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Daycycle 125 [February 5 - February 11]

Daycycle 125

[Feb 5 - Feb 11]

[OOC Plotting for this Dacycle can be found here.]

Early, Early Morning [1200 - 0400]
Room 1201 will be woken up at 1200 when a squadron of Internal Security Gray Ops come to arrest Barry Allen for treason. He will be led away at gun point and his roommate, Morgana LeFey will be immediately taken into IntSec for questioning. She will be questioned about the activities of her former roommate for several hours before being sedated and returned to her room before 0500. Morgana will not remember Barry's arrest or her questioning when she wakes.

Early Morning [0800 - 0900] — All Troubleshooters Report for Duty

The Briefing Officer seems particularly annoyed today as she gives a speech about working together for the greater good of Alpha and how any future attacks will be dealt with swiftly and justly without a trial. No arrests have been made for yesterday's attack due to a lack of substantial evidence, but IntSec is working on bringing those responsible and those participants who used excessive force to justice.

The rumor among IntSec personnel is that the security footage from the commissary for the hour of the event has been erased. Many believe it was a ProTech job and IntSec are focusing their sights on suspected members. If your character is suspected of being a member, they may be pulled into questioning at any time.

Derek Hale and Dirk Gently have been selected for today's mission.

‘As you know, today is Interrogator Appreciation Day, and we’re positively swamped with orders for PlastiFloral and UltraBonBon deliveries. Here is a list of interrogation chambers in this sector and the specific interrogator recipient at each.’ [ Don't be surprised if you are ordered to taste test each delivery of BonBons. Most higher ranking officials are on high alert due to the MOD killer.]

Morning & Afternoon [0900 - 1600] — Service Firm Positions
All Troubleshooters not assigned a mission should report to their Service Firm for their daily duties.

Isabelle Lightwood will be pulled from Medical Services to assist with a backlog of forensic work in IntSec. She will primarily be told to focus on the MOD murder evidence.

Jack Harkness will be given a bag of fan mail that was "lost", but most likely withheld by his mentor, Teela O'Malley. In it are many fan letters, two marriage proposals and one death threat.

Morgana LeFey will be assigned to a special hydroponic sector where Alpha scientists are working on developing faster growing fruit to meet a demand for more real food for citizens meeting key physical metrics. The chemicals being used have not yet been approved by PLC.

Evening [1600 - 2200] — Citizen Improvement
All Alpha citizens are encouraged to better themselves through Alpha’s wide variety of educational, entertainment and cultural opportunities offered each evening. Attending these sanctioned events are not mandatory, but is highly encouraged by The Computer. Citizens choosing not to take advantage of these opportunities, have a growing number of other options available to them in how to spend their hard earned credits and free time.

Tonight’s event will be at 1900 in Meeting Room L, Wagon Wheel, Floor 30 and will be hosted by the Alpha Association of the Dead. This association is for all clones who have been determined terminated by the computer and have been replaced in error. If you would like your existence to be acknowledged, please bring all forms, stamped and notified by the proper authorities and ten letters proving your existence by Alpha citizens of a BLUE or higher clearance level.

Alpha Curfew Restrictions
All Alpha citizens should be in their quarters within the Wagon Wheel by 2200, unless they’ve been given permission from a GREEN or higher clearance level citizen. Sleeping Aid gas is dispelled each night in the Wagon Wheel at 2200 to assist citizens in getting a productive sleeping period.

Confession Booths
There are hundreds of confession booths available around Alpha Complex if a citizen would like to communicate directly with the computer. Please use these confession booths to report mission statuses, report treason or terrorist acts, unregistered mutants, confess your trespasses against Alpha Complex, request propaganda or speak with Your Friend, The Computer, at any time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Even if Tony knows damn well that he's revealing more about himself to Steve right now than he has in all the years they've known each other, he doesn't clam up or put up the usual walls that keep him shielded from the world. Maybe he should - that would generally be the usual response, but it's almost like Steve is slowly drawing him out of those shadows that he has kept himself in for most of his life.

That is why, when Steve gives him that playful look, his smile is just as playful but it looks more genuine than anything else. There are no masks. He's as real as he can be right now, even in this teasing exchange. "Maybe. Probably? We'll go with sure."

Keeping his arm around Steve, he grins again when Steve is comfortable against him. For a moment he doesn't answer, not because he wants to stall, but just because he's more or less admiring how damn gorgeous he looks right now.

But, right. He asked a question, and he brushes his fingertips gently against the small of Steve's back as he answers. "It's better now. Back then I didn't really wait too long between putting it together and going out on my missions. I couldn't wait. I probably shouldn't have," he concedes with a slight eyebrow raise, "but...you know me." He notices the concern in Steve's eyes and it makes his heart feel like it's being squeezed for a moment. "It's not a big deal, babe. It's protective enough. I promise not all of these are from missions." His tone turns slightly playful again. "Your boyfriend has done plenty of dumbass things to earn him some markings without it being from work."

In that moment when Tony is just looking at him, it's not that Steve forgets what he asked entirely, but there's a second too where, just looking up at Tony makes him feel like he could stare at him forever.

As he answers, that protectiveness melts into something else, and Steve looks lost in thought for a moment. He does know him, he thinks as he smiles, but then again ... Steve realizes there's far too much about Tony that he doesn't know, and he desperately wants to fix that.

He chuckles when Tony refers to himself as his boyfriend though, which, sounds too good to be true.

"I'd like to get to know my boyfriend a lot better," he notes — and there's just a hint of bashfulness to it, even though Steve pushes through that a lot more easily this time. Because while he and Tony have truly been through a lot together, most of it has always been in times of life and death. Steve knows Tony and loves him, because he knows him in the moments that count. But there are millions of other moments in life too, that aren't so dire, that are full of history and stories from his past, that Steve wants to hear about.

"Which ones aren't from missions?" he asks, his blue eyes big and curious, as his thumb gently brushes over and back against Tony's waist.

As Steve listens to him speak, Tony keeps moving his fingertips slowly, gently along the small of his back. He does wonder what he's thinking, but he's content in just watching him process everything because he's so beautiful that it damn near makes him breathless.

"I have no complaints about that," he answers with a soft smile, noticing that hint of bashfulness that makes him feel as if his whole insides go warm. Steve seems to have an easy way of doing that to him, and while it still takes him by surprise, he's growing to love it.

Although he doesn't show it, Steve's question makes him a little hesitant to answer only because there are some marks that Howard made, and Tony really does not want to shatter that image of his friend that Steve has. Even now, even after those things, Tony has grown to be a protector of his father's legacy. He doesn't show that hesitation, though, and instead just leans in to kiss his cheek before lifting his right arm enough for Steve to see the scar along his forearm. "I broke my arm when I was ten. It was pretty stupid, I was home for the summer and decided to try my luck climbing a tree but I didn't do that well." There's more to that story - a reason why he had been climbing that tree, and how his arm had already been broken when he had decided to do that - but. Yeah. Not going there.

"I broke it again when I was older, and had to get it properly fixed, so...scar. I'm sure the lab has left me some markings on my hands, but I can't even tell you what each one is from. I've been tinkering for as long as I can remember. And I have one on my left leg and knee, it..." He sighs with a sort of smile that pretty much says oops. "I, uh. Let's just say I'm lucky it wasn't worse. I was in my twenties, and I kinda...wrecked one of my bikes."

Honestly, thinking more about it, it's really a wonder he's not covered in more scars considering how many times he has wrecked his cars and motorcycles throughout the years. He still remembers how his mother would react whenever he would do that. How Howard would come down on him - not for risking his life, but for scaring his mother. And then how he was almost on a suicide mission after losing his parents. It had been in one of those reckless nights of mourning that he had messed up his leg, but nope. Definitely not going there.

"See? I'm a genius, but I've done plenty of dumbass things before."

Steve really has no idea about Howard, and he never will unless Tony chooses to say something. In his memory, Howard was a little reckless, but other than that, he'd been a friend. Someone who had helped him and Peggy when they'd needed it, even though he never had to. Of course, back then Howard was single, without kids. He changed, but Steve never got to see it.

Steve exhales a laugh, just a little from the amazement of the coincidence, when Tony says he broke his arm when he was ten. But he realizes immediately he should probably explain: "-I um, I also broke my arm when I was ten. Well- That's not true. A kid from school broke my arm. But I got into a lotta fights back then. It wasn't exactly ... unexpected." Said like he doesn't get into a lot of fights now. And Steve does his own kind of omitting too, to Tony's sake. Like the fact that half the reason he didn't die as a child was because Bucky would always come fight those kids alongside him.

"Just one of your bikes, huh?" he asks, as he reaches for one of Tony's hands and starts to shift his own body so that it's facing up. He stays in roughly the same spot though, because he likes the way it feels to have Tony's arm wrapped around his shoulders. "Why do I get the feeling that it's more than one?" But it's clear now too, that what Steve really wants to see are all those little scars on Tony's hands. He's holding one up now, over his face as he looks at Tony's hand in a way that he's never done before.

"All of these are from burns? Soldering?" he asks, lifting his eyes to look at Tony for a moment — for his answer — before Steve goes back to studying that hand again, his thumb brushing over some of the scars. And then, for a second, he places one of his own hands next to it for comparison, and Steve frowns. God. His hand looks like it's never seen a day's work before, and he closes it before he has to think about that any further.

And, as far as Tony is concerned, he would never find out about Howard. But there are many reasons why, when he attacked Bucky, his explanation wasn't that he had killed his parents. Bucky had killed his mother, the one parent that had actually cared and given a damn about him. Not that he had been glad about Howard dying, but considering the man had tormented him whenever he remembered that he had a son... The one that he truly mourned more than anything had been Maria.

He knows the story about his arm is believable, though; it's the cover story he has used for years, after all. The one that he had used with the doctors, with his mother, because no one could know what had really happened, and there's a brief moment when he's glad that Steve believes the story, too.

He even chuckles, when Steve tells him the story of when he had broken his arm. "I'm not all that surprised that you used to get into a lot of fights, actually. Even back then." Because, knowing Steve, he knows that his never-say-die attitude isn't a new thing. It's one of those things that he must have had for years, and really, it's just more of a confirmation that he had been right all along about his guess.

"I'm an excellent driver, just...one that loves to drive a little too fast." He chuckles. "You have that feeling because you'd be right."

While Steve looks at his hand, Tony's busy looking at him instead. There's a hint of adoration that is very obvious to see, because it's hard to not fall in love with this wonderful man when he has such a way of getting under his skin. "Yeah, soldering. Scratches, cuts... I've worked on engines, weapons, robots, cars, motorcycles. I think I would have made a better employee at Stark Industries as anything but the CEO." When Steve places his hand next to his own, Tony looks over then and the smile never leaves his face before he turns to Steve to kiss his temple.

"I guess I haven't changed much," Steve says, and given how pressed up to Tony he is in that moment, his boyfriend can probably feel Steve smile against his neck. "If we ever get back to New York, I could take you on a tour of all the places I got beat up. There's a lotta stops."

As for the driving, all Steve does is give Tony an amused look — one that simultaneously seems to say that he loves him, and that he hopes he never crashes a car ever again.

Engines, weapons, robots, cars, motorcycles. As Steve listens, he can't stop himself from being amazed at Tony all over again. When they're on missions, he never has enough time to appreciate everything Tony's done for the team. In retrospect now, Steve regrets not telling him more frequently, and makes a note to do it more in the future.

When Tony says he would've been better as anything except the CEO however, Steve protests. "Oh, I dunno about that," he says, and even though he could never be fully satisfied on how well he's studied Tony's hand, Steve brings it down to his lips for a soft kiss before sliding it over his own cheek.

"I don't think I could see you takin' orders from someone else."

Right after he says that though, a playful smiles emerges on Steve's face again as he turns to look up at Tony. "Except maybe me." You know, since he's the boss and all. That grin on his face only gets wider though, before Tony can even respond, and soon, Steve's relinquished his hold on Tony's hand, and is turning his body over and sliding himself over Tony again.

"Your left knee, right?" he asks. "That's where the scar from the bike accident is?"

"No, I guess you haven't." He smiles when he says that, especially when he feels the way that he smiles against his neck. "I'd really like that. Not to know where you got beat up, but I'm sure there's an interesting story behind each one."

Noticing the look he gives him, Tony chuckles under his breath. "Hey, I've gotten better at it. Besides, I just go flying now, instead."

And it helps him go faster than a car could let him. It doesn't mean that he doesn't love speeding down a winding road at a very high speed, but at least since the Christmas after Afghanistan, he hasn't totaled another car. He has ruined suits with all the missions that he has been in, but at least his car collection hasn't been impacted lately.

Brushing his fingers against his skin again, Tony smiles again when Steve protests. "Alright, I'll give you that. I'm not the best at that." He catches the way that his smile turns playful, though, and a curious look crosses his eyes as he turns to him. That curiosity morphs into a grin, though, when he speaks again. "Yeah...you're not wrong about that. I can't help that you look so damn hot giving orders, though."

When he says that, Tony can't help the way that his grin turns more naughty than anything else. Because really, Steve giving orders really is so damn hot that it's a huge turn on. Especially right now, right here.

Especially when he's sliding himself over him again, and he can't help but fantasize about the day that he can talk Steve into getting all bossy with him in bed. Because Tony can already feel himself go weak at just the thought, and he smirks. "Mmhm." The scar on his knee and down his shin won't be hard to find, so Tony doesn't bother pointing it out. He's too busy watching Steve, anyway.

Steve chuckles, unsure if interesting is the word he'd use, but he already loves that Tony wants to see his old neighborhood. If they ever get out of here and if there even is a Brooklyn to go back to, he'd really love to show it to him.

What Steve really isn't expecting however, is that kind of compliment. No one's told him so directly that he looks hot before (handsome, maybe), and definitely not in the context of giving orders. For a moment, it's almost as if he doesn't know what to do, and he feels that familiar warmth start to redden his cheeks. But Steve already has a plan for what's next, and with how much Tony taught him last night — having guided him through everything — right now, Steve feels comfortable enough to keep going and maybe courageous enough to fold what Tony just said into play.

He takes a breath and it's somewhat nervous, but by the time Steve finishes exhaling, there's a new and subtly mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Stay still, Tony." It's his first time trying this, so his tone isn't full-on Captain yet, but his voice carries a strength and force alongside it that hasn't existed at all so far.

When he slides himself lower down this time, he takes the covers with him, so Tony never loses sight of him and so Steve can look back up at him whenever he needs to. First, when he's back over his chest, Steve takes a moment to kiss the border of the reactor — right where the casing touches his skin, because he wants Tony to be able to feel it. This part is gentle and careful and loving, because more than anything, that's how Steve feels towards Tony right now, and it's so important to him to establish that before he does anything else.

But once he lifts himself up to slide down further, well, they're both still naked after all, those cotton shirts and everything else probably lost on the floor somewhere, or underneath the bed, and eventually as Steve continues to slide down, and down, and down, he finds himself hovering for a moment over Tony's hips, before he blushes again. This time, there's no bashful smile to accompany the flush. Instead, Steve expression looks soft but unimpeded, even if it has that tint of red. The seconds that he pauses there feels longer than they should be, but after glancing up at Tony, Steve doesn't stay there. Instead, he slides down past it, and moves himself right off the edge of the bed, so that he's kneeling on the floor.

Arguably, it's the only way for him to gracefully get to see the scar on Tony's knee — though he can't deny that it will also serve a later purpose extremely well. But for now, he turns his attention to that scar. He can finally see it, starting right at Tony's knee, and Steve leans forward to press his lips gently down against his skin, taking his time, and giving it all the same love and attention that he gave Tony's others scars earlier.

And then ... comes the part that's already making Steve's heart beat so fast he thinks Tony must be able to hear it. But after everything that happened last night, after the things the Tony showed him last night, and how he made him feel, Steve wants to return the favor, even if he knows this isn't about doing each other favors. It's about love, even if they haven't said it out loud, and Steve wants Tony to know again just how much he loves him.

Slowly, gently, but without asking, Steve takes the edge of the bedsheets into his hands and he pulls downwards, letting the fabric carry Tony down with it so that his legs are dangling off the edge of the bed, and so his hips are right in front Steve lips again.

"Stay still," he reminds him, and after a pause, he adds, "and don't argue." It's said in that same commanding voice Steve summoned earlier, but some of that strength has transformed into something must closer to a unintentionally sultry whisper, because Steve's heart is pounding and the room suddenly feels so quiet that talking feels a little difficult, but there's no doubt in his mind that he wants to do this.

When Steve finally leans in and takes Tony completely inside him, everything that happens after feels like a single, prolonged motion. A continuous rocking back and forth that mirrors the waves of emotions that eases into and out of his chest. In the end, all he cares about is that Tony enjoys this, and that Tony knows that his body — all of it — is something that Steve will never think is ugly, or scarred, but rather something absolutely beautiful.

It's easy to catch the way that Steve blushes when he calls him hot, but by the look on Tony's face it's obvious that he doesn't regret saying it. It's the truth, after all. It hadn't been said to tease him, or to joke about it; Steve is very attractive to him when he takes control. It hadn't been easy to admit it, even to himself, back home. But here, after everything they've already been through and the relationship they have? It's easy to realize it and even admit it outloud.

And if Steve hadn't believed how attractive Tony finds him when he gets bossy, the moment that he tells him to stay still it makes him get a glint in his eyes that is a mixture of intrigued and delighted all at once. For a brief moment he actually considers moving, just so that the full Captain voice can come out as Steve tells him to stay still, but for now he doesn't. He watches as Steve moves while Tony stays perfectly still. After putting his scars out in full display, Tony is no longer shy about the rest of his body being uncovered, and if anything he just gives Steve a sly look whenever he makes eye contact. As if silently reminding him that he's his for him to do whatever he wants.

Tony gasps in pleasure, though, when Steve surprises him by kissing the border of the reactor. He feels himself immediately tempted to pull him in for more, to kiss him, to trap him with his legs so they can kiss because that spot is apparently more sensitive than he could have expected, but...right. Can't move. It just makes that desire for Steve heighten, though, and his body is reacting to it as he hovers over his hips.

But then Steve moves again, and he's kissing his knee, and he had no idea something like this would be such a turn on, but Steve has found a way. To make him feel loved, to make him feel wanted, and to rev him up in a way that makes him just want to take him all over again. He wants to get lost in him again, how they had the night before, and thankfully Steve seems to have a similar idea because he's bringing him closer by pulling the bedsheets down in a manner that is so damn hot to Tony that the desire is clear in his eyes.

And then Steve finds a way to heighten that, because the way he tells him to stay still is just...magnificent to him. It leaves him absolutely speechless, but then Steve finds a way to leave him breathless altogether by the way that he takes him in. Although he had wanted this, he hadn't actually expected it to happen, and god, how in the world could he have gotten this lucky, to be here with Steve? How could this be real? Steve may be new to this, but he's already so good that it's impossible to keep himself from burying his fingers into Steve's hair, wanting to feel him closer as he loses himself in the sense of bliss that he feels wrapping itself around him.

After issuing his very first command in the walls of their bedroom, somewhere mixed into Steve's own insecurities about not being good enough for Tony at physical intimacy, is a confusing yet captivating feeling. It isn't easy for Steve to admit to himself either, that as soon as he tries it, there's something about taking control that he likes, in a flavor he's never felt before. It makes him want Tony more, if that's even possible, and he can feel his own body reacting and his chest tightening when Tony looks at him in that way — with a look that seems to say, I'm yours, for you to do whatever you want.

Back home, and out there in the world, control isn't something that Steve needs. Sure, he helps lead the team and he refuses to budge on his own beliefs, but the driving force behind those decisions is always about fighting for what he believes in, and not imposing his will onto others. He's never thought of himself as the best, or the most qualified to take charge on the battlefield, and on any day, Steve would be ready to follow someone else into the war, as long as it's someone he respects. Someone he doesn't think will compromise on the things that truly matter. Someone like Tony.

Which is why, how he's feeling now about Tony surprises him in ways he couldn't have imagined. Because Steve doesn't have control issues, at least, none that he's consciously aware of. His mother was loving, and his father died before he was born. He lived in a world where young men were volunteering in droves to fight for a cause overseas and he was first in line. All he ever wanted was to do right by people. And yet, here he is. Telling Tony what to do and liking it in some borderline guilt-inducing way. Maybe he'll be able to explain it another day.

When he feels Tony's hands in his hair though, Steve doesn't mind it. He knows that those two commands he's given this morning are probably all that he has in him today, and what he wants now is to feel the rest of Tony close by. Because no matter how fast Steve learns, he's still painfully aware of how new this is to him, and how in his mind, that means he must be so much worse than the people Tony's been with before — so every brush Tony's finger, every bit of encouragement or positive feedback that Tony gives, all of it helps push that feeling down.

At some point, his hands move up to Tony's hips, partially to feel him and partially to get a better grip, and Steve glances upwards long enough to see the effect he's having on his boyfriend. In that moment, he realizes again how much he already loves this man, and how much he desperately wishes he could make Tony feel this happy and blissful all the time.

Just like last night, there are times in which Steve isn't as gentle as he intends to be, because he can feel the way that Tony's getting closer and how he himself is feeling more and more revved up because of it. But as Steve guides Tony to the end, to when he finally loses control of his own body, Steve can't help but hold onto him a little harder. He can't talk, so it's as if through his hands, he's trying to tell Tony that he's here, and that even when Tony feels his most vulnerable, he'll always, always be here for him.

While Steve has never been one for control outside of the field, Tony has been. Maybe it's something he inherited from his father, or maybe it just worked out that way due to his upbringing, but control is something extremely important to him. Generally he's the one that sets the tone, the one that guides things, the one that refuses to comply to people's timelines or orders.

There are two people in his life that have managed to give up control willingly, though, and without regret. Pepper was the first, and Steve was the second. After Siberia, Tony hated himself for it because it made that wound even deeper and harder to close, it felt like he was hemorrhaging rather than being able to just move on. But here, now, after everything they've been through and after the steps they have taken in their relationship... Tony has willingly given control again. This isn't the first time and he already knows it won't be the last.

Hell, he doesn't want this to be the last time. With the way things are moving, and the way that Steve is making him feel, Tony wants more than anything for Steve to take charge. He loves those moments when Steve loses control of his strength, especially when his hands are suddenly at his hips, whenever he holds in too tightly to him or presses too hard. It makes his own grip on him to tighten as his whole body vibrates with pleasure, as if trying to silently beg him to keep doing it. Do it again. Do it rougher. Please, Steve. I'm yours. I'm yours.

And he is. If he hadn't realized that yet, this sure as hell makes it very clear. Every ragged breath Steve draws out of him, every breathless moan that escapes from his throat, it's a confirmation, a promise, and as his whole body is bursting with pleasure, he doesn't care that he has lost that sense of control. If anything, he loves it. He loves that Steve has the ability to make him come undone like this; he loves that he took charge and has managed to make him reach this spot where he feels like his whole body is floating.

He loves him, and as he turns to look at Steve, that love is obvious in his eyes. Which is probably a good thing, because he can't speak just yet.

Panting, and slightly out of breath, Steve doesn't say anything either. Part of him can't believe he just pulled that off, the other part has known all along that he could. The way Tony reacts for him is special, and he knows it, even if he doesn't have anyone else to compare it with.

He doesn't crawl back into bed however, to cuddle, like the way they did last night after something like this — instead, slowly, Steve scoops Tony up in his arms, even if his chest is still heaving faintly. Falling back asleep isn't something they can do this morning, not when Tony still has to go to work, but that doesn't mean Steve can't look down at Tony dotingly as he carries him to the bathroom.

"I love you you know," he whispers, before he can stop himself. For the first time this entire night and morning, he couldn't catch himself in time, and Steve realizes it as soon as the words are out. But maybe he's also riding that sense of calm and satisfaction, because he doesn't panic. Steve just smiles at him before looking up again, to make sure they don't hit a door, but to also to signal to Tony that he doesn't need to hear him say it back.

And if Tony hasn't said anything by the time they get to the bathroom a few short seconds later, Steve will start talking again before he gently lets him down in the shower. "You should shower, get ready. I'll make us something to eat before you go." In another life, Steve would have made an incredible house husband — but the reality of today is that he's suspended, so not being somewhere this morning won't be categorized as treason.

Tony's still riding the wave of the afterglow when he suddenly feels the way that Steve scoops him up, and he huffs out a soft chuckle under his breath in surprise. It's probably a good thing is lifting him up, he thinks for a moment, because attempting to get up after that would be highly unsuccessful. His whole body feels too relaxed, and he has a feeling that he's still weak at the knees.

His thoughts derail completely, though, when Steve tells him that he loves him. This isn't the first time that Steve has uttered the word 'love' between them - after all, he has already thrown him off beyond belief after that first real conversation - but this time Tony doesn't look like a deer in the headlights. He looks surprised, yes, but it's not shock anymore. It's not panic at now knowing what to say, or how to respond.

Instead, once they cross the threshold of the door, he answers just as quietly. "I love you, too." When Steve sets him down, he immediately wraps his arms around his waist, looking up at him with a look that makes it obvious he's not saying it because he feels pressured to say it. He feels it, he knows he loves him, and he brushes his lips against the edge of Steve's jaw. "I love you, Steve."

God it's good to see Tony laugh, especially when it's soft and breathy and Steve can feel how relaxed his body is in his arms and against his chest. It makes him want to cradle his cheek and kiss him again, but instead Steve just smiles down at him — though it really shouldn't take this much resolve just to make it to the down the hall. But there's just a beautiful, gentle way to how Tony looks right at this moment, like he belongs right there in his arms, happy and relaxed and so gorgeous that Steve needs to blink a few times just to make sure this is still reality.

When Tony says he loves him too, though, Steve's eyes wander right back down to look at him. His voice was so quiet, and Steve's nearly certain that Tony said something else, but he heard it. Steve's eyes soften as he sets his boyfriend down. He doesn't expect it either, when Tony's arms wrap around his waist and he looks up at him in with an expression that makes it impossible for Steve to look away.

That second time, when he says it again, Steve is sure that this must be what it feels like to melt from the inside out. Maybe it's because he's still punishing himself for Siberia, but despite everything that's happened, he never thought that this could be possible and that Tony could love him after having hated him so much.

His fingers move up to cradle Tony's cheek, and Steve pauses for a moment to stare into those big beautiful, expressive eyes. A few seconds later a soft smile emerges.

"I warned you that I was falling," he says, looking at Tony like he's the most beautiful thing in the world. And because he wants to say it seriously too, he follows Tony's lead and says the whole thing.

"I love you, Tony."

There's a brief moment where logic tries to kick in, trying to remind him that it's too soon. That he shouldn't be saying this, that he should have thought things through. But, the thing is, he doesn't really regret it because he had said the truth. After the morning they have had, and the things that Tony has already shared with Steve - and after growing as close as they have in the time they have been together...

No, he doesn't regret it, that's why he doesn't take the words back. If anything, he just holds onto him a little tighter as he looks up at him.

"You did," Tony agrees with a soft smile. "Guess you weren't the only one."

Because, well, it's not like that love has just started to develop. It has been growing and settling in, mostly without him even noticing. Steve really has gotten under his skin in ways that he couldn't have prevented, but as he looks up at him...he realizes that he wouldn't have wanted to. Not if it meant feeling like this, and being this happy.

"I love you too, sweetheart," he whispers before pressing a kiss against the side of his neck. "This has been a pretty great morning, you know."

There's a grin that spreads across Steve face when he hears he wasn't the only one. He remembers so clearly how taken aback Tony had been that day in the hospital, and how urgently he'd said he wasn't there yet. But from all the way back then, to where they are now, so much has happened, and all of it is beyond anything Steve could have predicted.

That kiss against his neck makes him turn ever so slightly, so he can press his lips softly against Tony's. It's just one slow kiss this time, before Steve's hands soon find themselves on the sides of Tony's hips again, just like they were a few minutes ago, though ... everything's much calmer now.

"I know," he says, finally, as his eyes open and he pulls back just enough to look at him. "Doesn't have to be over yet. You still have to eat, right?"

It feels so good to have Steve's hands back on his hips, that it's honestly a wonder that he doesn't purr in some way. As it is, he lets out a quiet hum of approval as he kisses him back, leaving very little distance between them.

"I do," he agrees, his fingertips moving slowly along Steve's back again. "...you think I can just...I don't know. Call in sick and keep you company?" He 'steals' another soft kiss before looking up at Steve again, pretending to look innocent but there's a glint of something in his eyes that show that he's anything but. "I mean...you know. Since I got beat up in the Commissary and all, I could just...'rest' here."

Except for the fact that resting would be the farthest thing from his mind, but...minor details.

It's the perfect way to ask him. Even if Steve is running his own investigation right now, the fact that Tony mentions having taken a few punches in the Commissary reminds Steve of the broken rib and how much he wants Tony to take it easy for at least a day.

That less-than-innocent glint in Tony's eyes makes him smile knowingly though, because Steve realizes right then that if he wants Tony to rest, he's going to have to spend the whole day with him. Not that he doesn't want to — god, he can barely let himself think about how much he wants to — but when it comes to weighing what he should do against what he wants to do, this might be the first time in a long while that they've been one in the same.

"You? Rest?" he asks teasingly as their lips part once again, but Steve is already nuzzling himself into Tony's curls. "If you promise you'll actually rest," he says softly, pausing for a moment before adding: "-for part of the day. Then I'll call it in for you."

Tony knows that he's pretty much cheating by bringing up the way he was hit last night, but considering what happened between him and Steve last night, and this morning...he really doesn't care. At all. He's more focused on how good his boyfriend feels in his arms, how good it feels to be held by him. And yeah, he knows that Steve has been busy even if he's technically suspended, but even he needs a day off, right? Especially considering the man didn't even take one after being shot multiple times.

"Of course I'll rest," he almost purrs, especially because of how Steve is nuzzling against him. "I'll even be in bed and everything, if you want me to." His tone is teasing, tempting him. And yeah, making it obvious that he has more than 'resting' in mind when it comes to being in bed with Steve. But, again, he's really not all that sorry.

He presses a soft kiss against the side of his neck. "You're my best medicine," he all but whispers before pressing his lips softly against Steve's neck again, "haven't you already figured it out?"

That tone is working, because Steve can feel the way his body reacts, and how there seems to be a certain tempting quality about Tony that he can't get stop thinking about — especially when Tony says if you want me to. But before he can even be embarrassed or self-conscious about it, he hears Tony say something that drives right into the center of his heart.

In a way, yeah, Steve has figured it out. He remembers every way that Tony seems to melt into him whenever he holds him, no matter how mad Tony was before. Steve remembers yesterday in the dining hall, when Tony never protested getting help to get back to the room, or how later that evening, Tony took his shirt off so he could be treated, even if he wouldn't go to Medical.

Still. Even if Steve remembers all those things, he hasn't internalized them. A few seconds ago, he hadn't even expected Tony to say I love you back, and right now, when Tony says that he's his best medicine, and asks if he's already figured that out, Steve feels such a genuine tug on his heart that he can help but hold his boyfriend a little tighter.

"I know we've talked about this before," he says softly, as he brings his hands up over Tony's body so he can pull him into a hug. "And we'll probably talk about it again. But I don't know what I would do anymore, if something happened to you."

He used to know. He even used to think that he would know how he'd feel when he and Tony are like this, but now, after yesterday, that clarity doesn't feel so piercing anymore. But Steve also doesn't want to tank this entire moment, because everything still feels more perfect than he really thought could be possible. So, as Steve turns to lands his own kiss on Tony's temple, and as he feels that cool sense of warmth from Tony's body, he chuckles.

"Which, is my terrible way of telling you that we are going to be resting today. Even-" A small grin emerges. "Even if that isn't everything we do."

Pointing out that Steve is his best medicine hadn't been said to 'cheat' and be able to stay with him; with how honest he has been all morning, and how he has opened himself up more than what he has in the past, it just managed to come out. It's the truth - the complete, and absolute truth.

Thankfully he doesn't have to explain that to him, or try to convince him of it. Honestly, he wouldn't even know how to.

The hug takes him a little by surprise at first, though, although he's not even sure why, but then Steve says he doesn't know what he would do if something happened to him, and Tony's embrace tightens a little. As if to assure him that it's okay, that he's here with him.

"I guess, lucky for both of us, I'm not going anywhere." His voice is quiet, the playful tone mostly gone because he's trying to sound more reassuring than anything else. And really, it's not like the Complex will allow him to disappear so easily; apparently it had been easier to insert the glowing nightlight in his chest, rather than just let him die so he could come back completely healed.

He realizes, though, that although he tends to be more reckless and 'accident prone' than most considering how sometimes he just barrels through a situation, for Steve he would try to be more careful. Maybe not enough to keep himself out of dangerous situations if he needs to, because like Steve, he can't stay away from those if he thinks he can make a difference, but...he can at least do whatever he can to make it home to him in one piece.

At the way that Steve kisses his temple, Tony finds himself smiling again. Especially when he feels the way that he chuckles, and how that feels considering how close together they are.

"I love you," Tony just answers with a grin after Steve agrees to taking a day off, leaning in to kiss his lips as the arm that he has around his waist tightens its hold a little on him.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Daycycle 125 [February 5 - February 11]

Daycycle 125

[Feb 5 - Feb 11]

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uhhhh potentially nsfw

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