Deep Blue

"Sorry, the computer was moving a little slow for me."

Those words haunted Tony Stark. The computer Steve Rogers was talking about was Tony's unparalleled creation: JARVIS, his Just A Rather Very Intelligent System state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence. He had never been beaten before by any human or machine. It hit Tony in his own domain.

When they won the war against Loki, Captain Rogers proved himself as a master tactician and leader - a soldier - and the Avengers became a team under his orders.

But now, arriving at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s infirmary, Tony couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was a living nightmare. Had it turned into a Captain America fan club? Everybody was talking about how Captain Rogers confronted Director Fury about Coulson's last wishes and funeral, and easily uncovered the truth - that Coulson was alive.

"It was my time to watch 'you while you were sleeping'," Steve was saying to a grateful Phil when Tony and Pepper arrived at the agent's room. "Ms. Potts, Stark, please, come in. I'm sorry but I need to talk to his doctor, I'll be right back." Steve used his newfound status as a Full Bird Colonel, having been posthumously promoted after the end of the war, to take charge of the agent's recovery.

Phil couldn't stop smiling.

"Steve!" Pepper smiled while the Captain kissed her hand and left.

Of course Tony was more than relieved to see Phil alive, but that didn't sound right. "Why is he 'Steve'? His first name is 'Captain'."

They were talking to Phil when the other visitors arrived, and suddenly Captain America became the subject of adulation.

"Fury almost choked when Steve said that Loki's scepter 'works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon'," Phil was happy remembering his hero unveiling one more of Fury's secrets.

"My... brother," Thor struggled with the word, "misled me with his quest of vengeance, and dragged it out, as the Captain foresaw. It takes a commander to recognize another's strategy. I apologize profusely for all the pain he caused you, Son of Coul."

Phil smiled, "It wasn't your fault, my friend, but apology accepted."

"Captain Rogers correctly guessed that they would need a 'particular kind of power source' to 'kick-start the Cube' - your arc-reactor at Stark Tower." Agent Hill smiled at Tony's displeasure.

"He jumped seven decades to lead unknown people with unprecedented skills against 'an army from outer space'!" Phil was so proud of his hero.

"Capsicle was frozen for sixty-six years. He went down in 1945, woke up in 2011. 66 years." Tony refused to round up to Fury's claim that he had been under for 'almost 70 years'.

"He knew exactly how to use our different skills." And, in a whisper Clint added, "He accepted me back. No questions, no blame. He trusted me." If Coulson was the President of the Captain America fan club, Clint was the Vice President.

"Cap didn't know any of us, and he trusted us," Natasha looked at her partner, "and he was right about wanting to know 'why Loki let us take him'. I had to pour my heart out to him to discover that he wanted to unleash the Hulk."

"I've never known the Other Guy to take orders." Bruce added, almost euphoric. "And Steve found Fury's weapons before JARVIS!"

And then Tony couldn't take it anymore. He excused himself and left. He needed to be far away from this crazy fan club!

Back at the tower, Tony had the same question in mind. How in hell had this 94-year-old guy beaten his cutting edge computer technology?

He remembered Pepper's old gift engraved with the words, "Proof that Tony Stark has a Heart." He does have a heart. And he was hurt. Most of all, he was worried about hurting JARVIS. But he had no other choice. He knew it.

Finally, Tony told JARVIS everything that happened at the helicarrier, and asked how the Captain could solve the problem before him.

In order to answer his master, JARVIS talked to Steve, and learned that he used his visual memory and graphical logic to determine the most probable secret storage areas, from the ship's basic maps, and used his experience as an extractor during the war.

Tony wasn't really surprised, or satisfied. He did his homework - he read the files and knew that Steve was an artist before joining the Army, before becoming Captain America. That's why Tony had used visual cues to teach him how to check the relays at the engine control panel, when they worked together saving the helicarrier. Tony Stark was a genius after all.

But even he could never anticipate this result.

In the subsequent days JARVIS was working with Steve, more than with Tony. The AI's main function is the learning process. Everything old about Captain Rogers was new to JARVIS. Not historical facts, but his active thinking process without any resources of the new century. JARVIS' processors were working at full capacity as if he was... happy.

The AI would quote Captain Rogers all the time, and talk about how he was helping with everything, even with the building reconstruction. He would display a graphic and Steve would draw something and tell how he felt about it.

"Feelings and Artificial Intelligence don't fit together, JARVIS." Tony was jealous.

He had no other way to say it. "JARVIS has a crush on Captain America." Of course Pepper didn't take him seriously.

A few days later, Steve arrived at Tony's lab with a schematic in hand. "Stark, I'm sorry to interrupt, but do you have a moment?"

Tony gasped. It was one of Iron Man's armor schematics, full of handwritten drawings.

"I'm not sure about this," Steve pointed to the diagrams, "but... Look, I'm really sorry for what I said at the helicarrier. I know we were under Loki's scepter's influence, but you proved me wrong. You are a good man. So, this is my way to apologize. I asked JARVIS to help me find an easy access point to check your pulse, in case we needed it again," both men remembered when Tony fell from the sky at the end of the NYC battle, "but I don't know exactly what I'm looking at... I made some sketches... it felt right but..."

Tony was about to fry JARVIS circuits for giving Steve his highly secret schematics, but then he looked at Steve's sketches and stopped. He put the schematic at his table. "JARVIS, 'I need a manipulable projection', highlight the new sketches. Focus here." He started to work with the holographic images, adjusting some parts, when he saw it. He really saw what Steve meant with 'felt right'.

Steve was mesmerized as Tony connected the holographic Iron Man armor and his sketches.

"Steve - and call me Tony - look here," he pressed a point at the armor's chest, "we'll add a hidden button here" and a safety port opened, "you'll need to press this point inside right here and it'll open." It was a really easy and safe way to access his chest. "I'll put sensors, only you can open it, right? So please don't die before you save me." The look Tony gave to Steve was something his deep blue eyes had never seen before. It was full of gratitude.

They kept talking for hours, working together, and everything else was forgotten, because Tony was happy. And he finally saw Steve Rogers - a smart 28-year-old young man, eager to learn from him.

"Tony," Steve was smiling too, "You really are a genius! I can't thank you enough. I'm working with a computer, learning and it's fun! I'd never imagine my art connected with science. Only you could make me not miss all those years I was under. I am proud of you. And I know Howard would be proud of you too. I'm grateful for all the time he searched for me, but now, with your help, I'm finding me. Thank you, Tony." Steve couldn't find enough words.

And Tony was almost speechless... for a while.

"I'm sorry, Steve. I was wrong too. No bottle could make a brain or a heart like yours." Not that he'd ever admit it, but Tony was finally ok to be in the Steve Rogers' fan club! "But back off, Capsicle, JARVIS is mine!"

Sounding uncertain, JARVIS asked, "Sir?"

And both men burst out laughing.

Captain America and Iron Man are team mates. But Steve Rogers and Tony Stark can be friends.