AN: Finally, here's an update. Hope it's alright. Love you all! ~Heather

When Steve walked out of the elevator onto the team floor, he saw that everyone was already relaxing on the couch, except for Tony.

Natasha was sitting on the couch, leaning back into the cushions, wearing a smile as she chatted amiably with Bruce, who sat nearby. Clint was settled on the floor in between Natasha's thighs, in a manner that seemed way too comfortable, seeing as she could easily kill him in one move. Though, knowing Clint, that would probably be the way he wanted to go. Tony was messing around in the kitchen, the sounds of the microwave acting as background noise to the surprisingly tranquil entertainment room. As soon as Thor came back, Steve was sure that tranquility would change.

They greeted Steve with smiles, and wordlessly invited him into their conversation about Tolstoy, of all things. Steve was desperately hoping Tony wouldn't sit next to him, but to no avail. Finished fixing the snacks and bringing them to the large coffee table, Tony took the closest spot next to Steve. He would be lying to himself if he said his eyes hadn't been checking Tony out as he walked from the kitchen to the couch.

As if reading their minds, but more likely just used to their habits, JARVIS started the movie the others had chosen when they were all settled comfortably.

Thankfully, the movie they were watching, Tony had seen numerous times. With all the thoughts running through his mind, and the close proximity of the Captain, there was no way he could pay attention. Throughout the movie, Tony kept finding his eyes drift towards Steve. The captain was looking straight ahead at the movie and did not seem to notice he was being observed.

His thoughts ranged from Steve's past to his own guilt at their meeting to how he could further increase the amiability between them. Steve was so stoic, how could he keep all of that turmoil inside? Was he even feeling the same turmoil as the inventor? While Tony was an absolute mess with his thoughts, Steve appeared calm and collected.

And they were purely platonic thoughts. But then – Steve laughed. A full, happy laugh at a funny scene in the movie. He looked completely different from the serious soldier Tony had first met. This man looked like he could have fun and let loose from time to time. And this man was attractive. Tony had noticed it instantly. How could outer beauty not be considered when forced upon a team of attractive individuals (hotties) all at once? First there was Natasha. Breathtakingly gorgeous in a you-want-me-but-yeah-right-in-your-dreams-buddy kind of way. After their initial meeting, Tony knew not to attempt seducing Natasha. She was extremely out of his league. Clint was ruggedly handsome and had the strong, masculine body befitting an insanely skilled archer and SHIELD agent. Thor was every bit the Norse god. Flowing gold hair, bulging muscles, his face kind yet regal. Bruce was very handsome, and terribly adorable in his teddy bear scientist nerdy way. Steve, though, was society's ideal picture of beauty. Tony had seen him in the suit. His hip to shoulder ratio was outrageous, the way his body would taper down to a point. His muscles were large, smooth, and lean – like the physique of a quarterback or the strong build of a swimmer. Everything about him was beautiful: the always perfectly combed golden blonde hair, matched with the warmest blue eyes Tony had ever seen, the strong jaw, perfectly-proportioned face, and lips just begging to be kissed. The fullness of his bottom lip was absolutely sinful. Tony's own lips were suddenly dry, so he sucked his lower lip into his mouth to wet it. Unfortunately, this was exactly what he wanted to do to Steve's bottom lip, so wetting his lips did nothing to alleviate the dryness of his mouth.

Suddenly, Tony noticed how close he was sitting to Steve. Looking down at the couch, he felt the urge to take the hand in his own. What was going on with him? He started to feel antsy, which was perfectly normal when he sat still for so long, but this was a different kind of antsy. His fingers were itching to touch Steve's skin, and when Tony glanced back up to his face, his desire to kiss those lips was intense. Was it because he hadn't gotten any for awhile? Or were his growing positive feelings for the soldier opening his eyes to previously unexplored territory?

He had noticed Steve's attractiveness instantly. But what was different now was that he wanted to act on this attraction. Then, he had considered it a shame that another gorgeous person turned out to be a dick, which allowed him to work in the captain's company without being distracted by lust or any other unprofessional thoughts. Now, though, Steve wasn't a dick. Steve was everything he had always been praised as. He had made mistakes, but not nearly as many as Tony. He finally admitted it. He liked the guy. He respected the guy. But this was too much – now he was attracted to him? If Tony did the math, which he was very good at, he knew it was obvious what he wanted. Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT. Way to go, Stark. You now have a crush on an unattainable man who despises everything you are, and for good reason.

Midway through the movie, Steve had noticed he was being observed. Unknowingly, he tensed up slightly, his body hyperaware of every movement next to him. Steve was pretty good at hiding his attraction to other people, but with Tony's eyes on him, he felt sure it was obvious how much he wanted Tony.

"What was Tony thinking about? Why would he be studying me?" Steve thought. He tried his hardest to return his attention to the movie, as there was no way he could figure out Tony's mind, but the thought of Tony's gaze on him prevented him from doing anything but pretending to watch the movie.

Was Tony reevaluating his decision to let Steve stay here? The man had been nothing but kind and hospitable to him. Was Tony remembering the cruel words Steve had said to him when they first met? From what Steve had seen last night, it seemed Tony agreed with Steve's words on that day, and that did not sit well with Steve at all. They weren't true, none of them were, but obviously Tony had either taken them to heart or they had aggravated the thoughts that Tony already thought were true, branded into him by the media, his father, even his team. The guilt ate at him.

Bruce was too engrossed in the movie to observe much of what was happening around him, and he was exhausted from late nights running experiments in the lab. Clint was oblivious to the tension emanating from their side of the couch, but the cause might be in part to hand combing through his hair, gentle fingers running down the line of his neck as he leaned his head against Natasha's knee. Natasha looked completely at home here, surrounded by people she had grown to trust. Absentmindedly, she showed her affections for Clint, deciding these men could be entrusted with her weakness. Plus, any villain would be hard pressed to use Clint against her. Barring Loki from the equation, Clint was pretty damn hard to capture and even more difficult to coerce. She directed the rest of her attention partially towards the movie, and partially towards the painfully ignorant pair on the couch.

Stark's attraction was written all over his features. Could he make it any more obvious? But, it seemed Steve was completely unaware of the lust he was inciting. Steve was harder to read, but he at least knew he was being watched by Tony. The stiff way he was sitting could not be comfortable, but he was too self-conscious to move under Stark's gaze. They sat through the entire movie, both unable to pay attention to the screen, battling their thoughts internally, incapable of answering the questions they posed for themselves because they were too stubborn to ask. Idiots.

Steve felt his honor tug at his conscience. He had no clue what Tony was thinking, but he could no longer sit here and let Tony think he still meant what he'd said that day. Now was the time to start making things right. Leaning slightly towards Tony, he said softly,

"Tony, can I speak with you?"

After recovering from the swift surge of excitement when Steve shifted closer to him, Tony took a deep breath. Steve must have finally reached present day in his studies. He couldn't predict what Steve would say, but he really couldn't bear it if the man was disappointed in him. Slipping on his mask of cheerful indifference, he turned to the newly found object of his romantic interests and said,

"Sure, Steve, what's up?"

Gesturing with his head towards the door, Steve got up and made his way out of the room. Tony followed, while the others continued to watch the movie. Once the door to the entertainment room was closed, Steve stood tall and looked straight at Tony.

"I really wanted to apologize for what I said when we met. I was completely wrong and I had no right to say the things that I did."

Tony felt the mask slip from his face as his brow furrowed in confusion and shock. "Um…what?" His brain supplied, but he didn't give voice to this thought. This was definitely not about Tony's past then. That was a relief, though he also felt like it was just delaying the inevitable. As to Steve's apology, Tony didn't want anyone, let alone Steve, to know that someone could get to him with words, so he just smiled in a friendly manner and tried to blow it off.

"Hey, don't worry about it! Even I think half those things are true," Tony said offhandedly. "Plus, Loki's scepter wasn't really making any of us friends that day."

"No, it was unprofessional of me, extremely unkind, and wholly inaccurate. You…you are a much different man than I thought then, Tony."

Steve wanted Tony to know how vastly different he felt towards him, without actually letting him know how much he knew about Tony, how much of the other side of Tony he had seen when he wasn't supposed to.

"Mmm, so changed your mind about my ugly building then, have you? That really bore the harshest sting," Tony said cheekily, trying to skip the rest of the apologetic discussion that he really didn't feel he deserved.

"Nope, still an eyesore," Steve said, smiling at Tony's resultant scowl. "Though I must say, this building is growing on me." Everything about this place is growing on me, especially you, Tony, Steve thought.

"Well, maybe I'll have to assign you as the architect for the next building project and then it won't be so terrible."

"Sounds like a plan," Steve said, continuing the jest…or was Tony being serious? It was confusing. Steve felt off balance around Tony, unsure of where they stood and how to act.

There was a slightly awkward pause as neither man knew what to say.

"Well, I should…go back and finish the movie," Steve said, beginning to walk away.

"Come on, Stark," Tony told himself silently. The original plan had been to mend bridges - he had wanted to become closer to the man anyways, before all of this confusion. Finally, Tony forced himself to speak.

"Steve?" The man turned back, a hesitant look in his eyes.

"Yeah, Tony?" Tony looked down at the floor for a moment, but raised his head and released the words.

"I was wrong too." And god, saying those words was so worth it when Steve smiled. When he smiled, Tony could see why girls – and guys – swooned over Captain America. He could see why Steve's teachers in school and all of his neighbors adored him. Steve's smile was all-encompassing – his entire face smiled instead of just his mouth – and his smile was contagious. Tony found himself beginning to smile, even before Steve spoke.

Steve knew that was the closest anything Tony would ever say to an apology, not that the man needed to apologize to him anyways. With a sincere smile, and a wave of his hand, he said, "It's in the past." With one more parting glance, Steve reentered the entertainment room.

Tony didn't come back in to finish the movie, but instead went straight to his lab to try and escape his thoughts.

AN: Thanks for reading :)