I'll Always Have Your Back

"L-T-G‒"

"It's L-G-B-T-Q. Usually."

"Right."

Tony Stark sat by Steve Rogers in the compound in up-state New York. The others were out for the day in training or in meetings ‒whatever they did when they weren't in the compound; Tony didn't really know. If any trouble arose, FRIDAY would notify him. Tony sighed. He would rather be in his lab, drawing up the blueprints for his most recent propulsion ideas. It was the thought of Peter that kept him steady. This was for Peter. He needed to be able to reassure his spider-kid that it was safe for him to be himself in the compound.

"What's the B, again?" Steve asked. He didn't expect a conversation like this when Stark sat down in the living area with him, but it seemed important to Tony that he understand this acronym and add these terms to his modern vocabulary. So Steve listened intently.

"Bisexual." Tony looked down and squeezed his coffee mug tighter. This conversation was much more difficult than he anticipated. Before Peter, the last time that Tony talked about this stuff was with Pepper. She had held him and reminded him not to be afraid of his own feelings.

"Right." Steve looked over at Tony. His friend looked nearly paralyzed, staring into the black coffee. He felt guilty for not researching this term earlier. Of course, he had seen it before in newspapers and things, but it never felt relevant to him. Growing up, the kids that would corner Steve in alleyways would often throw the word queer in his face, followed quickly by fists. Now, it seems that these people had their own flags and symbols and parades. This wasn't an Avengers-sized problem: this was a good thing. People were being accepted for who they were and they didn't have to hide. It warmed the soldier's heart. But one letter in the acronym remained unclear. "And the T is for 'transgender'. I still don't quite understand," he trailed off.

"People are born and we assign a gender to them based on their genitals. Some people feel that the doctors made the wrong decision, that their gender is different than the one that was assigned to them." Tony took a breath. He wished that Peter could be here to explain for himself, but he also understood why the kid was so afraid. It was like teaching a white, straight, cisgender, eighty-year-old grandpa. The grandpa whose arm muscles were twice the size of your legs. But he was also the grandpa that knocked out Adolf Hitler over two hundred times, so Tony knew he could get Rogers to understand. Tony continued, "It's, like, you know you're a guy. And you'd still know that you're a guy even if the lower half of your body got blown off. It's the same way for trans people: they just know."

Steve nodded slowly. He wasn't sure that he completely understood the concept, but he could accept somebody's word. If someone says they're a woman, then that's what they are. "Why are you telling me this now?" Steve asked.

Tony continued to stare into his cup. He wouldn't 'out' Peter. But Cap would be pretty concerned if Tony gave no reason at all. It had been a long conversation about LGBTQ history and rights. Sure, the Avengers occasionally spoke out in support of human rights in the world, but this topic wasn't critical for their current missions. The two men could have been working on things to push the team forward. What could he say to justify the past couple of hours?

Steve watched Tony intently. His friend was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, his head hung and his eyes closed. Concerned, Steve reached over to lay a hand on Tony's shoulder. "Is everything‒"

"I'm bi," Tony suddenly blurted out, cutting Steve off. "You know, the B." He let out a shaky breath. Tony had never used the word to describe himself despite knowing how well it described his feelings. Tony looked up into his friend's eyes. There was an openness there.

Steve gave a warm smile. From his newly-founded education, he knew what to say: "Thanks for trusting me. You know I'll always have your back regardless of who you're with."

Tony's chest filled with emotion. Setting down the mug, he put his face in his hands. He didn't want Cap to catch him crying.

Steve gave a chuckle before moving closer to Tony. "It's alright." Steve draped his arm across Tony's shoulders and brought his friend closer and into a full hug. They remained like that for what felt like hours to Tony, but it was only a few minutes before FRIDAY was alerting them to the arrival of Bruce and Thor. Tony pulled away, and it wasn't long before heavy emotions were replaced by the laughter of friends. They had each other's backs. Always.