The Invention Left By A Little Stark | Book 2

16) Flowers & Confessions

After showering, Tony was ready to leave.

His plan was to take his suit to buy flowers and get to the cemetery to meet Pepper and then they would ride home together. He also needed to test out some new upgrades anyway so the plan seemed convenient enough.

"Hey, J, order those purple flowers I like from Rosa in Fiore. Tell Stefano I'll be there soon. Five minutes. Ten max."

"Yes, boss." JARVIS replied.

Tony pressed the elevator button as soon as he arrived and began to wait patiently for it to come up.

"Hey, Tony." A voice said from behind him.

"Jesus H. Christ-" Tony muttered, spinning around to see Steve walking up to him. "You need a bell or something. You know I have a heart condition."

Steve smiled innocently. "Sorry."

They exchanged a more formal greeting before Steve asked another question.

"Did you start the mission summary?"

Tony looked extremely guilty. "Gotta be honest, Rogers, I had my computer and my notes and I just... I could not be bothered. Not in the slightest."

Steve scoffed as another smile graced his features. "Figures. You can take a look at mine."

"Gee, thanks, Cap." Tony smirked at him. "You definitely kissed the teacher's ass in school, didn't you?"

"Hey, watch your language."

Tony laughed out loud at that. "Yes, sir."

After a moment, the elevator doors opened and the two of them stepped inside. Tony hit the button for the floor which housed his lab and Steve hit the button for the communal kitchen.

"Late afternoon snack, huh?" Tony joked.

Steve shrugged. "Something like that. You've got lab work?"

"Something like that." He teased him. "I'm meeting Pepper for a date thing."

"That sounds nice."

"You, uh... You want to join? Pepper and I have been thinking about exploring our sexual fantasies."

The reaction was priceless. Steve's face turned beet red in an instant and he avoided eye contact by looking down at the floor. He muttered something incomprehensible for a few seconds before taking a very deep gulp of air.

"I prefer a one-on-one commitment." He mumbled, still not wanting to look at his friend. "I don't want to... I-I wouldn't want to intrude. And I have paperwork to do."

Tony was turning red himself, only his reason was for trying not to laugh at the look on the super soldier's face. If he had his phone in his hand he most definitely would've taken a picture.

The doors then opened to the kitchen and Steve practically bolted out of sight. Tony snorted to himself and watched the doors close again with a smirk.

He couldn't help but wonder - no matter how intrusive the thoughts - if Steve had even had sex before. He thought it must've happened before the super soldier serum because he wasn't exactly a young man back then either. Then again, based on the stories he'd heard and pictures he'd seen, he found it hard to believe that a man as scrawny and ill as Steve could get with anyone at all.

Tony then thought about arranging a date for him. Or he'd get Steve's new best friend Falcon - otherwise known as Sam Wilson - to do it for him. With that thought in mind, Tony finally got to his lab.

"Is the suit ready, JARVIS?"

"Yes, sir."

He pushed open the door and the warmth enveloped him like a shawl, causing a familiar smile to show on his face. Through the glare of the white lights, Dum-E perked up at the appearance of his creator.