The charity event was a roaring success for the fourth year in a row. The drag race made far more money than Tony could've imagined, though not for a reason he wanted. The gambling club, led by Wade Wilson, decided to place a little wager on the year's race, though the bets would go to Heroes for Hope and those who bet correctly would get a free burrito voucher from Barry's Burritos, one of the race's six-figure sponsors. Everyone in the entire university found out about the dispute between Tony and Clint back on Valentine's Day, and while not everyone knew the reasoning behind it everyone was well aware that Clint planned on competing that year.

Wade couldn't help but get involved in all the hubbub, so the week before the race he put up signs all across campus urging people to place bets. Tony and Clint's faces were plastered all over them, along with the promise of free burritos to those who placed the correct bet. It cost three dollars to place a wager, though more could be given. After Tony lost the fist fight with Clint, many people believed that the Heroes for Hope founder no longer had his scrappy, fighting spirit. Much to Wade's surprise, over half of Shield University's faculty, staff, and student body bet on Clint to win.

Luckily for Barry's Burritos, Tony won, just as he had the previous three years. The race wasn't even close; Tony smoked the competition. No one had a handle on engineering the way Tony did, and now that JARVIS, his electronic butler, was complete, he felt far surer of himself than he had in ages. While he'd contemplated putting his new tech into his car, he decided against it, as he thought it'd cheapen his charity event. Now that he had Steve as a friend, winning didn't even actually matter to him all that much anymore. While winning the competition certainly made him feel good about himself, Tony was now more concerned with how much money the race raised than on the medal he won.

After Tony won the race, he accepted his medal proudly and gave a shout-out to everyone who made this possible. The children he raised the money for, the volunteers, Wade for raising such an impressive sum of money… And someone else.

"…And while all of you have made Heroes for Hope possible, I have one more person to thank. This year's event wouldn't have happened this year without the support of my best friend, Steven Rogers. He's also one of our newest volunteers! He'll be making appearance on the new wave of billboards all across the country at the end of this week. Thank you everyone!" Tony yelled into the mike as he held his first place medal in hand, and immediately he was met with roaring applause.

Steve nearly dropped his hot dog and pop when he heard Tony speak his name. While he knew Tony appreciated him, it was on a whole other plane of incredible that his friend actually thanked him in front of thousands. While Steve knew he'd made a difference in Tony's life, he didn't realize he'd had such a positive impact, but he was glad he did. After all the things Tony had been through he was finally healing, and it warmed Steve's heart to see all of the progress that had been made. As the words sunk in, however, Steve thought about the last statement Tony made. His training wasn't even finished yet, and he was going to be the mascot on the newest wave of billboards? For once, Steve felt impatient, and all he wanted was for the ceremony to be over so they could discuss this in person. Tony was too busy talking to news anchors, his sponsors, and potential partners this time around, so Steve went to his apartment to await his friend's return.

"Sorry it took me so long to get home, I seriously had about one hundred people come up to me after the race and ask for my contact information… Wade even wanted to help. Said he wanted to rotate between being a hero and a villain and call himself 'Deadpool.' Hopefully all of them, Wade included, though I don't know exactly how well he'll do, will decide to be volunte- Hey!" Steve caught Tony off guard, put him in a headlock and gave him an affectionate noogie.

"Yeah, yeah, Mr. Popular over here… Thanks for mentioning me today, Tony. That really meant a lot to me. But I have a question," Steve said with a warm smile as he released Tony from his grip.

"Anytime. My best friend deserves a little credit every once in a while. And if it has to be in front of thousands, so be it. What's up, Steve?" Tony asked before taking off his shoes and sitting down on the couch.

"You said my face is going to be on billboards at the end of this week to the crowd. But I haven't been fitted for my costume yet… Not to mention my training isn't finished until the fourteenth… What's going on?" Steve questioned as he took a seat next to his best friend, leaning in a little closer than necessary, though Tony countered Steve's movements.

"Well, I talked it over with my Heroes for Hope 'cabinet' of sorts, and I asked about how your training was going. You were far better than any of our other volunteers, and to be honest you probably were ready the moment you signed those papers. But of course I couldn't just shirk you of that, but we decided that you didn't need to complete the entire two months. Your suit's finished and ready for you to wear, and I have your first assignment, if you'd like to see it. JARVIS, pull up the list of Captain America and his assignments," Tony commanded in a serious, but kind, tone of voice as he pulled out his smartphone.

JARVIS replied with "yes sir," and in an instant Tony had the list. There was only one child on it currently, and all of the information was pulled up on the screen. He handed it to Steve, who skimmed through it before reading it aloud. Her name was Emily Anderson, and she was a cute little African American girl with braided jet black hair. Steve couldn't help but show his enthusiasm about his new role, but as he read the child's biography his heart sank.

"Emily Anderson is a seven year old girl admitted into the University of New Mexico's Children's Hospital in Albuquerque. She was diagnosed with childhood leukemia at the age of four years old, and was in remission from the ages of five to six. Her leukemia came out of remission at the age of six and a half, and it is believed that she will pass away before her eighth birthday on April 26th.

"Emily's favorite subject is American history, and she loves the colors red, white, and blue. Her favorite book is Let's Call it America! Meet Our Founding Fathers, and she loves to read to her friends and family. Emily also loves writing poetry, and her dream is to be published in a book of poems… She sounds like a sweet little girl. Are you sure I'm ready for this, Tony? What if I make a mistake?" Steve asked after he read her biography.

"She's going to love you, Steve. After all, you are Captain America, and I know that even though you make fun of Professor Coulson all the time you love American History. Now I need you to pack your bags, you'll be leaving first thing tomorrow morning. I know I sprung this on you early and I'm sorry, but we don't have a lot of time with this child and I don't want to risk her passing away before anyone sees her. None of the other heroes fit the bill; Emily didn't want any of the other ones, and when a new hero- meaning you- was mentioned, she was very excited about it. I have complete faith in your abilities, Steve; I know you can do this, and far better than anyone else. Now get your duffel bag ready; I have your costume in a special case for you," Tony helped Steve off the couch and shooed him out of the room.

Steve quickly packed his toiletries, some clothes to sleep in and an outfit for the day after he visited little Emily. As he filled up his small duffel bag, Steve couldn't help but notice how much he was trembling. He didn't feel like this day was ever going to come, and until this moment he wasn't even nervous. Knowing that he was finally going to go on his first 'mission' for Heroes for Hope terrified him now, however. The last thing Steve wanted was to make a mistake and ruin the child's last few days of life by disappointing her. He took a deep breath, chanted to himself that everything would be okay, and finished preparing for his two day trip before heading off to bed. It took him an hour to fall asleep, but he replayed Tony's words of encouragement in his head, which acted as a lullaby.

He woke up to the sound of Tony's alarm at eight in the morning, and before he could even get up from his mattress his best friend came into his bedroom. Tony jumped on top of him, slapped him around a little bit and told him to get ready for the day ahead of him. Steve could tell Tony was excited, and even though Steve felt his heart pounding in his chest from his nerves he knew that everything would be okay. Tony believed in him, and that's all he could ever ask for.

In less than fifteen minutes Steve was ready to go, and the two men quickly rushed out of the door and got in Tony's brand new 2013 R8 E-Tron, which wasn't even available to the public. Tony managed to get his hands on one, however, and like the speed demon he was he drove well over to speed limit to get to the airport. Much to Steve's shock no cops pulled him over, and they made it to the airport in a half an hour, which normally was a forty-five minute commute from Steve's apartment. They pulled into a private parking lot on the far corner of the airport, and a small, private jet with the charity's name tastefully painted on the outside was waiting for him.

"Good luck, Steve. Not that you need it, I know you're going to do a phenomenal job. All of your teachers have already excused you from everything, so you don't need to worry about that. I'll be out to visit you at five in the afternoon. We'll get some coffee and you can tell me all about it," Tony said to his best friend as they walked over to the aircraft.

"Thanks, I'll see you tonight. I hope I do as good of a job as you think I will," Steve replied before walking up the stairs into the aircraft, and within minutes he was in the sky, on his way to New Mexico.

When Steve arrived at Albuquerque International Sunport, he was greeted by a personal chauffer. The man took Steve's duffel bag and the sturdy box his suit was neatly folded in, put it in the trunk of his small black Prius and drove him straight to the hospital. It was two by the time he got to his destination, and Steve had until four in the afternoon to spend time with Emily.

Two of the nurses took Steve to an empty room to change into his costume. He'd yet to see his costume, but when he opened up the suitcase and pulled it out he was pleasantly surprised. It looked exactly like his design, and he was thankful that no one had taken creative liberties with it. The fabric was wrinkle and crease resistant, and made of a fabric that reminded him of compression shorts. After he put it on, Steve took a look in the mirror in the hospital room bathroom and was pleased with how well it fit him. It was obvious that Tony had his best tailors put it together.

Now that Steve was dressed, all he had to concern himself with was Emily's impression of him. As the nurses led him to the terminally ill little girl's room, Steve couldn't help but feel the butterflies in his stomach fluttering out of control. There was so much pressure on him to make this little girl's day, and hopefully the rest of her life, and Steve wasn't sure if he was up to the task. This is what he wanted to do more than anything, but being in a hospital setting made him uncomfortable. It reminded him of when he was a sickly young boy, constantly in and out of the hospital. Unlike Emily, however, a doctor managed to find a cure for his condition to build him up to be the strong man he was today. Sometimes Steve wondered why God saved some children and not others, but he knew if he thought about it for too long it would do more harm than good for his current assignment.

As soon as he reached Emily's room, Steve was greeted with a warm smile and a "hello" in a high, somewhat weak voice. The little girl no longer had any hair and was wearing a striped red, white, and blue beanie on her head. She still appeared to be in good spirits, however, and she had a book, a tablet, a pen and a notebook on the tray in front of her. Her eyes widened in awe when she saw the self-selected hero walk in, and an audible "wow" escaped from her lips. The moment she welcomed him in Steve immediately felt comfortable, and the two nurses left the two alone so they could visit. With a big, sincere smile plastered on his face Steve sat down in the comfy purple chair next to her bed and began to speak.

"Hello, Emily. My name's Captain America and I'm here to visit you for the day. What would you like to do today?" Captain America asked with a warm, kind smile, trying his best to look her in the eyes and ignore the various monitors and IVs.

"I want to read to you, and then I want you to write a story with me. It can be about our adventures as superheroes!" Emily beamed as he picked up her favorite book with her frail little hands.

Steve smiled and nodded his head in response, and he intently listened to her read. For such a young girl she was incredibly articulate, and he enjoyed every moment of it. He could see why she enjoyed reading so much, and Steve wondered if this helped her cope with her impending death. Reading helped Steve push out those thoughts when he was diagnosed with a terminal illness as a child, though luckily everything had worked out okay. Steve certainly wished he'd had someone come and visit him like this when he was a child instead of having to rely on books for an escape, however. He certainly had even more of an appreciation for Tony's creation now, and he decided that when they met up that afternoon he'd finally ask his best friend just why he'd started the non-profit.

"That was a great story, Emily! I love American history; it's so important, and it makes me proud that you like to read about it. You make your country happy by caring about it so much. I think your hero name should be Captain U.S.; I'll make you a nametag you can wear!" Captain America complimented her before reaching into his utility belt for a pen and a nametag sticker.

He wrote her honorary name in red and blue and carefully placed it on her hospital gown. Emily's dark brown eyes seemed to twinkle when she looked down at her new badge, and Steve felt his heart swell with pride. This little girl was so sweet, so enthusiastic, and so intelligent, and he couldn't believe he was lucky enough to spend two hours with her. The time moved far too quickly, however, and before he knew it visitor hours were over and he had to leave.

"Captain U.S., it was an honor spending time with you today. You're the biggest heroine in all of America today, you know that? We're all so proud of you, and you're an inspiration to everyone, especially me. You're so brave and have a big heart, and you've earned a medal for your heroism," Captain America said proudly as he pulled out a gold medal from his utility belt and put it over her neck.

"Thank you, Captain America! Before you leave, I want to write you a poem. Please don't take him until I'm done!" Emily exclaimed hoarsely to the nurses, who granted her request.

After ten minutes she finished her poem, folding the paper neatly into the shape of a heart and handed it to him. He thanked her for the gift and gave her a long, friendly hug. Emily burst out into tears of joy, and he could feel his shoulder getting wetter by the moment. It broke his heart to have to leave her, but he didn't have a choice. Much to his reluctance he let go of her, handed her a tissue and had her blow her nose and dry her eyes before the nurses took a photo of the two together. It was a beautiful picture even though her eyes were a bit puffy from crying, and he waved goodbye to her before leaving the room.

As he got changed back into his street clothing to meet up with Tony at some random coffee shop his chauffeur was taking him to, Steve began to cry himself. Emily was such a kind, loving soul, and to know that in a few weeks she would no longer walk this Earth was difficult for him to wrap his head around. He took a minute to kneel down at the side of the vacant bed in the room, pressed his hands together and began to pray. Steve prayed for her family, her soul, and for a pleasant last few weeks of life. He knew that even though he couldn't change her situation, at the least he could pray for her and send her positive energy and remind her she was loved and cared about. When he finished praying, Steve got up, dusted off his knees and exited the hospital with his suit and duffel bag in tow, thankful for the opportunity Tony had given him.

Steve had never been happier to see Tony in his life: he wanted to thank him, ask him why he started the charity, hug him… Everything. He rushed over to Tony the moment his friend flagged him over, and he sat down in his seat quicker than he'd meant to. He blushed a little at his over-excitement, though Tony simply smirked in response.

"Had a good experience, I hope?" Tony asked as he handed Steve a chai tea latte, his treat.

"Tony, it was one of the best experiences of my life… Emily was such a sweet little girl. She read to me, we wrote a short story about us as heroes together, and she wrote me a poem. I haven't read it yet, though… Can I?" Steve asked as he pulled the heart-shaped folded piece of paper from his pocket, and Tony nodded for him to go ahead.

Out of respect for Emily, he didn't read it aloud. He felt that it was something special between the two of them, and Tony understood that. It was something from the bottom of her heart, and as Steve read it he was afraid he would cry again.

Captain America is my friend

He'll fight with me 'til the very end

Forever and ever we'll save the day

And everyone will say "hooray!"

Love, Emily

"… Tony, what made you start Heroes for Hope? I can't tell you enough how genius of an idea this was," Steve put on a serious face to prevent himself from crying, and after a long silence Tony began to speak.

"Well, when I was a little kid… Ten years old I think, my mom was in the hospital. My dad wouldn't tell me what was wrong, but I looked at her charts and she had a pretty bad miscarriage. She almost bled to death, so she was resting at the hospital for a few days after she got a blood transfusion and they gave her some antibiotics to prevent infection. Since my dad never gave a shit about anything I did I walked all over the hospital by myself. No one stopped me, surprisingly, but whatever.

"Anyway, I wound up in the children's wing of the hospital, and I saw a lot of kids in rough shape. Most of 'em were younger than I was at the time, and there was one little boy that stuck out to me. He wasn't much younger than me, but he was very sick. He had thin blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and was skinny as a rail. He basically looked like the runt of the litter. I saw him every single day, walking around and holding onto his wheelie IV stand for support. The nurses let him walk around for a few minutes alone; must've been a pretty responsible kid, but that's not the point.

"He was always carrying a little stuffed doll of Powdered Toast Man, and I could tell he loved superheroes, no matter how ridiculous they were. I spent a lot of time watching him, but I could never bring myself to talk to him… No one ever visited him though, and the other kids in the ward avoided him like the plague. I really regret never talking to him, and this is my way of making up for my mistake. I know I can't go back in time and become friends with him, but I hope he got better and maybe one day becomes a part of my non-profit. It'll probably never happen, but I've thought about him almost every day for years, and I hope I see him again someday," Tony answered, and Steve couldn't cover the look of shock on his face.

While Tony and Steve continued to talk, two girls at a table not far away from them were drinking caramel frappes and not so stealthily staring at them. The older woman, who had light brown hair and hazel eyes, tried to avoid looking at the two men, while the younger woman with dark brown hair and greyish-blue eyes made no attempt to hide it.

"They're really cute together, Jane. I think we should say something. It's obvious that they're totally in love with each other even if they don't know it yet," the dark haired young woman stated, not taking her eyes away from the two men.

"Darcy, I really don't think they'd appreciate us getting involved… Besides, how do we know what their relationship status is right now? What if we ruin it for them? You can't just say everything that's on your mind, especially not to strangers," Jane sighed in response; they'd been having this small argument back and forth for several minutes and she was growing tired of it.

"You know what? Fine. Write them a little note on the sleeve of your drink. Here's a pen and a highlighter. Go wild," Jane finally relented, and Darcy let out a small squeal of joy as she snatched the writing utensils away and began jotting down a message.

"Tony, that was me. I was actually considered terminally ill at that time, and I was the only one that was supposed to die there. I had a rare auto-immune disease, and they gave me a month to live. But Doctor Erskine, a famous pediatric researcher at the time, came up with a treatment for it. I was the first one they tried the experimental treatment on, and I lived… As I reached puberty the effects were boosted, and now I have no trace of my childhood illness, which is why I'm so strong today. I can't believe tha-" Steve was interrupted by the two women, who quickly placed something on the table before rushing out of the café.

As soon as they left, Tony flipped it around and they both read the message:

You guys are cute together and if you're not dating, you should be!

The two looked at the cardboard sleeve for a moment, and then looked at each other. That feeling in the air Steve remembered fondly came back, and it was stronger than ever. With a tender smile, Tony put his hand on top of his best friend's and looked him in his beautiful blue eyes. The contact made Steve's heart rate increase, and he held his breath in anticipation of what Tony was about to say. He just prayed it was something good.

"I agree with them. I've liked you for a long time, but I didn't want to say anything until I was over Bruce and knew for sure whether or not my feelings were because I was vulnerable. They're not, Steve. I like you for you, not because of the fact that you've been here for me. Well, that's something about you I like but that's not the main reason. What do you say, Steve? Want to take their advice?" Tony asked with his usual cocky smirk.

"Yes, Tony. It's what I've wanted for a long time," Steve responded, and the two men interlocked their fingers, finally expressing their true feelings for one another.

After the months of patience, compassion, and friendship, Steve finally had what he wanted, and so much more. He was doing well in school, became a volunteer at the most successful non-profit for-children organization in the country, but most importantly, he had Tony's love.