So hi guys, or the ones who are still connected with this story that I finished a few months ago. I've been thinking and reading through this book and felt so unsatisfied with the ending. Not because I believe it's bad, but because I don't think I'll have time to write a whole new book. So this is basically the new ending of this book. Hopefully a better one idk.
So let's see where this goes and if I remember how to write these characters!
******
Year 2031
The crowd of people outside the huge building was loud and cheerful. Cameras could be seen in every corner and the red carpet leading up to the entrance was surrounded by nice-looking people, although the carpet was rather empty as all the guests had already arrived. But there was still one person who hadn't arrived, someone that no one had expected to come. Mostly because he was supposed to be dead.
"Okay make way, move please I'm a security guard professionally and privately hired by Tony Stark. Yes, you heard me now move!"
A woman with short-cut hair looked at the big man with a narrower forehead. He had accidentally pushed her in her back, causing her to almost fall against the cameraman in front of her. "Then what are you doing out here?" She asked annoyed.
Happy Hogan turned to her quickly, his tough expression changing at the sight of her. "Sorry ma'am, didn't mean to... you know- whatever." Happy stuttered awkwardly before remembering his mission and he stubbornly made his way through the crowd towards the open doors of the building.
"Damn it, this is the last time Tony, the last time!" He muttered to himself before finally reaching the doors.
"Last time for what?"
Happy looked up at the person who had spoken, his angry muttering ending as a relieved look appeared on his face. "Officer Rhodes, finally someone I know."
James Rhodes tilted his head in suspicion while raising his eyebrow. He had a glass of champagne in his hand while he stood at the entrance of the door, his other hand casually in his suit pocket. "Is there a problem Happy?" He asked, eyeing the man up and down a few times before his eyes landed on the office bag under Happy's arm. The man seemed to notice the glare because he cleared his throat and hid it behind his back.
"What's that?" Rhodes asked. Happy opened his mouth to answer but closed it quickly, thinking through what to answer.
"Uuh-" Happy stuttered before laughing nervously. Rhodes raised his eyebrow and took a sip from his champagne, watching the other man intensely. "It's private Stark business." Happy finally said.
Rhodey raised both his eyebrows. "Private Stark business?"
"Yep."
"Stark business?"
"That's what I said." Happy said and Rhodey looked even more suspicious. "Do you know where he is?" Happy asked after a few seconds of awkward silence.
Rhodey looked him up and down a few times, making Happy even more nervous as he shifted a little where he stood. But finally, Rhodes smiled and nodded his head in the right direction as he turned on his heel and made his way inside. Happy sighed in relief before he followed the Air Force officer. Finally inside the main hall full of well-known and famous people, Happy spotted the man he was looking for in the bar area. He took a step into the hall but stooped in surprise when someone had placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Do you have a card?" A man in a suit and black glasses asked him.
"Card?" Happy asked and turned to Rhodes.
"You don't have a passcard?" Rhodes asked surprised and Happy looked at him confused.
"No I don't, Tony said I didn't need one-" Happy cut himself off in realization. He looked into the room and watched the famous billionaire with empty eyes. Rhodes looked at him, then and Tony, and back again, slowly starting to understand that apparently the billionaire hadn't spoken the truth.
"Look man, I'm sorry, but Tony is Tony. He doesn't really want bodyguards around when he's doing..that." James nodded towards the man who placed his arm around a woman's shoulder. Happy didn't answer and Rhodes looked at him with his lips in a line. "Is that bag important?" He suddenly asked and Happy didn't answer.
"I can give it to him." Rhodes offered. "I honestly don't want to know what's inside so don't worry about me opening it." He said quickly after seeing the look on the other man's face.
Happy looked at him for a bit, considering the offer before sighing and giving him the bag. "Thanks."
Rhodey waved it off. "No problem. Go home and get some rest." He said before nodding at the security guard and making his way into the huge room, his direction set towards the famous man on the couch. He heard how Happy said something like "I should wait outside. Just in case." behind him, but didn't pay much attention to it as he kindly excused himself while passing through the crowed people. He muttered a small curse when he felt someone extremely drunk bump into him rather aggressively, but he decided to ignore it and keep going.
Tony Stark was settled in the middle of the crowd. A drink in his hand and a big smile on his face. The woman he was talking to seemed hypnotized and Rhodey couldn't help but roll his eyes at him. So many years, but still the same playboy as before. Just a lot richer, smarter, and famous. Right, fame. That was something he had had for a long time. But this time it was for something good instead of making a bunch of dangerous weapons. Now he was the weapon. Yay.
"Sorry to interrupt. I need to borrow this man, thank you." James started after finally reaching the billionaire, the sentence meant for the ladies.
Tony looked up at him questioning, the arm around the woman's shoulder not moving as a smile grew on his lips. "Rhodes, didn't know you were here." The billionaire said.
James looked at him unimpressed. "Just arrived, and so did Happy. He wanted you to have this." He said and showed the bag in his hand. Tony's eyes rested on it for a few seconds before he excused himself with a flirtatious smile and left the ladies alone on the couch.
"Why'd you bring that here?" He asked lowly and took the bag quickly away from James, who gave him a cold look.
"Something important?" He asked while Tony turned his back to him and walked away. He followed quickly. "Tony."
"What?" Tony asked over his shoulder.
"Is there something you should tell me?" Rhodey asked suspiciously, finally catching up with the other man as he stopped at a stand-up table far from the crowds.
Tony took a glass of champagne from one of the passing waiters and took a long sip before looking at him. "Okay look, it's nothing bad, just something I need to improve the suit." He assured him.
Rhodes raised his eyebrows. "Your suit?"
"You live under a rock these days? Yes, my suit. Iron Man. Ring any bells?"
"I know what you're talking about. I just don't understand why you can't just keep building your suits from scratch instead of suspiciously smuggling something in a bag." Rhodes said, his voice low and calm, while his eyes seemed less at peace.
"It's science, Rhodes. Don't worry about it."
"Every time you say that, I become more worried."
Tony snorted in amusement before he returned to drinking his champagne, Rhodes copying his action as they watched the people in the room. Rhodey could spot a group of scientists on the other side of the room. They were all listening to a young boy, who nervously explained something with his eyes focused on everything that wasn't their faces.
"How's he doing?" Rhodey asked, making Tony look in the same direction as him. He smiled slightly.
"Right now, no idea. But I think he'll manage." Tony explained. Looking at the young adult a few meters from them.
"He was lucky to find you again." Rhodey said. "He would probably have gotten here anyway, but thanks to you, he did it at a young age."
"He still has a long way to go." Tony said lowly. "This was the least I could do for him, after everything his Aunt and Uncle did for me."
Rhodes looked at his friend with a sad look in his eyes before smiling. "Just make sure to not drag him with you into the whole Iron Man thing. Peter is a good kid."
Tony looked at Rhodey with a calm look. "Who do you think I am?"
"An ass."
"I said who, not what."
They smiled at each other with knowing looks on their faces before returning to their previous act. Tony couldn't help but smile when his eyes traveled to the kid once in a while. He did look a little overwhelmed and when the scientists had turned the attention away from him, he released a little sigh of relief.
"Any lead on Anderson?" Rhodes broke the silence with a low voice and Tony stiffened at the question.
"No, I've been occupied." The billionaire said unpleased. "But I'll find him." Tony said lowly, almost threatening as his eyes turned slightly dark by the sound of the man's name.
Rhodes seemed slightly shocked by the sudden change in Tony's voice, but he hummed agreeing. "You should. After what he did to Ryan I'm surprised he's still alive."
"Don't talk about Ryan." Tony snapped. "He was an idiot letting himself get killed while I was in that cave. If he would've waited a single day, I would've been there, with my suit, and helped him."
"I don't think anyone could've helped him."
"Don't.."
"He had cancer Tony. " Tony looked at his friend with a sharp look. They had discussed this many times before, and it always ended the same way with them staring at each other for a good couple of seconds. Only this time, the sound of the people around them getting louder interrupted them.
"What's going on?" Tony mumbled confused while stretching his neck to get a better look.
Rhodey looked at him surprised. "You don't know?"
"No? Know what?"
"You don't know who the special guest of this party is?"
"Pretty sure that guest is me."
"How the f- how long have you been locked in that workshop of yours?!"
"First of all) the door wasn't locked. Second of all) I had better things to-" Tony's words disappeared on his tongue when he saw how a tall man in a black suit stepped into the room they were in, talking with someone who seemed to be some form of general. The people around them started to mumble with each other. Words as "is that really him?", "I didn't think it was true", " when did he arrive here?".
Tony himself had so many questions he couldn't seem to think clearly. Apparently, his lungs believed he could manage without them because he couldn't seem to breathe either. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again shortly, too shocked to get out a single word.
"You okay?" Rhodey asked, slightly concerned by his friend's behavior.
Tony swallowed. "H-how?" He asked. "I thought he was..dead."
"So did many, but he woke up about a week ago. Seems like S.H.I.E.L.D has hidden more from the world than we thought. The poor guy has been in a coma for the past seven years."
Tony only seemed to pay only half attention to what the other was telling him. His eyes were glued on the blond man just a couple of meters away from him. He looked just like Tony remembered him, only way more handsome and muscular. But still, Tony didn't seem to recognize him fully. Steve was looking at the general in front of him with a numb facial expression and Tony could bet on that he was listening just as much as Tony was listening to Rhodes ramble right now.
"He's lucky he missed the pandemic. Maybe somebody should tell him about the- where are you going?" Rhodey cut himself off when he saw how Tony drank up his drink in one swing and took Rhodey's full glass instead.
"Business baby." Tony said.
James rolled his eyes.
*******
"Are you feeling all right, Mr.Rogers?"
Steve looked at the smaller and older man next to him with tired eyes. He tried not to grimace unkindly at him as he answered. "I'm fine." He said shortly and uncomfortably, not sure if the other had bought the small attempt for a smile. "Just a little...overwhelmed," he said, finishing his sentence by looking at the people around him again. The man next to him seemed to ignore his stiff facial expression as he kept talking about every boring thing Steve could think of right now.
He threw the man a glance before returning to his drink, the liquid nice and bubbly on his tongue. He tried not to think about the quiet voices and whispers around him. He had gotten used to it, before the time that was gone from his conscious. He didn't even remember the cold or the darkness. Maybe it was for the best. The memory gap wasn't as bad as the fact that this wasn't the year 2024. It was 2031.
7 years. He had been gone for 7 years. Of course, it could have been worse, but waking up and realizing that he had missed 7 years of life was...unimaginable. It didn't feel right. People he spoke to hadn't believed their ears when he told them that he didn't remember anything. He had no idea how he had ended up in a coma, or how bad the whole situation had been. And the worst part was realizing how many people he had lost before and after..
Steve closed his eyes while inhaling in slight irritation. This man beside him really didn't know when to stop talking, did he? His excited voice asked question after question and Steve tries to answer politely with yes and no answers. Let's just say that fighting world war three had been easier...
"Steve Rogers?"
Steve had just opened his mouth to answer one of the man's questions when he heard his name being said behind him. He took another deep breath, preparing himself for even more questions before turning around. His mouth opened in disbelief.
*****
Tony Stark?"
Tony smiled smugly at Steve's surprised facial expression before nodding. He looked at the soldier with warm eyes through his glasses, not being able to take his eyes off what he was looking at. The blond man in front if he was tall and muscular, more muscular than before, with his strong neck and rough hands that were holding the champagne glass. Tony wouldn't be surprised if people thought the glass was going to crack in the middle of a conversation. However, that was impossible. Those blue eyes were still the same, and so must Steve's incredible gentleness also be.
"Mr.Stark." Tony raised his eyebrow when the general next to Steve suddenly spoke. "Can we help you?"
Tony looked at him unimpressed. "I'm afraid not. Am I interrupting something?"
"In a matter of fact, you are. Mr. Rogers and I was just talking about-"
"Sorry Mr. Toxic, but Mr. Rogers doesn't give a shit about what you're talking about." Tony smirked in satisfaction when Steve couldn't hold his amused chuckle and tried to hide it by taking a sip from his champagne glass.
The general looked at him with angry eyes. "What do you know Mr. Stark? It isn't like your statements are any better."
"And still more people were asleep during your speech."
"You didn't even have a speech."
"Which is why everybody loves me." Tony said calmly, throwing Steve a knowing look as the general in front of him decided to walk away from the conversation with frustrated steps.
The two men looked at each other for a long while, finally alone...kind of. Tony's sudden appearance had apparently caught not only Steve's attention but the people around them too. It wasn't every day two very special men stood in the middle of the room. Tony didn't mind though, he was used to the constant stearing and glaring, but Steve on other hand didn't seem so pleased.
The billionaire glanced at the people around them before looking at Steve's wrinkled forehead and concerned look, the realization quickly hitting him.
"Come on." He said lowly and turned on his heel, causing Steve to look at him questioning before following shortly after. Steve walked with quick steps, excusing himself and Tony while they made their way through the crowds.
"Where are we going?" Steve asked lowly as they finally made their way away from all the people and up a pair of stairs.
"Somewhere quiet." Tony answered without looking over his shoulder. As he finally reach the end of the stairs, he opened a door and the cold air of the night was let inside.
Steve smiled thankfully and followed outside, sighing in relief and breathing in the fresh air into his lungs as Tony closed the door behind them. They now stood on a balcony. A rather small balchony with only a low glass table, two small couches and plastic flowers decorated in lights.
"Thanks." Steve said as Tony appeared next to him.
"No problem." Tony said nonchalantly before holding up a bottle of more champagne in his hand.
Steve smiled. "Where did you get that?" He asked.
Tony smiled at him smugly before filling Steves's glass and putting the bottle on the table. They stood there in silence. Eyes locked as they listened to the cars from the street and the calm sound of the wind, none of them having the courage to speak. Tony swallowed a little nervously, not being able to remember the last time he felt this sweaty about opening his mouth. Standing there in front of the person he had tried to forget, made a strong feeling of guilt grow in the pit of his stomach. Watching Steve, breathing the same air as Steve, looking into his eyes...it felt so..familiar, but strange at the same time.
"Nice beard." Tony had almost forgotten that Steve was there before the blond suddenly spoke with a small smile.
Tony laughed a little. "Thanks." He said, eyeing the other up and down a few times. "You're taller than I remember." He pointed out.
"Yeah...I guess the serum worked its wonders." Steve said and Tony was once again reminded that they both were not the teens they once were.
"So you're actually a captain now." Tony said, sipping his champagne while turning to the railing of the balcony. A very nice and black railing with thick material.
"You could say that." Steve smiled, following him and stopping right next to the billionaire.
"Superhero?" Tony teased and Steve raised an eyebrow. Tony had to roll his eyes. "I followed your time as Captain America. Let's say I was a little bit of a.." Tony stopped as he didn't know if he wanted to bring it up.
"Creepy ex?" Steve smiled. Tony answered him with a smile of his own. "I wasn't any better." Steve kept going. "I think I was really bad at keeping distance. I tried to find you so many times and I stalked you on every social media for months, even after I finished art school and went to the army."
Tony chuckled. "I want to say that I completely stayed away from you. But that would be a lie."
Steve smiled, a small silence once again sinking over them as looked at each other's appearances. Tony knew already as a teen that he would never get tired of looking at Steve's body, and right now, he couldn't take his eyes off.
"So...you're Iron man." Steve suddenly stated with a small inhale. "When did that happen?" He asked.
Tony looked down at the liquid in his glass, trying to hide the small blush that for some reason wanted to appear. God he couldn't remember the last time he had blushed at something. "During the war I guess. Let's just say being kidnapped must be in my nature."
Steve's eyes widened. "You were kidnapped? Again?" He asked, concern showing in his eyes.
"Yeah, surprise." Tony responded sarcastically, flashes of cold water and darkness slipping through his mind. He closed his eyes as he turned his head away from Steve's eyes, realizing that bringing it up again after such a long time wasn't such a good idea for him.
"I'm so sorry Tony." Steve said.
"Don't be." Tony interrupted quickly. "If it wasn't for my past I wouldn't be Iron man."
Steve smiled before also looking down at the street, the sky incredibly dark as the clock was on its way to midnight.
"I was awake when you disappeared. People think you just left for a vacation or something." Steve said and Tony couldn't help but snort at the information.
"It was a very long vacation in that case." Tony joked and Steve looked at him with a soft facial expression.
"When did you wake up?" Tony asked lowly, eyes once again focused on Steve.
"About a week ago." Steve responded. "Woke up in something that looked like my own bedroom. I think S.H.I.E.L.D was trying to make me believe that everything was like it used to be."
"How did you figure out it wasn't?" Tony asked curiously.
"The radio. It was playing an old recording from a soccer game. I figured something was wrong the second I heard it." Steve explained, leaning his upper body against the black railing as he spoke.
Tony smiled. "Was it a game from the nineties or something?" He joked.
"No, from 2021." Steve turned his head to Tony. "We were there." He said, his voice suddenly a mixture between cold and warmth, incredibly hard to understand what he was feeling.
"How was that the first thing you remember? You've been in a coma for-"
"-seven years, I know." Steve finished his sentence with a little laugh. Tony could tell that it wasn't in amusement. "Let's just say I know my soccer." Steve said and Tony tried to look away from his eyes, but escaping a cave in the middle of nowhere surrounded by guards was a lot easier than finding a way out of the eyes he had been trying to forget.
"Do you remember when one of the players recognized you and asked if I was your bodyguard?" Steve said, trying to hold in his laugh at the memory.
Tony looked at him for a few seconds before finally giving in. "Of course I remember. He tried to hit on you and I told him to back off."
"He wasn't trying to hit on me. He tried to get me away so he could have you to himself." Steve laughed and Tony rolled his eyes. They had discussed this the same day it happened, and if Tony remembered correctly, it had ended with both of them in Steve's bed.
"We both know that he was trying to get you to the locker rooms..." Tony mumbled with a small smile.
"M-hm..so he could stay there with you."
"I'm not arguing about this with you." Tony joked and turned around, aiming for the comfortable couches in the corner of the balcony. He could feel Steve's piercing eyes on his back as he sat down and refilled his glass for the- never mind he'd lost count. He took a sip and read thoughtfully the text on the bottle in front of him, mostly so he could avoid Steve's look. But eventually, he looked up and raised an eyebrow.
"What?" He asked. Steve shrugged and looked away while taking slow but nonchalant steps towards the couch.
"Nothing..you're just so.." Steve didn't find the words.
"Old?" Tony joked, even though both of them knew that he wasn't even in his thirties yet. Steve laughed and shook his head, joining Tony on the couch while keeping a small distance between them.
"Handsome?" Tony tried again and now Steve smiled.
"Well yes. But I was thinking of something else." Steve said before shaking his head. "Nevermind." He said.
"Hopefully it was something good." Tony said nonchalantly, even though small butterflies were appearing after Steve had called him handsome.
"How are you?" Steve suddenly asked, causing Tony to look at him with numb eyes. "How's..what was his name..Ryan? Ryan Jackson?"
"He's dead."
Steve opened his mouth in surprise before quickly closing it again. "Oh..."
Tony shrugged his shoulders, ignoring the empty feeling in his chest and filling it with another sip from his champagne. "How did he die?" Steve asked carefully.
"Killed. Got cancer from all the smoking probably, so didn't really care about what happened to him." Tony explained simply and Steve bit his lip while processing the new information.
"How did you know that he didn't care?"
"I was kidnapped at that time, I don't know what he was thinking." Tony snapped, making Steve look at him with a numb facial expression. Tony noticed his mistake and he sighed in frustration.
Steve inhaled deeply and looked out in the night, now being the one to about eye contact. "Bucky died during the war."
Tony looked up at him slowly, his eyes full of pity as he nodded. "Yeah..I know. Can't imagine how that must have felt." He said.
Steve sighed. "It's okay. I mean..it was so many years ago, but for me, he died only last month. Let's just say this coma really messed with my head." The blonde chucked a little after finishing his sentence, even though there was nothing to laugh about.
Tony let a sad smile spread on his lips. "We've really been through a lot of shit." He said and raised his glass. Steve looked at him with empty eyes before smiling and clinking their glasses together.
"Cheers to that." He mumbled and Tony snorted before emptying his glass completely and placing it on the table in front of him. He almost lost his balance as he tried to sit back on the sofa, and Steve placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Wow easy there." He said amused.
Tony laughed, his words a little slurred. "I got it, don't worry." He said and almost jumped back on the couch and turned to his side, resting his arm on the couch backrest and placing his head against his hand.
"How many have you had?" Steve asked with a small laugh.
"Not that many. Drank two inside and...a lot out here." Tony mumbeled as his eyes suddenly locked themselves with Steve's. "Are you at least tipsy?" Tony asked.
Steve looked down in his glass before answering. "I can't really get drunk. The serum is preventing the alcohol from affecting me."
"Lucky you." Tony said, still not taking his eyes off Steve. There was a comfortable silence where Tony occupied himself with watching Steve with wide-awake eyes. Steve wanted to say that he was uncomfortable, but that would be a lie. He wasn't affected by alcohol, but he still couldn't stop looking at those big brown eyes that he had longed for.
"You look exactly as I remember you. Except for the beard." Steve suddenly said, surprising himself with his honesty.
Tony chuckled. "So do you. Though you don't have one."
"Should I grow one?"
Tony tilted his head a little, trying to imagine Captain America in a beard the same color as his hair. "Maybe," he said. Steve smiled and placed the champagne glass next to Tony's before also leaning on his side.
"You think it would fit me?" Steve asked.
"I think you'd fit in everything." Tony said and Steve couldn't stop the warm feeling growing inside of him.
Tony's heart skipped a beat when he saw how Steve's eyes shifted to his lips, just a tiny second before returning back to his eyes. He was a lot closer than before and Tony tried desperately to stay still, but he couldn't help the words that slipped out of his mouth.
"Do you want to kiss me?" He asked shamelessly, thinking Steve would pull away. But he did no such thing.
"Maybe." Steve responded, closing in even more and Tony could now feel his breath on his face. "Is that okay?" Steve whispered.
"More thank okay." Tony said back. Steve smiled before he slowly leaned in the last couple of inches and kissed him. Warm mouth with the taste of alcohol finally connecting again after so many years.
However, it didn't last long as Steve pulled away with such care that Tony almost felt like passing out. Their tongues hadn't even touched, but it was the best kiss Tony had ever experienced.
They looked at each other. Lips wet and longing before Tony's breath hitched. He slowly grabbed Steve behind his head and ran his fingers through his hair. It felt just like old times. Steve swallowed before he placed his right hand on Tony's cheek, running his thumb in a circle before leaning in again. Tony felt how his body turned warm as he deepened the kiss and let their tongues be connected. It felt so familiar but so different at the same time and Steve had to wrap his other arm around Tony to really make sure that he wasn't dreaming.
They pulled away with heavy breaths and looked again into each other's eyes. "That was..." Steve said.
"Yeah..let's do it again."
Steve laughed as Tony threw himself over him so that he fell against the armrest of the couch. When they pulled away there we're both panting in exhaustion and Tony rested his cheek against Steve's as he hugged him tightly, his head buried in his shoulder.
It took so much strength from him to say it, but after a few minutes of silence, Tony gathered some courage. "I've missed you."
It was almost unnoticeable, and Steve would have probably missed it if Tony hadn't been so close to his ear. The blond closed his eyes and kisses his cheek.
"I've missed you too Tony."
THE END