XXII: Exposed
"After months of rumors, patience and uncertainty, could it be true? Tony Stark, the billionaire everybody hates to love and loves to hate, had addressed that he was attracted to his younger bodyguard months ago. In the same interview, the two bickered like an old married couple. It was truly adorable. Ever since, we all have been wondering if the two are, in fact, dating. It seems like after four months, we finally have the answer.
Of course, it is obvious that our beloved bodyguard has the tendency to be a bit touchy whenever he's around Stark, but one could argue that could be because he's not really trained as a bodyguard. Well, that theory is ready to be thrown off a building because we have been blessed with the two males sharing an adorable kiss this morning."
Steve's eyes were glued towards the 17 inch screen in front of him. He didn't exactly know how he felt. It wasn't just one feeling that he dealt with. He was embarrassed, terrified, betrayed, suspicious, even slightly flattered, and overall confused. He watched from a different angle how he kissed Tony's forehead before the man kissed him. God, even from an angle that smile afterwards was perfect. That thought caused heat to rise from the tips of his ears to his cheeks.
He himself was sitting on Tony's mainly used chair. The man had pushed him in it as soon as he entered the lab and had rolled him towards the laptop hastily. Bucky - or anyone for that matter - wasn't allowed in after Steve had entered the lab, and the door had locked behind him. Whatever it was that was wrong, he doubted that it was something team related.
So, now he was watching a YouTube channel that had just outed them with torn feelings. Tony stood behind him with a comforting hand on his shoulder. Whether that comfort was meant for Steve or himself, the soldier didn't know. Probably both.
"I thought we were alone," Steve admitted, his eyes still lingering on the currently paused screen. He could hear Tony's sigh from behind him and felt him move his arms. The man's fingers brushed against his shoulders and arms reassuringly.
"You and me both, babe," he agreed. No matter how confident the man tried to be, Steve could hear the worry in his voice. Steve groaned, leaning the back of his head against he man's stomach. The billionaire hugged him from behind, stroking his hair. "It'll be fine. If you want, I can request a press conference to tell them it's not true?"
Steve shook his head gently. "But then you would be lying," he contradicted the man's thought. Another sigh escaped Tony's mouth, the air that formed brushing against the soldier's longer strands. Steve watched silently how Tony appeared beside him and swiftly swung his right leg over Steve's legs. He made himself comfortable on Steve's lap, placing his hands on either of the man's face and rubbing small circles into the man's cheeks with his thumbs.
Steve himself held Tony up by resting his hands on the man's lower back. His eyes darted across Tony's face. The man's usually slicked back hair was now tousled, several strands resting on his forehead. In all honesty, it was one of Steve's favorite looks. The messy hair together with the worn out AC/DC shirt was a sight he was shamelessly attracted to.
"I have lied to the press before, I can do it again. Really, if it's what you want, I'll do it," Tony mumbled gently. He was looking down at Steve thoroughly, searching for any sign of acceptance. Steve just licked his lips, shaking his head. He moved one hand from his lower back to his own cheek, placing his own warm hand on top of Tony's. The billionaire turned his hand 180 degrees so they could lace their fingers together.
"A press conference is fine, but don't lie please. It would just create more chaos when we do come out eventually," Steve replied quietly. Tony pursed his lips as he thought about his words. "Besides, I have a feeling that this isn't a coincidence."
Tony sat up a little bit straighter, creating more distance between them. The second hand on Steve's cheek disappeared, resting on the soldier's hip instead. "What do you mean?" he asked warily. Steve forced a quick smile, clenching his jaw afterwards.
"Take in mind that I could be wrong and simply be paranoid, but just think about it. The timing to leak an intimate moment, to reveal our relationship could not have been worse. We kept our relationship hidden for a reason. We're both not ready for them to know because of our reputations. People think our relationship is a big deal. There will be people that disagree with our age difference, with the fact that I'm your bodyguard. Talk shows will reach out to us, reporters will follow us. The world will expect us to deal with this as soon as possible. This could change our priorities, divert us. We've worked so hard to catch up to her. We cannot afford to lose one more step."
Steve wasn't one to ramble. Usually, he was calm and collected and knew exactly how to handle a situation. Whenever he didn't speak, he was thinking strategically or tactically. That's why he tried to use minimal words and maximal security.
However, things had changed over the last few weeks. He was cautious, tense, and as he stated before; paranoid. He was mentally screwed and he was aware of this. He required time to handle his PTSD, night terrors and the recent negative thoughts that had started to roam through his mind.
Time he did not possess.
"You think Malitov is behind this," Tony declared. It wasn't a question, but a statement. Still, it was a sentence that required confirmation. Steve provided him with a simplistic, positive hum.
"I suspect that she is, yes," he answered his deduction vaguely. He wasn't a hundred percent certain about the accusation, but the chances were high. He noticed the uncertainty and worry that hid behind two brown eyes. The man was afraid, and he had every right to be. Steve moisturized his lips before letting out a small sigh. He squeezed the man's hand tightly as he prepared himself for a promise he feared he couldn't keep.
"We'll make it through this, Tony."
"Of course we will," the man replied nonchalantly. Steve didn't move, waiting for the man to elaborate. "I'm Tony fucking Stark. These sons of bitches underestimate my likeability."
"God, even I doubt your likeability sometimes," Steve provoked, a small mischievous smile playing on his lips. He noticed how the worry that danced in the man's eyes faded and made place for the same mischief. The man raised his eyebrows, part of that movement hidden by his fringe.
"Do you, now? Is there a way to convince you?" he asked. Steve grinned, shrugging while doing so.
"I don't know. You tell me."
He didn't realize that, by saying that, he had given Tony the space to pull a move that would leave him checkmate. He only noticed his mistake when the man leant closer, wiggling his lower half suggestively.
"Alright. So, what if I do-" he leant dangerously close to the man's lips, brushing their lips together teasingly. His provocative behavior seemed to work, because Steve swallowed thickly, parting his lips as he looked down at Tony's mouth for a little too long. "-this?"
Steve hummed contently as the billionaire pressed their lips together firmly. He gasped when the man moved his hips again, this time arching his back to create a little bit more length. Since he was the smallest one of the pair, it didn't frequently occur that Tony was the one dominating a kiss from above. He liked being in control, and he liked how Steve craned his neck to lessen the proximity between them.
"Very likeable," Steve admitted, the words sounding no more than a breath before he attached their lips together once more. He reached for the billionaire's head, pulling at the short strands on the back of his head with his left hand and letting the fingers of his right tangle through the man's longer strands. A small gasp escaped Tony's mouth.
Tony was about to undo Steve's belt when they were interrupted by his very own AI.
"Sir, you've got an incoming call from miss Potts," JARVIS informed him. Tony whined against Steve's mouth, the soldier pulling away gently in oppose to their earlier heated kiss. Steve chuckled in amusement once glancing at Tony's irritable face.
"I swear, sometimes that woman acts like my mother," he said grumpily. "Answer the call. Oh, and put it on speaker, please."
Instantly, the red-head's fiery tone echoed through the room. "I'm gone for a few months to keep your company standing and what have you been doing? Screwing your bodyguard?" she snapped. Steve raised his eyebrows, impressed by her choice of words. If he had estimated her personality well, he wouldn't have to worry about her intentions. Tony just rolled his eyes.
"Hello to you too, miss Potts. That's pretty accurate, actually. But then again, said bodyguard is very keen on keeping me inside to keep me safe. You're on speaker by the way," the billionaire replied smoothly. Steve was surprised how composed the man sounded right after a pretty heated make out session. They could hear Pepper sigh on the other end of the line.
"Of course I am. Hi, Steve. Are you feeling better?" the woman asked. Steve chuckled once again upon hearing the sudden change of voice. Her beef seemed to be with Tony alone.
"I'm still a bit sore, but I'll manage," he replied just as kindly, following Tony's diverted gaze towards the screen they had abandoned minutes ago. He licked his lips, before an apology rolled off his tongue. "I'm sorry we kept you in the dark. We just didn't want anybody to know we were dating."
"I'm not mad about the two of you dating. On the contrary, I knew it would happen from the moment I saw the two of you together. However, if you would've reached out to me before, I could've helped you prevent this," she explained. "So, what's the plan?"
"We'll organize a press conference tonight at eight," Tony explained curtly. Steve nodded in agreement. Tony smirked lightly upon noticing the man's obliviousness about not communicating verbally.
"The more transparent we are, the quicker this will blow over," Steve added, eyeing the man in his lap, encouragement and reassurance laced in his features. The man's smirk left his face and made place for a gentle smile.
"Alright. Don't worry about the press conference. I'll take care of it. The two of you need to prepare. Just- be careful, OK?" the woman said. The corners of Tony's mouth quirked up again.
"What would I do without you, miss Potts?" he wondered dramatically. Steve rolled his eyes at the man's almost innocent flirtatious behavior.
"If you have half an hour, I'll tell you all about it," she teased. Steve watched in amusement how Tony's confident smirk fell. He could literally see a reply from in the man's head as the corners of his mouth quirked up again.
"Oh r-"
"We're good, miss Potts. Thank you for trying to help," Steve cut him off quickly. Tony mocked him childishly, repeating his words in a high pitched voice as the woman said her goodbyes and hung up. Steve rolled his eyes at his immature behavior.
"We need to assemble the team and tell them debriefing has to be scheduled as soon as possible. I'm not saying that video isn't important, but we cannot let her win," he mumbled, distracted when Tony's lips hovered over his cheek and traced the scar gently. He wouldn't be surprised if Tony hadn't heard a single word that had come out of his mouth.
"Debriefing can wait another hour, don't you think?" the man whispered, rubbing their lips together teasingly for the second time in ten minutes. Steve's eyes remained close, even though the touch was as light as a feather. When he opened his eyes again, Tony was smirking down at him.
"JARVIS? Tell the team to gather in the living room in an hour," the billionaire instructed, not looking away from the soldier whose lap he was sitting on. "And be a dear. Blind the windows and lock the door, please."
"As you wish, sir."
-
"Jesus Christ, cap. Something tells me that Tony wasn't bluffing when he said you're not as righteous in bed as you are in the field," Clint exclaimed when Tony grimaced while sitting down. Steve's ears turned pink as he awkwardly played with his fingers. The billionaire placed a hand on the archer's shoulder.
"Heaven, Barton. Heaven," was all he said, earning some wolf whistles from Natasha and Sam, a grossed-out look from Bruce, Thor and Clint and an amused one from Bucky. His words only worsened Steve's awkwardness. The soldier was blushing furiously now.
"Can we for once not talk about our sex lives at meetings and focus on the mission?" he asked desperately. The team just chuckled simultaneously as Tony winked in his direction.
"If you don't like us talking about it, then don't have sex just before debriefing," Natasha deadpanned, seemingly unfazed by the subject of the conversation.
"Seeing you kiss on camera was cute and all, but picturing you having sex? I might as well be partially blind too," Clint groaned. Again, Tony seemed to be ready with a comeback. Steve could see it in his smirk and his eyes. However, he was too late to stop the words from flowing out of his mouth.
"That's not what you said earlier today. Besides, you don't know what you're missing out on," the billionaire said cheekily, earning another trail of groans. Steve pinched the bridge of his nose, silently praying for his boyfriend to just stop talking for once.
"The sex was great. Who cares-"
"I do."
"What I care about is what you found on the two locations," he said, deliberately ignoring Tony's blunt comment. "Sam, Clint. What did you find?"
"An occupied house. There wasn't anything suspicious about it. We couldn't exactly knock on their door and ask if we could search the place, so I just scanned the heat signatures. There wasn't anything special in there. No vehicle with a matching license plate, no person that matched the size of the person that delivered it. Nothing," Sam explained. Steve nodded, the explanation speaking for itself. That left them with the second address.
"Natasha, Thor?"
"The house was a mess and abandoned," Thor said, the level of his voice above average as always. Steve nodded to signal comprehension. Due to the lack of explanation, he figured that it was another dead end. That thought was confirmed when the man spoke. "We didn't find anything out of the ordinary."
"No mail, computer, sign of life all together?" he asked the man, who simply shook his head.
"No, Captain. If there had been any evidence around, they covered their tracks well," the man replied. Steve clenched his jaw, his eyes trailing towards Natasha. She was already looking at him, quirking up an eyebrow. In that split second, Steve knew that she purposely hid information. Apparently, Thor was unaware of this as well. Somehow, Steve wasn't surprised. She was a spy after all. To avoid suspicion, he whispered the word that already lingered on his tongue.
"Shit," he mumbled. He did mean it. Until Natasha shared whatever she was hiding from the rest of the team, they had lost the only clue they had. Somehow, even with their advantage of knowing about the infiltrated police, she was still ten steps ahead of them. In the months that followed the attack on the restaurant, Steve had lost control of the situation. Now, the first day of his return, he had already dealt with Bruce's DID, checked out a crime scene, figured out they were being followed, the world knew about Tony's and his relationship. In the meantime, they hadn't gotten a step closer, instead losing five at a time.
It was like playing a game of chess with someone that manipulated their choices, combined with a cheated game of Crazy Eights.
He regained the attention of the crew after muttering the foul word, quickly following it with a 'sorry'.
"How's the autopsy report going?" Bruce asked, changing the direction of the conversation. Sadly, it didn't take a lighter turn. Steve shook his head.
"The body was found this morning. I'll call about that tomorrow. There's no use pressuring them to do their jobs. It will only increase the likelihood of making mistakes and blowing our cover. We're already too far behind. I'll keep you guys up to date," he explained. Happy, who stood behind the couch as always, lifted his hand hesitantly. Steve nodded for him to speak up.
"And what about the video? What are you going to do about that?" he asked. Steve looked at Tony, who seemed to be deep in thought. He took that as a sign that he should answer yet another question.
"Miss Potts is organizing a press conference as we speak, which will be at eight. No matter the circumstances, telling the truth is the shortest way. If it was a crazy fan that filmed us, the world can know. If it was a deliberate action from Malitov, the world can know. What Tony and I feel about this is no longer momentous. We cannot waste any more time we don't have. The clock is ticking and we keep falling further and further behind her," Steve explained sternly.
"So, what's next?" Clint asked, lifting both his hands up to suggest his cluelessness. Steve couldn't blame him. He was unsure of their future movements as well.
"I don't know," he replied honestly, a comforting yet apologetic smile casting their way. His honesty seemed to make almost everyone in the room uneasy. "I honestly don't know what comes next. But that's exactly what they want. They want us to run around chasing wild dogs. We need to make sure that we're not the ones chasing the wild dogs, but the ones that unlocked the cages."
"Do you want to brainstorm strategies right now?" Bucky asked. Steve always admired that the man only spoke when it was absolutely necessary in these kinds of situations. However, when he did ask a question, it was an important one.
Steve scratched the back of his neck, thinking for a few seconds before he shook his head.
"No, let's meet up tomorrow. It's no use discussing strategies now. It's been a long and intense day for all of us and I believe you've all deserved a night off," he told them. Clint laid back against the back of the couch, obviously relieved. Sam and Bucky smirked at each other, probably thinking about heading out for the night. When his trail of sight locked with Bruce's, he noticed the grateful expression that was latched onto his face. It was obvious that dissociating wore him out, and the man could use a good night of sleep. The only ones that didn't seem too happy about his words were Natasha and Tony.
Slowly but surely, the room began to empty. Tony kissed Steve goodbye and went to his lab to mentally prepare for the events later at night. Bruce instantly went to bed and Happy went to see his wife. As Steve had expected, the four remaining male members got themselves ready for a night out. One they undoubtedly deserved.
As the whole living room appeared to be empty, Steve found himself sitting in that bar chair he had sat the first time he got out of bed after the accident. He watched the counter, mentally repeating what had been told minutes earlier.
The corners of his mouth quirked up when a petite frame landed in a seat right beside him. He kept his gaze forward as she rested her hand on the bar with her palm facing the cold marble surface below. As she slid her hand closer to Steve, the man gently laid his own rough, larger hand on top of hers. She pulled hers away from below him, before he closed his into a fist and buried his hand in his pocket. He pretended to ignore the cool, small rectangular object that he buried with his hand.
They sat there for a couple of seconds, silent and still. Natasha only glanced at the soldier beside him when he spoke.
"It's about her, isn't it?" he asked, retrieving his hand from his pocket and laying his empty palm on top of the marble bar. When he looked back at her, he noticed something he had never seen in her eyes before. Either she wasn't shielding the fear she felt, or she was truly afraid for the first time since they met. She nodded twice, her movements very slow.
"I found a hidden room in that house. I hacked into the computer and made a copy of the files. I had just enough time to finish the download before Thor called me," she explained. Steve noticed that, as she let out a shuddering breath, she was leaving something out. He nodded encouragingly at her to continue.
"They know everything, Steve," she whispered. Already, Steve's heart sunk like it was pulled down by bricks. "They know where we've been, where we'll be, what we do, our weaknesses, medical conditions. God, she even knows things I didn't even know about myself."
Steve didn't have to say anything about the severity of the situation. If Malitov knew more about the team than the team did, that explained why they had been running in circles. If they knew about Bruce, Steve's and Tony's relationship, Steve's PTSD, Natasha's past and even things they didn't know about, it was no surprise they reached into the dark.
Steve rubbed his mouth tiredly. "Did you find anything on her motive or allies?" he asked. Natasha nodded succinctly.
"The Russians and Americans you encountered in the restaurant? We already suspected this, but they worked for her. Everything's on there, so you better watch it alone. Thor doesn't know I found that room, and maybe it's for the best that nobody else finds out," she mumbled. Steve brushed a hand through his longer strands, before nodding in agreement. If it was as bad as she said, it was the best. He then put a hand on her shoulder, looking at her thoroughly.
"We'll beat her, Nat," he said, his words close to being a promise but his eyes deflecting from that thought. The woman pursed her lips, before shaking her head.
"After what I saw, I'm not so sure, Steve."
That only worsened the wrenching feeling in Steve's gut as he reached for the USB in the pocket of his pants. Somehow he required the security that the flash drive was still in his possession. His eyes trailed across several clean cupboards as he spoke.
"I know I've asked a lot of you today, but can you do one more thing for me?" Steve asked. He could feel Natasha looking at him and only returned her gaze after a few seconds. She was waiting for him to explain, which was exactly what he did.
Even after she accepted his wish and went on her secret mission, he was left there thinking about everything that had happened. A sense of hopelessness, fear and anxiety raised inside of him, all of which he had to suppress for the press conference that started soon. Because if he couldn't hide his worries from the press, the outside world, she would know as well.
They were nearing the climax of the fight against Malitov. He could sense it, and he knew he wasn't the only one. He feared that the results wouldn't be in their favor. That he would fail.
And that terrified him.