And then we were two (Tony stark's daughter fic)

Sugar im comin home

"I hate camping," Tony grumbled. He'd been speaking for two days now, his mind clearing. He almost wished he could go back to whatever he'd been under. Being clear made him feel like he had to fix this. The pressure had been mounting and that, coupled with the pain in his leg and the information he'd just learned was making him cranky. It didn't help at all that Steve was being oddly gentle and protective. Tony didn't know how to handle it.

Steve, as if living up to the man's current thoughts offered him a little smile. "We gotta find civilization soon, Tony," he murmured quietly.

It was infuriating. Tony scowled. "Why are you being so nice to me? What happened while I was...not me..."

"Problem is, you were you, Tony..." he whispered. Steve glanced up from the fish he was cooking, overgrown blond hair falling against his forehead.

He looked tired. Perhaps a bit...hallow, as if he'd lost weight. Tony's eyes narrowed as he looked him over. "I'm not generally that...simple."

Steve smiled, a tiny quirk of his lips as he cooked for them. "You aren't simple minded," he agreed, his head lifting to meet Tony's gaze once more. "But I'm beginning to see some stuff I missed before...some stuff I even missed out here at first. I think I had you pegged pretty badly..."

Tony gritted his teeth. "Stop staring at me or I'll assume you're after something...."

Steve chuckled softly, shaking his head as the wind whipped his hair 'round his face. "Thought I heard a train this morning," he murmured, changing the subject. "We're going that way, soon as you eat."

Tony shivered, though he did his best to hide it. "Can I ask you something?" He demanded.

"Just did."

Tony snorted. "And now, I've officially, dated that whatever that thing was. I sure as hell know that wasn't a joke."

Steve chuckled quietly, glancing up through the hair falling against his forehead in a classic aw shucks expression. Classic? For all Tony knew maybe that was the Aw shucks expression because Steve, yes ma'am, Rogers kept doing it.

"How long was it before Fury started bringing you tasks you had to take because only you could do them?" Tony continued before Steve could distract him further.

Steve's smile went sort of...sad, defeated, and he paused to check the fish, offering Tony the stick he'd been roasting it on.

Tony watched the hope and curiosity fill his gaze as Tony stared at the offered fish.

"Careful. Stick's hot nearer the fish..." Steve murmured.

Tony's jaw visibly clenched. "I don't, Uh take things...ummm...I haven't been, right?"

Steve sighed. "No. No, thats been consistent...to be honest I wondered why?"

"Why don't you sound New York?" Tony countered.

Steve sighed and stabbed one end of the stick he held into the ground so Tony could grab it and sat back. "Army figured captain America needed to sound more...broad? Less one city. So they got me elocution lessons."

"Like the real you," Tony muttered as he snagged up the fish. "I take stuff from Pep and..." he faltered. "Addy," he decided at last.

"Your personal assistant and your daughter. Is that the whole of Tony Stark's circle of trust?"

Tony breathed out a surprised laugh, his dark eyes shining. "You watched meet the parents?"

"You said I should," he shrugged. "Was amusing. You in about twenty years."

"I know people," he waved the suggestion away. "If or when my little girl brings somebody home...I'll do a better job than Jack Byrnes. I'm sorry you're stuck out here with me, Rogers..."

Steve waved his apologies off and began eating his own fish. "You two are close. And that little girl is stubborn as her father. You don't have anything to worry about."

"Didn't you know? That's what I do. I worry and I plan and then I fuck it up. You're staring at me again, Told you to stop that."

"F'sho, Tony," Steve smiled, letting his accent slip. "Come on. We need to move."

He lifted Tony to his back and headed toward the mountain side he'd been avoiding. There were tracks up there, tracks led to cities. He needed to get to a city. "Hold on tight, alright? I don't need to show up with you any more banged up than you already are."

Tony looped his arms around his neck and rested his chin against broad shoulders. "Yeah. My baby would kick you."

"I drop you, and I'll let her," he murmured quietly. There was nothing and no one going to make him drop Tony off these damn mountain tracks. "I got you," Steve repeated, his hold tightening on Tony.

"Hey, we're good," Tony murmured. "Go ahead. I'll lean with you or whatnot. I'm a pilot, I'm good at it."

"Think you're piloting me, Stark?" He snorted as they headed up. He appreciated it, Tony's continued chattering. Steve wondered how he'd never noticed the little things he did before now as he began the steep climb up the side of the mountain. He grabbed trees like handholds, tugging them forward inch by inch.

"We're either in a northern country...or you can't count and it's already winter...."

Steve laughed and pulled them up to the next tree, leaning Tony against it for a short break. "It might surprise ya to know, Tones, but we learned how ta count and everything, even without our fingers, back in the forties..."

Tony glanced up at him, suddenly all too aware of the super soldier's proximity. He was leaning over him, Steve's palm flat against the tree above Tony's head. "Took you over twenty two years to learn to count?" He quipped. "We usually start that in preschool..."

"Ya know, Tones," he chuckled softly. "I'm starting to figure you out...the longer we stay like this...won't be long, I'll speak Tony Stark..."

Before Tony could reply with what would undoubtedly be a smartass and likely biting quip his head snapped up. "Come on. Back on," he ordered as he lifted him again. "Train's comin. Rather get on it than have to walk the tracks."

________

Hello peoples 😊 so sorry I vanished on you again. I basically lost all of September to Covid 😷 so that sucked all of the balls. And I started feeling it on my birthday too so...bitter bout that lol.

Anywhoooo I'm better now and here you get an update yay!!!