Rumors

The Captain had been having a bad day, simple as that. Nothing in particular went very wrong. He woke up in a bitter mood and was destined to go to bed in one. He just felt . . . down. He had argued with Tony all day, as usual, when arguing was the last thing he wanted to do. He thought Tony was adorable. It was torture, and he didn't even have anyone to share these feelings with.

Just as Steve was dropping onto the couch in the main lounging room, thinking about Tony, Clint Barton entered the room, sandwich in his hand. "What's up, Cap?"

"Nothing."

Clint, noticing Steve's dejected tone, fell onto the couch and looked at him curiously. "Something wrong?" He took a bite of his sandwich with a crunch.

"No."

"Aw, come on," Clint said, swallowing. "I know you better than that."

Steve looked over at Clint, his lips pursed. After a moment of debate, he asked, "Clint, can you keep a secret?"

A simple nod came from the spy, a bulge in his cheek and an innocent look on his face.

Steve took a breath. "I..." He was second-guessing this; a pause. Rip it off like a band-aid. "IkindalikeTony."

Clint raised an eyebrow. "I hope you know I got none of that."

Steve let out another deep sigh. He tried to slow his speech. "I kind of like Tony," emphasis on every word.

Clint eyed him. "Well, duh."

Steve's eyes popped. "What?"

"Chill, no one else knows," Clint shrugged. "I just pick up on things. It's my job."

Steve looked away, down at the floor. "Oh." He hesitated, then looked back up at Clint. "No one else knows?"

"Nope," Clint smiled.

**

"He likes who?"

"Shh, shut up!" Clint whispered.

Natasha's jaw had dropped when Clint told her the news. "And he just... told you this?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Just came out and said it."

Natasha's eyes were wide in surprise. "I never would've thought... And you're sure?"

"Yep."

"No way."

"Hey, listen, don't tell anyone," Clint said. "I wasn't supposed to tell you."

"Yeah, yeah, of course..."

**

Natasha was in the hot tub with Pepper, who she had strangely become friends with. They enjoyed each others' strength, most likely.

"Their constant fighting is just so -- ugh!" Pepper groaned.

Steve and Tony had been arguing all day, over stupid little things, like what was considered a good lunch, and then they just starting nit-picking, fighting over the same things they always did.

"I know!" Natasha agreed. "I mean, Steve just needs to hurry up and get on with it, we all know."

"We all know what?" Pepper asked, her expression confused.

Natasha's face froze in horror. I was not supposed to say that. "Nothing."

"No, no, tell me," Pepper said, a mischievous grin on her lips.

Natasha shook her head. "I can't."

"Please?"

She paused, then sighed. "Fine, but you can't tell anyone."

Pepper nodded.

"Steve likes Tony."

Pepper raised her eyebrows in shock. "No way."

"Clint told me," Natasha nodded. "He said that Steve told him personally. But no one else can know."

"Of course," Pepper agreed.

Thor had just walked into the pool area and heard every bit.

**

He hadn't intended on telling anyone, honest. It just sort of.. slipped out. He had been talking to Bruce, who we got along well with, surprisingly. They were just casually talking, when it came out.

"Have you heard the news?" he asked Bruce, who gave him a look.

"What news?"

"The Captain."

"No..."

"I have heard news of him fancying Mr. Stark."

Bruce looked up at the man with furrowed eyebrows. "This is news?"

"You knew?"

"Well, it was sort of obvious," Bruce shrugged.

"What was sort of obvious?" Tony came waltzing into the room, a cocky smile on his face.

"Nothing," Bruce said inconspicuously.

"The Captain's liking for you," Thor blurted out. Right after he said it, his eyes went wide. "Er, I mean --"

"Wait, what?" Tony paused. "The Captain's what?"

"Nothing."

"No, no," Tony said, waving a finger in the air. "Do you mean to say that the all-righteous, patriotic Captain America, the one and only Steve Rogers, has a crush on me?"

Bruce and Thor both just looked kind of guilty and embarrassed.

"Oh," Tony grinned, "I've got to talk to him about this."

**

"Hey, Cap!" Tony called down the hall, spotting Steve at the very end, looking out the window.

Steve turned to see Tony and sighed, returning to look out the window. "I'm really not in the mood for another argument over which foods constitute as lunch foods."

"No, no," Tony grinned, his hands outward as if to signify his welcoming. "I'm here to discuss something completely different."

"And what would that be? Breakfast foods?" Steve replied sarcastically.

"Actually, dinner foods. How do you feel about Italian?"

Steve looked at Tony dubiously. "What are you talking about?"

"Dinner," he answered smugly. "You, me, some Italian."

Steve furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head at the genius standing before him who had seemed to have lost his mind. "I don't understand."

"I'm asking you on a date, Flag Boy," Tony remarked. "You'd think you'd pick up on someone flirting with you."

Steve's expression didn't change. "Why...?"

"I caught wind that you have a crush on me," Tony smirked.

The Captain shook his head, speechless. He never should have trusted Clint. He raised an eyebrow. "And this is your way of humiliating me. Nice. I didn't think you'd stoop so low."

Tony scrunched up his face, genuinely confused. "You're not even denying it?"

"Why should I?"

Tony froze for a moment, looking into Steve's eyes. It only took a second for him to do it. He lunged forward and crashed his lips on Steve's, clasping both of his shoulders in his hands.

Steve was so caught off guard he didn't even register the action until seconds later, when Tony pulled away. His mouth hung open in shock, staring at Tony, partly frightened as to what might have possessed Tony to do such a thing, partly shocked because wow, and partly elated because Tony just kissed him.

The only thing his mind could actually comprehend was what.

Tony raised his eyebrows. "You okay there, Cap?"

The sound of Tony's voice knocked him out of shock. "Uh, yeah... I mean... What the hell was that?"

"Whoa, don't start swearing there, buddy," Tony joked. "I was asing you out to dinner before you started telling me I was stooping so low for asking--"

"Wait--" Steve paused "You were serious?"

"Hell yeah, I was serious!" Tony exclaimed.

Steve furrowed his eyebrows. "Oh."

"So," Tony said, a bit frustrated. "Italian, Friday night, eight o'clock?"

Steve took in a breath. He raised an eyebrow. Then he grinned and kissed Tony once more, capturing his lips softly.

He pulled away and smiled. "Can't wait."

Notes

Thanks for reading!