Prompt Fill: Blame the Golden Vapor (5/6)

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Originally posted by darklumiat Prompt Fill: Blame the Golden Vapor (5/6)

Title: Blame the Golden Vapor
Author: darklumi
Characters/Pairings: Steve/Tony, Coulson/Clint, Natasha/Pepper, hints of Thor/Jane
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: All Marvels
Warnings: Alternate 616 universe with movie bits, Tony's trust/dad issues, hurt/comfort, and all around insanity of Avengers on a truth serum. 
Author's notes: i gots no beta! lol comments are love!!!!!! :D also sorry for the sporadic updates of this fic!!!!!!! dont be afraid to point out nasty typos if you find any :)


Summary: The Avengers get doused with a golden vapor that makes them tell the truth. cue angst, humor, and some love people!

Five thirty was rolling around, the usual time the Avengers had dinner, when they weren't busy saving the world or attending rallies and charity events. They would file in and sit themselves in their spots around the table and whoever was the assigned cook of the evening, this time was Natasha, would either bring in a meal to feed an army or an outrageous amount of take out. It was the way it had to be done when you had to feed a god, a super soldier with a fast metabolism, one who hardly ate and survived on coffee alone, a man who had the appetite of two and another who just plain ate like a pig. Tonight was different though, instead of gathering for dinner they had all assembled in the living room, waiting with bated breath for Clint to exit his room and show off what he was wearing for his 'date.' Natasha and Pepper had claimed the love couch, a spot usually Steve and Tony perferred to be but it had been sadly left vacant, as Steve was propped up against the window pane and Tony had yet to make his appearance. The girls were chating quietly amongst themselves, sometimes sneaking tiny intimate touches of fingers to visible skin. Thor had established his seat was the recliner, a seat, he claimed, was fit for a king, while Bruce, who was sporting green hair, was laid out on the floor his eyes zoned in on the TV playing the recent episode of Dora the Explorer.

"So, Clint still hasn't come out yet?" Tony entered the room, nursing yet another cup of coffee, sipping the hot beverage, he moaned with delight with the warm goodness hit his empty stomach. Tony's gaze fluttered up and from across the room, Steve's and Tony's eyes locked, he felt his body heat up and he doubted it was from the hot drink in his hand. Steve had a very intense stare, maybe it was the brightness of color, a rare blue tint that could hardly be found in nature, or maybe it was the strength and love that Tony could see peaking around the corners of his irises, either way Tony felt his heart pinch with longing.  

"Nope." Pepper chirped, her eyes flicked from Steve to Tony, sensing the tension rising from the two men. "You made it just in time."

Shaking his head, Tony smirked at his assistant. "Oh goodie." He looked around the room for a place to sit, he frowned when the only available spot was the long couch, a seat full of emptiness and was wistfully still within Steve's reach. Instead of plopping down on the black leather, he leaned against the back of the couch Natasha and Pepper were situated. "So how long are we going to give him before we drag him out of the room?"

"I'm giving him ten more minutes." There was a flash of teeth and the slide of red lips as Natasha smirked up at Tony, who silently thanked the gods he wasn't on the spot like Clint, Natasha was a scary woman indeed.

"Nice to see you talking again Natty." Tony grinned, slurping his coffee.

"Yeah well, I thought it was about time to be the voice of reason once again." Natasha spoke quietly. "You boys were like chickens running around with your heads cut off. It was getting pretty ridiculous." 

"'Tasha be nice." Pepper smiled, she fondly smacked her lover's arm.

"I knew you loved us." Tony grinned cheekily.

"Of course I do. You're my boys." Natasha's eyes widened for a moment, before her face rearranged back into it's usual blank expression. "You didn't hear that."

"I'm afraid we did!" Thor's voice boomed, happiness dripping from every word. His blue eyes sparkled with mirth and even his golden beard couldn't hide his enormously infectious dimples, several of the people in the room couldn't help my smile as well. "Love is the air! Though I wish my lovely Jane was here by my side."

Tony gazed into the dark liquid, swirling at the bottom of his glass. "Don't worry buddy. There is only a few more days left of being quarantined and then you can go see your bonnie lass."

"That's what I keep reminding myself." Thor's smile drooped a bit.

"Ok I gotta ask, why the hell is Bruce's hair green?" Tony questioned, motioning to the silent man with his coffee cup.

Thor perked up once again. "Bruce and the mighty Hulk have come to a compromise! It was all a misuderstanding between them but they have cleared the air so to speak. They have become good friends!"

"I wouldn't say good friends," Bruce mumbled, "just a compromise." He turned around and gazed at Tony. "I'm sorry for my behavior from eariler. I really didn't mean it."

"It's ok, no hard feelings." Tony said quietly. It was odd to hear someone apologize to him, usually he was the one to crawl on his knees, asking for forgiveness, because he was the one who always messed things up. A small smile spread across the Bruce's face before he turned back to his show.

A moment of silence had passed among the group, content to simply sit in each other's company. A moment that was sadly interrupted by an unexpected, "Hey!" Pepper squeaked, Bruce jumped, and Thor's head whipped around. It seemed Natasha and Steve were the only ones unaffected as Tony had split the last of his scorching coffee down the front of his shirt. The man couldn't help my swear, "Dammit Clint," and scrabbled to yank the t-shirt away from his skin.

"I think I'm ready." The archer's voice mumbled from the darkness of the hallway.

"Well what are you waiting for? Get your ass out here." Tony set down the cup, swipping a towel from the counter, dabbing his shirt before he turned back to the archer who was standing in the middle of the room. Bruce had shut off the TV and everyone's attention was focused on the blonde's wardrobe.

"Soooo what do you think?" Clint stood, nervously fiddling with the hem of his disastrously patterned sweater. The act of anxiousness was unusual from the normally sarcastic and confident man, but right now he seemed completely out of his element and utterely uncomfortable in his ill fitted slacks that were sadly too short for his lanky frame. The pants were a deep maroon which clashed unpleasantly with his patterned of mustard yellow, plum purple, and putrid green checkers spread across the middle of his torso. To finish off the the ill fated outfit he had a pair of ratty old sneakers on his feet and his hair was in a worse disray than normal.

"This is why I like women. They are not emotionally retarded." Natasha said, straightfaced. "Or fashionably inept."

Tony had momentarily forgot to clean the spill on his shirt as he stared at the blob of colours infront of him. His eyes were starting to hurt. "Let's us all be grateful Jan isn't here to see this monstrosity. I'm pretty sure she would skin you alive Clint."

"This is the best I have!" Clint said, his shoulders slouching, defeated.

"How is it you are paid handsomely by SHIELD and live with one of the richest people on earth, i.e. me, and this is the best you have?" Tony asked.

"Well most of my money goes to a donation towards the orphanage I grew up in." Clint said. "I knew this was a bad idea. Maybe I should call Coulson and tell him I can't meet up tonight?"

"That's out of the question." Steve said.

 "Cap's right," Tony started, "that is not going to happen. Follow me, birdbrain, I'm sure we can find something in my closet that will fit. However, you are substanuously taller than me." He grumbled quietly, straightening before he crossed over to the other side of the room, he threw his arm around Clint's shoulders, and led the way down the hall.

"I got some pants that I think will fit better." Bruce raised his hand before standing and following.

"I have do something about that hair before you leave." Natasha mumbled.

"Yes! A quest of beauty." Thor bounced up. "Clint, we shall make Son of Coul dazzle at your handsomness!"

"Well Miss Potts, shall we makes sure they don't make too much of a mess?" Steve stood, offering his arm to the redhead.

Pepper smiled. "I thought you would never ask." She laughed, linking arms before the two trailed after the motley crew of misfits.

 <><><><><>

After a successfully making Clint beautiful, the Avengers had pushed the archer from the building, with a slap on the back and plenty of 'good lucks.' The man, now dressed in a casual but relax outfit looked far better than his getup from earlier, his hair had been tamed to a simple sideswept style, that allowed his eyes to glow with a unrestrained happiness. The rest of his outfit was a simple white button down, sleeves rolled up to reveal his powerful forearms, slimming jet black slacks, and a pair of nice dress shoes. All in all Clint cleaned up good.

"Bring her back in one piece." Tony had said before he tossed Clint the keys to his 'Stark 4' Audi R8 before he shoved the man out and slammed the door. "Phew, well that was my good deed of the day. What's for dinner?"

"What about pizza?" Bruce had offered. "I don't think I can wait much longer for food." He added when his stomach rumbled with hunger, placing a hand on his belly as if to comfort the starving organ.

"Pizza it is then." Tony pushed off the front door, lazily making his way out of the foyer and towards the kitchen. "Jarvis, call up Antone's Pizzeria and order the usual."

"Of course, sir."

Once entering the kitchen, Tony disposed of his coffee mug in the sink, before opening the fridge and grabbing a water. He kicked the door shut before heading back to the living room. He found it odd, as he got closer, that there was hardly any noise coming from the room. Usually the Avengers were a roudy group of individuals, except for Natasha, who's glares spoke for themselves, and Bruce when he wasn't hulking out. Tony guessed that was going to be changing now that Bruce and the Hulk had come to some sort of agreement but he didn't know what that entailed exactly since he was too busy moping the lab eariler.

Tony couldn't help but think of the conversation he had had with his assistant, when she had sat him down and spoke to him, then, before she had left she had smiled at him and petted his hair before leaving him alone with his thoughts. Pepper was an amazing woman, she always made things better, more clearer, always cleaning up his messes. Tony didn't know how she, Rhodey, or Steve, put up with him for that matter. He guessed it was one of the many mysteries of the world that would never be solved. Tony was a man who had trust issues, drank to much, and secretly looked for recognition for his accomplishments. He reveled in the feeling of someone giving him a pat of the back, genuinly amazed by his actions. He was a man who couldn't figure out why the hell Steve loved him, faults and all, and yet, somehow, Tony found that he couldn't find the thought to care and it didn't matter at all. Earlier, Pepper had made some valid points, people got hurt, it was something they had to live with and overcome, and to trust someone completely with your heart would be the most rewarding feat anyone could do. To accomplish this, Tony knew this would be the biggest step in his life, the one to meet Steve halfway, and to have something so beautiful between to people. The step to trust Steve utterly. At the end of his mind's endless rotation of thoughts, Tony found himself completely willing to do so with Steve.

Entering the living room, Tony found it empty except for the solid form of Steve Rogers, who was seated in his usual spot of the love couch. Tony frantically looked around for any other sign of life forms that could be the rest of the Avengers, but it was a fruitless search. Just because Tony had admitted to himself he could throw caution to the wind, run merrily hand-in-hand with Steve through a field of flowers, didn't mean he had to admit it out loud at that exact moment. Through his train of thought he must have made some sort of noise because he realized Steve was staring at him.

Trying to act cool despite the chaotic feelings going on inside, Tony asked, "Where are the others?"

"I don't know. I went to my room to grab a movie and when I came back they weren't here." Steve held up the movie he had retrieved, an old black and white classic that had been finally formated to Blue Ray, in his grip. Tony slapped his forehead to the palm of his hand. Tony smelt several rats, it seemed the rest of the Avengers had thought it was a decent moment for Tony and Steve to finally talk. Tony had no doubt it was Pepper's and Natasha's idea that it was a nice time for the rest of the group to go for a walk.

Tony set the bottle down on the the coffee table, before ploping himself down next to Steve. There was a moment of silence between them. Tony guessed it was now or never. Taking a deep breath, he said, "I'm sorry for eariler." He didn't need to look over to know Steve was staring at him, with wide blues eyes. "I was just scared and stupid. It was happening too fast and I-"

"No! Don't apologize or try to explain yourself. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking and didn't mean to go that fast." Steve was looking ahead a tiny hint of a blush on his cheeks and Tony shuddered. He could still feel the weight of Steve's hands on his skin from the recent time in the workshop, the press of his lips, and the softness of his hair between in his fingers. Tony thoughts were cleared with the sound of Steve setting the DVD down, before, resting both hands on the outside of his thighs, his shoulders were slouching, and it was such a defeated look that Tony couldn't help but want to hug the other man.

Instead, as a first step, Tony glanced down and slowly inched his left hand near Steve's right, soon there was the lightest of touches between their fingers. Steve's fingers twitched but otherwise made no move to grasp or remove his hand. It wasn't until Tony said, "I want to try with you," that Steve's head whipped around to gazed into Tony's eyes. At that moment there was nothing said but the lacing of fingers. 

"Do you really mean that?" Steve asked quietly, afraid to spook Tony away. The smaller man couldn't help but have thoughts that one day Steve would find someone better, someone who wouldn't be afraid to love or trust or hurt, but until that day Tony was going to treasure every moment he had with the old time soldier.

"Yes." Tony squeezed the fingers in his grip. "But we'll have to go slow. Very slow."

"For you, anything." There was a small smile appearing on Steve's pale lips, and Tony could see relief in his eyes and something else. Happiness. A warm tingle, starting from the tips of his fingers that Steve held, spread to wrap itself around Tony's heart. It was a feeling that Tony was starting to get use to having when he was around Steve.

Breaking eye contact, Tony pouted. "I just hope you know what you are getting into," he paused for a moment before he added, "I can be quite the handful. I'm a blanket hog-"

"It's ok. I'll just wrap myself around you too." Steve's smile only grew.

"I'm really messy. I just leave my clothes on the floor."

"I meticulously neat," Steve said, "but I think I'll live."

"Sometimes I can't sleep."

"Then I'll stay up and keep you company." 

"I'll need constant reassurance and you have to tell me you love me everyday until I'm convinced." Tony whispered, eyes wide.

There was a moment when Steve didn't say anything but regarded Tony, squeezing his fingers, and eyes filled with such devotion it almost ached. "I love you, Tony." Before Tony could add anything else to his long list of bad habits, Steve leaned forward and pressed his lips lightly to Tony's. This kiss was just like their first, a soft and gentle exploration which continued when Steve's tongue delicately swiped the bottom lip of his partner, asking for entrance. Unlike earlier where Steve had forced his way, access was granted, and the journey continued with the soft tango of tongue and lips. 

They broke apart, gasping for air, foreheads planted together, eyes locked, when Tony breathed, "I love you too."