Author's Note: We have reached the end! You guys have all been great supporters and I only hope that this lives up to your expectations!

.

.

"Tony, you're already an hour late,"

"I'm quite aware of that, Miss Potts."

Pepper Potts concentrated on breathing evenly and smoothly, reciting the calming methods in her worn Zen book. It seemed like ages ago when she was applied for the job; it was difficult to even remember a time when she didn't know Tony Stark. He had that ability though. Tony was the type of person whose larger than life personality would squeeze and shove its way into your life whether you wanted him to or not.

"Could you at least reply to Steve's texts? Since you're not answering he keeps-" Her phone beeped. "… texting me."

"I am unable to acquiesce your request,"

"Don't quote 'Pirates of the Caribbean.'"

"But that Sparrow fellow is a man after my own heart,"

The young woman was unsure how far to push her boss today. There were only two dates out of the year that Tony was more snarky and unreachable than usual. They were the anniversary of his parents' death and Father's Day.

Tony's feelings about his father were complicated at best.

"Steve says Thor is on his way here to get you,"

"Release the hounds,"

〖 〗

"Can we stop for wine?"

"No,"

Tony whined. "But Steve-"

"No, Thor's parents were nice enough to invite all of us to their house for dinner. We don't need your second significant other 'Mr. Alcoholic' stopping by."

Tony squirmed, not used to being in the passenger seat. "Why couldn't I drive?"

Steve sighed. "Because they're serving drinks with dinner,"

"I could be the DD-"

Steve snorted. "Yeah right,"

"-if you had asked."

The two men were in Steve's beat up Ford pick-up truck that had been his dad's first car. It rumbled and stank of gasoline, but Steve couldn't help but feel a sense of emotional connection to the vehicle, especially today of all days.

His 'better half,' on the other hand, was more sullen than usual. Pepper had seemed slightly haggard when Thor and Steve went to the man's penthouse to force him out. The blond had smiled politely at her.

"Take special care of him today,"

Steve frowned, wondering what she had meant by that. He glanced at Tony out of the corner of his eye. The brunette was slouched in the seat, face cradled in his hand as he stared angrily out the window. Steve felt his heart beat a little faster and his gut tighten with worry.

"Tony-"

"I'd rather not talk right now." He interrupted shortly. "I think the noxious cloud spewing from your tail pipe is making me sick,"

Steve clenched his jaw. "There's some gum in the glove compartment," He spoke slowly. "Chew a piece, it helps with motion sickness."

"I don't have motion sickness, my lungs just don't agree with poisonous fumes." However, he snappily reached into the glove compartment to pull out the packet. "I hate spearmint…"

Steve resisted the urge to slam on the brakes and smash his boyfriend's head into the windshield by gripping the steering wheel tightly. "I'm sorry," He ground out. What the hell was he apologizing for?

The last six months had been… well, Steve wasn't sure if there was a word in the English language to accurately describe the complexities of their relationship. There were moments where Steve was so content that he couldn't imagine a time when he wasn't with Tony.

And then there were times when he wanted to snap that little bitch's neck.

Tony had moments where he could leave Steve speechless with his heart in his throat and then he left Steve shaking in absolute rage in other moments. He had a feeling tonight was going to turn into one of the rage moments.

"Can you at least act nice in front of Thor's family?"

"But I was looking forward to mocking a pair of people who legitimately think that they're theological figures. Plus, aren't you dyingto know how Thor ended up like – well, himself?"

While that was true, it wasn't the point Steve was making. "If you promise to play nice we can have car sex on the way home,"

"I'm not in the mood,"

Steve did violently pull off onto the side of the road then, Tony letting out half formed sentences as the truck came to a full rocking stop. Looking over to stare slack jawed at his boyfriend, Tony blinked behind skewed glasses. Steve stared hard at him.

"Alright, what's wrong with you?"

"What?"

"You're never not in the mood for car sex! Or any type of sex!"

Tony shrugged. "Well that's a valid point," He fixed his glasses and stared at his boyfriend coolly. "We're going to be late,"

"You already made us late," Steve sighed and shrugged helplessly. "Why don't you ever talk to me?"

"Right now I'm making sounds and forming vowels and consonances with my lips, tongue and teeth to form words. If you put those in a sequence they form a sentence, which is, in fact, talking."

Steve didn't know what else to do at this point. Was it that Tony didn't trust him? He kept everyone at arm's length, even Pepper, and Steve honestly thought that she knew everything. Tony, through all of his playboy bravado, was always there when Steve really did need him. Steve felt this was the moment where Tony needed him now.

Taking in a deep breath, Steve pushed down all of his insecurities and pulled back onto the road.

"That's it?" Tony asked, eyes narrowing uncertainly.

"If you don't want to talk about it, then I'm not going to make you." I learned that lesson when I kept badgering you and you threw your bottle of Jack Daniels at my head. "But if you want to, then I will listen." I gave up a while ago trying to read your mind.

"I'm revoking your male privileges after that girly speech,"

〖 〗

Tony detested Father's Day.

Every year he refused to leave his house as a precaution and locked himself in his work room and cranked up Black Sabbath in order to drown out his own thoughts. He wouldn't even talk to Pepper, she just left his meals in front of the door and returned later to pick up the abandoned and half empty plates.

Spending it with his boyfriend and Thor and his family wasn't the ideal, but all of the strong Nordic beer was helping.

He was also stuck next to Thor's younger brother, who was the only person in the room who was as bitter and sarcastic as himself.

"AND THAT WAS HOW MY FATHER AND I DEFEATED THE DWELLERS OF THE COTTAGE ACROSS THE WAY,"

Loki rubbed at his temples. "Thor, you threw their cat through their window,"

"THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SLIGHT THE WARRIOR."

"The neighbor-boy sprayed the dog with water,"

"IT WAS MY DOG, LOKI. THAT IS THE MATERIAL POINT."

Thor's mother was a graceful woman who took her eldest's loud and boisterous personality with serenity and her younger son's acrimony with gentleness. Their father was an older man with a hard face but soft way of speaking. Tony kept himself distracted by his own inner turmoil and the way Steve hadn't even glanced at him since they sat down by trying to figure out the family dynamics.

"So Loki I hear that you're not their real son?"

Steve choked on his drink. Clint stared slack jawed and Natasha's manicured nails drummed against the handle of her steak knife. Bruce looked pointedly at his steak and complimented Frigga.

"ANTHONY-!"

"-really good steak, ma'am."

"I'VE COME TO TERMS WITH IT, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INQUIRY."

Steve glared at him; well at least he was looking at him. "Tony," He hissed. "What is the matter with you?"

"I'm sorry, if it was such a secret then why is Thor always referring to Loki as 'my brother who so happens to have been given actual birth by a mother not my own but he is still my real brother'?"

The evening didn't recover after that since Loki lunged at Thor with his fork and tried to choke him with his napkin.

The car ride back to the city was tense.

"Is that offer for car sex still there?"

Well, for Steve it was tense.

"Not on your life," He ground out.

"Oh don't pout,"

"I am not pouting, don't you try to devalue my feelings right now."

Steve prayed to God that Tony would not needle him right now. The blond had never been so embarrassed in his life. This was worse than the time Bucky had made him ride the roller coaster at Coney Island and he had puked all over himself. "We just ruined their holiday,"

"Father's Day is barely a holiday, and it's destined to be ruined."

He couldn't take it anymore. "No, Tony you have issues with your father and it's not your place to shove it in everyone's faces and ruin a perfectly nice evening!"

Once he exhaled sharply through his nostrils Steve turned to look at the other man and felt a pang of regret for saying that out loud. Tony's face was eerily blank, and his tie was loose around his neck. Overall he looked exhausted and as emotionally devastated as he was ever going to look.

Steve bit his lip. "Tony, gosh, I-"

"You meant what you said or you wouldn't have said it," Tony replied blithely; however there was a sting to his words.

Sighing, Steve kept his eyes glued to the road. He was still furious at Tony, no matter what issues you had in your life it was no excuse to act rude, particularly when a friend like Thor extended the invitation to them.

Tony didn't talk to Steve after that. After about a week after not hearing from his boyfriend, the blond got worried.

"I think he's going to dump me," He moaned one night at the bar.

"NO, I WILL NOT BE PLEASED IF THAT TRANSPIRES."

Steve was honestly surprised that Thor was still speaking to him. After the horrifying Father's Day fiasco that had left Loki on an indefinite leave of absence while he was 'on vacation,' he thought Thor would have been outraged. However, he was a good natured and supportive friend. Steve had realized just how lucky he was to have him around.

"I'm sure he just needs some time to cool off," Natasha reassured coolly as she swirled her glass of wine.

"You should surprise him," Clint nodded sagely.

"With what?"

"Surprise sex? Duh,"

"For someone in a heterosexual relationship you are very invested in the homosexual relations around you," Bruce noted with a smile.

Clint made a face at him. "Tony's kind of a whore," He pat Steve's hand. "No offense buddy,"

"None taken," It's true.

"Of course it is. Since he's a whore, he's a physical guy. Hence," He clapped his hands together. "Sex is the language he understands."

"Now that's an underestimation of my abilities, I also understand alcohol and gambling quite fluently,"

Thor choked on his beer when Tony appeared out of nowhere. Steve felt his heart bang uncomfortably in his chest, and his stomach churned with nerves. Tony's face was uncharacteristically blank, it was a poker face. Steve's feet and fingertips went cold. Their relationship was anything but simple but Steve-

Well they hadn't exchanged 'I love you-s' yet, but Steve felt the familiar squeeze of love in his chest and breath leave his lungs in a rush whenever Tony got close to him.

"Can we step outside?" He was addressing himself only to Steve.

"U-Um, yeah…" He glanced at his friends, panicked. They all smiled reassuringly at him, except Natasha and Clint. She was staring stonily at him and Clint kept mouthing 'S-E-X' at him and giving him obnoxious seducing glances. Trying to talk himself out of throwing up everywhere out of pure nerves, Steve quietly followed his boyfriend outside.

They walked upstairs to the apartment. A cold sweat broke out on Steve's forehead. It was a classic move for a person wanting to end a relationship to do it in the other person's apartment so that the dump-er could leave. Steve fiddled with his keys as he stared at Tony in the middle of his apartment. Even the walls couldn't seem to contain him.

"Steve-"

"ARE YOU BREAKING UP WITH ME?"

Tony frowned at the blond. "Wha-?"

"Tony, I know that we're not what people would call a 'great couple.' You have the emotional maturity of a seven year old and I still really can't be in loud, crowded places. Sometimes I over analyze things you say to me because I'm afraid that one day you're going to wake up and realize that I'm really boring and simple and you're stylish and a playboy and that you miss it. I feel pathetic because I feel like I need you way more than you need me and I really just care about you OK?"

The blond inhaled deeply after that long tangent. His face had never felt so hot and a pause in conversation had never seemed so long. He watched Tony anxiously. The billionaire looked completely taken aback, his expression rivaled that of someone who had just been slapped in the face.

"… I just wanted to come up here and get my jacket that I forgot last week and ask you where you wanted to go get dinner."

Well.

This was awkward.

"You're such a jackass!" Steve grabbed the offending article of clothing from the hook by the door and threw it at Tony. "You don't call me for a week after a fight and expect me to act like everything's OK?"

"You care about me, so everything is OK, isn't it?"

Steve felt like he had reached his limit. "Do you?"

Tony fiddled with his watch. "Do I what?"

"Care about me too?"

Tony idly pulled out his phone and flipped it between his hands, as if he needed it to distract him. "Move in with me,"

Steve gaped. "What?"

"Move in with me," Tony enunciated slowly. "Does that answer your question?"

Tony Stark was not the type of man to say 'I love you' just because someone said it to him. Hell, he had once told Steve that his own father had never said it to him so Steve assumed he didn't know how to. He was never going to be the guy who talks openly about his feelings or even admit to feeling them sometimes. But that was OK, because Steve didn't need someone to profess to him all the time. He just needed to be given some sort of sign.

It was a well known fact on the aristocratic and tabloid circuit that none of Tony's previous lovers had ever been asked to move into the exclusive penthouse apartment in Stark Tower.

〖 〗

Clint sighed and surveyed the decidedly emptier apartment. "My little Steve is growing up~"

"Shut up," The other laughed, cradling the last box under his arm.

The two friends stood side-by-side, looking at the apartment that they had shared for the last year. Steve couldn't really believe that he was finally moving out. When he had brought that first box in, he had been hopeless and the light at the end of the tunnel was gone. But now…

"Steve, Natasha said that she's going to stab me in the thigh if you two don't get downstairs," Tony said from the doorway.

Steve smiled. "I'm coming,"

Tony frowned. "Stop smiling like that, it's all tender and gooey. It makes me feel gross,"

Clint snorted. "Come on,"

The three headed downstairs to the bar. The others were all gathered in their normal booth, and Thor waved them over enthusiastically.

"WHAT A GLORIOUS DAY, STEVEN AND ANTHONY ARE ONE STEP CLOSER TOWARD COMMITTED MONOGOMAY."

"Well, I think some gratitude is in order," Natasha said.

"Yes, since I'm the one who introduced them."

The couple glared at Bruce. "We let him live with us, eat our food, and stayed up with him through the nightmares."

"I found the love of his life," Bruce shrugged as he held up his glass. "So I win."

"So should we expect an announcement of a certain engagement soon?" Clint asked while waggling his eyebrows.

"Could say the same of you two," Tony quipped. "How long have you two been together? A decade?"

"Natasha doesn't believe in marriage,"

"Maybe she doesn't believe in getting married to you,"

"Tony…"

"It's a plausible hypothesis,"

Steve looked around the booth. His friends had been there for him through thick and thin, even if they never really said anything outright. Clint had been unwavering, and he had always been able to do something amazing when Steve was down. He could make him laugh. Natasha was more reserved, but if Steve had a problem she was always there with a word of advice. Bruce was great at reading his mind, he always knew when Steve needed to hear something and when he just needed to be left alone. And Thor was… well himself. He was loud and boisterous but he genuinely always went out of his way to help him.

And then there was Tony. He could never tell him this, but he was everything Steve wanted and needed.

Steve took a sip of his beer. He was going to be OK.

.

.