on you, then that's her own business. He doubts it, though; she doesn't seem to be especially interested in Tony in that way. Although Steve suspects she's figured out where his own feelings lie, judging by a few comments she's made to him.
In an unseen act of rebellion, Tony drinks as much of the cooled coffee as his mouth can stand in one gulp. So if I told you right now that I've engaged in hand to gland combat without your seal of approval, what happens?
Theoretically, I come up with a way to punish you the next time we're together. I don't know what that is because I'm not very good at inventing creative punishments on the spot like this. Give me some time, I'll delve into the seamy side of Google again. At least he's being honest. Steve knows - barely - that orgasm denial is a Thing, but he's not sure yet how to turn it from pleasure into a punishment outside of not allowing Tony to come at all. He just has to blindly hope that, given time, he'll figure something out before Tony willfully disobeys him.
(And he knows he will, because he's Tony, and he has to test all his boundaries.)
Oh you poor soul, what hardships you face, Tony fires off and immediately regrets it, but he can't apologize, because that'd entail admitting something's wrong or that he's scared. He slouches forward and presses a fist to his mouth. Pointless to freak out about this new rule, really. He already chose yes.
Steve just writes it off as Tony being his usual sarcastic self and rolls his eyes. I just don't want to end up with a search full of chastity belts again. Those things look scary. Which is really more than he should admit about anything ever and he needs to find some way to change the topic.
Tony risks peeking at his phone when it chimes. No argument seems forthcoming. What he said, Steve thinks it's not a big deal. None of this has to be a big deal. Sometimes a new way to have kinky fun is just that, not some larger proclamation of togetherness. (But Tony wants it to be. That's what terrifies him.) He crams those neuroses into their specialized compartments. Steve is goober personified and Tony is okay. Right. So Saturday @ 1? he types. Meet at the tower, spend the afternoon out, and maybe if you're a gentleman I'll invite you back.
All of that sounds good to me, but what if I'm not a gentleman? Steve asks in what, for once, isn't the world's worst attempt at flirting. In reality, he knows they'll be in the spotlight the entire damn time, and if he tries to feel Tony up, it'll be trending on Twitter in less time than it takes a real bird to tweet. He can accept being in the public eye, but some things are just a little too personal to let everyone in on them.
Different schematics and data feeds display on the busy monitors around him (gone a little old school, didn't feel like the complete renovation for his holograms here), but Tony keeps his head ducked, his attention absorbed by their texts and the tiny phone screen. Well, in the unlikely scenario that ever happens I'll let you know. It'll be a surprise to the both of us.
Touche. I'll see you Saturday, then? As much as he wants to keep talking to Tony, Sam and Rhodey are going to be here soon, and Steve doesn't want to have to explain anything at all to them. Besides, Tony probably has his own work to do.
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It doesn't have to be this weekend. My social calendar isn't exactly teeming with obligations.
He's just not even going to address the bulk of that, except- And please stop drinking coffee before your heart explodes.
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But you're right, we're using the honor system. If Nat's spying on you, then that's her own business. He doubts it, though; she doesn't seem to be especially interested in Tony in that way. Although Steve suspects she's figured out where his own feelings lie, judging by a few comments she's made to him.
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(And he knows he will, because he's Tony, and he has to test all his boundaries.)
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