Tony buried himself in his work after that. The two of them didn't speak much - Only the occasional greeting to keep up face.

Though his hopes were no longer present, the tasks they left behind gave Tony something to drive towards. He put himself into his work trice as much, completing things at a rate too fast to give him enjoyment any longer. He simply did it so he'd be exhausted when he went to bed and wouldn't have to spend time, lying there, thinking of how stupid the whole idea had been in the first place.

Steve rather liked the suit, once he'd finished programming it. It felt... Familiar. He kept both it and the shield safely tucked away, hidden behind doors that could only be opened by a button beneath his desk's top surface. On the occasional afternoon, when he was all alone, and all his employees went home, he would pull it out and put it on - Just to make sure it still fit properly, of course. He never mentioned it to anyone.

Nearly a year passed. The dreams didn't happen any less. As a matter of fact, they happened more and more often, as if to mock him. Tony came to despise them - The heros he once idolized.

And then came the blonde.

Leena Moran was charming and kind and bright. Something about her drew Steve in like no one he'd ever met before. Well, no one he'd remember, anyways. Tony found himself hating her from the moment her perfectly sculpted face made the press alongside the successful businessman. In his countless rants, Tony found Charlie agreed. The two of them would sit around every now and again, deciding the best way to plot her murder. Of their many conversations, Charlie's suggestion of trapping her in pocket universe where she aged at an alarming rate and watched herself grow old and ugly before her very eyes was one of his favourites. It was a pass-time they could both turn to and it created a friendship between them.

"You know, Charlie," Tony said, one evening, recovering from a particularly good laugh about their most recent plans of murder, "You're not that bad."

"Thanks, Mister Stark," she smiled.

"You know, last time I had a secretary like you, she became the CEO of my company," Tony stated.

"Um... I'm fairly certain they didn't," she frowned, "Considering you've been the CEO since you acquired it."

"The point is," Tony rolled his eyes, "Wonderful things are going to happen to you."

"If you say so, Sir," Charlie rolled her eyes, "I really should be getting home for the night."

"Yes, yes... Of course," Tony nodded, "Good night. Drive safely."

"Good night, Mister Stark," she bid farewell, getting up and grabbing her coat from where she left it hanging on the back of the couch after her original attempt to leave had failed.

He let her go, thinking just how nice it would be to have a Miss Potts at a time like this.

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"Leena?" Steve walked into their bedroom, looking for his partner. He glanced into the room, hesitating in the doorway. She was muttering to herself. He silently stepped closer to try and hear what she was saying.

"No. I've got the Captain wrapped around my fingers," there was a pause, as if she was listening to someone, "He's the naive one, Sir. I highly doubt-" There was another pause and this time she frowned, "Of course... Steve Rogers will be eliminated." Steve's eye widened and he nearly ran from the room right then and there, but her next line caught him for just a moment longer.

"One by one, all the Avengers will be eliminated."

He slowy backed out of the room, making for a mad dash as soon as he was out of sight. Leena caught a slight sound and looked around, confused. She poked her head of of the bedroom, looking for someone, "Steve?"

No reply came. She just shrugged it off as nothing.

Steve Rogers made a call.