[ The tease earns Steve an eye roll, but with the smile that goes along with it it's easy to tell that it's not malicious at all. Either way, even if Steve doesn't want want to accept his gratitude, though, it's very much there, reflecting in his eyes.
At what he says, though, he can't help but scoff. ]
Oh please, that's a load of crap. The world has already lost you once, Cap. Twice, if you count what happened after the Accords. I don't think we can afford to do it again.
[ He says it as he looks at him, as if to ensure Steve can see that he's not lying. This isn't just lip service. He means what he's saying. ]
And, well...if you would have found a way to keep me here, while you weren't, I would have bitched about it until I somehow found a way to bring you back. Obviously no one wants that, so...since you are still here, you just have to make sure you stay alive. [ He gives his hand a small squeeze before he can refute that. ] It's important to me that you do.
[There are only so many ways to interpret that, and most of them don't typically involve holding someone's hand and refusing to let go. Yeah, there are other people Steve would die for, but he doesn't have that sort of physical intimacy with them. (Of course, up till today, he would have assumed the same of Tony.) Steve stares long and hard as the meaning behind Tony's words percolates through his brain like coffee in a drip filter. Truth is, he's not very good at reading emotions sometimes, especially not romantic ones - and he's almost as bad at expressing them.
So when Steve brings Tony's hand up to his lips and brushes a kiss - soft and timid - against the back of it, the question is clear in his eyes, in the way he hunches into his shoulders a little, like he's expecting rejection. His stomach lurches like he's back on the Cyclone, and he sets their joined hands back down on the bed, licking his lips.]
Lucky for you, it looks like I'm pretty hard to get rid of.
no subject
At what he says, though, he can't help but scoff. ]
Oh please, that's a load of crap. The world has already lost you once, Cap. Twice, if you count what happened after the Accords. I don't think we can afford to do it again.
[ He says it as he looks at him, as if to ensure Steve can see that he's not lying. This isn't just lip service. He means what he's saying. ]
And, well...if you would have found a way to keep me here, while you weren't, I would have bitched about it until I somehow found a way to bring you back. Obviously no one wants that, so...since you are still here, you just have to make sure you stay alive. [ He gives his hand a small squeeze before he can refute that. ] It's important to me that you do.
no subject
So when Steve brings Tony's hand up to his lips and brushes a kiss - soft and timid - against the back of it, the question is clear in his eyes, in the way he hunches into his shoulders a little, like he's expecting rejection. His stomach lurches like he's back on the Cyclone, and he sets their joined hands back down on the bed, licking his lips.]
Lucky for you, it looks like I'm pretty hard to get rid of.