Steve sighed when the call with Peter ended. He realized about one of his clenched fists right next to his body. That conversation about Anthony makes him go in a really bad mood and he didn’t have any box bag to give it a proper punch. He just sighed for a second time and went to take a shower to calm down before go to a date with Peter.

He giggled. Who could believe a man like him could date a kid like Peter? But that kid had something that made people to fall in love with him.

He was downstairs when he was ready and he smiled widely when he saw the kid waiting for him in the middle of the empty reception. He went right towards Peter and grabbed his waist, kissing his lips right after that.

“What are you doing?” Peter whispered in shock. “What if someone see us?”  

“What’s the problem? We’re a couple after all.” He said playing with a rebel hair of Peter.

“Yeah, but--” Peter tried to say something to him, but it was impossible. Suddenly, he scratched the back of his neck. “Ouch…”

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, I have this scratch thing on the neck since today’s morning…”

“Do you want me to take a look?”

“No, it’s okay. Where are you going to take me?”

“Wherever you want.”

His fingers entwined with the other’s, the kiss that join their lips seems to be endless. But a familiar voice, maybe a voice that Steve never thought to hear again said something.

“No time to see you, Cap.”

Steve opened his distance with Peter but he was still protecting the kid with one arm.

“Tony.” He just said locking his eyes on Anthony’s.

“I think you have something that belongs to me.”

“We should talk about it.”

“Yeah, but not today.” Anthony said grabbing one of Peter’s arms. “Come with me.”

“Wh-- What…?” The kid muttered.

“You come with me, now.”

“Tony, let him go.” Steve ordered the other man grabbing his arm. “Let him go.”

“And who the are you to tell--!?”

“Mr. Stark, please.”

They didn’t know if Peter’s beg was the cause of Anthony let him go or what, but the point was that he did. Anthony took a step back and returned to his car. The last view he saw was Peter and Steve, entwined fingers, walking to who-knows-where.

“…” He sighed with his arms crossed on the steering wheel and his head on it.

 

Peter and Steve went to the younger’s apartment. Anthony’s sudden presence left in impact on both of them, that’s for sure. They didn’t even say a single word about it… about anything actually just until Peter offered a drink to Steve.

“Thanks…” Steve said with a glass of juice in his hand. “Peter…”

“Hm?”

“We really must to go.”

There were almost five hours of silence after that. No kind of touching between them, just to feel each other close was everything he needed in that moment. It was May’s keys that make the duet to realize about the hour. The woman surprised when he turned the lights on and saw them just sitting on the coach.

“Hello…” She said. Steve stood up quickly.

“Well… I gotta go.” He said to Peter whom just nodded. “Take care.” Peter didn’t say anything, he nodded again. “Ma’am.”

“See you.” May said locking her eyes on Peter when Steve left the apartment. She took a seat next to the kid who laid his head on May’s shoulder and sighed. “Are you gonna tell me what’s going on?”

“No… I can’t…” The kid whispered. “I’m sorry, but I can’t…”

“Peter…” May was about to say something but suddenly Peter stood up. “Peter?”

“I’m leaving.”

“Peter, wait. Where are you going?”

“I have something to do.” He said quickly while left the apartment.

“Peter! Wait!” May shout in the hallway but none of her words reached to Peter.

 

“Wait here, please. I’ll pay you right now.”

The kid left the cab and run to the door. The bell rung and he just wait there. The sky seemed to be stormy in any moment and the wind started to blow and it was freezing him out.

“Yes? Peter…” ia said.

“I’m sorry, I’m out of money, could you…?” He said taking a look to the driver.

“Oh, yes. Give me a moment to take my wallet. Come in, Tony’s upstairs.”

“Thank you.”

“Geez, kid! You’re freezing!” The woman realized with a smile on her face about the single T-shirt the boy was wearing. Peter just smiled to her and entered to go right to Anthony’s office.

“Yes. Yes. You should do that. It’s a good investment, you know?” Anthony was surprised because of Peter’s presence there. “Yes, can we discuss that tomorrow? I have something important to do.” Peter smirked.

“’Something important to do’. me harder, maybe, Mr. Stark?” Peter thought.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

“So, did you decide to leave Cap and return with me?”

“Tony, we need to talk.” Peter said caressing the top of the chair in front of Anthony.

“We talk then. Take a sit.” Anthony said and stood up to take a glass from the mini-bar. “Do you want some drink?”

“No, thanks. I shouldn’t drink.”

“You shouldn’t to do a lot of things, kid; and look, you’re here.”

“Yes. That was a mistake.” Anthony locked his eyes on Peter until to take a sit on his chair, and then, he broke the silence. “What do you mean?”

“It was a mistake all of this.”

“What?”

“Tony, come on! You used me! You did it all the time!” Those accusations took Anthony by surprise but he never heard a single word about his actions from the kid, so he was interested to listen to him. “You just used me for your own profits and in order to satisfied you! You never…! You never…”

“Say it. I never, what?”

“No, it’s stupid…” Peter said with shaking voice.

“Say it!” He said closer to him just to grab his chin and make Peter look up at him. “Say it!”

“You never loved me…”

“Oh, God…”

The man sighed and took a step back from the kid.

“See? How stupid that sound?”

“No. That doesn’t sound stupid.”

“Yes, it is.”

“What are you doing here? What’s exactly that you want from me? Tell me, come on!” Anthony said punching his own chest like he was waiting for a punch.

“I want to ask you to leave me alone. Forget about the MIT, about May’s work--”

“And about Steve Rogers, right?”

“Yes.” Peter said looking right to Anthony.

“I won’t. Any of that stuff that you’re asking me. I won’t.”

“Why? Why is so hard for you to understand how deep you’re hurting me, Tony?”

“You are the one who don’t understand…”

“What I have to understand?”

“This.”

It was late.

Oh, God, it was already so ing late.

Maybe if he could do it weeks ago, maybe before he met Steve, he could respond to that long lasting kiss that Anthony never gave it to him, but now he was shocked and he didn’t know what to think.

“I love you…” The man whispered touching Peter’s forehead with his, looking right into the kid’s eyes. “I was loving you all this time, kid. Didn’t you realize it?”

“Y-- You-- You--” Peter took a deep breath to calm down. “You’re lying…”

“No, not anymore.” Anthony said looking into Peter’s eyes.

“Please, don’t-- Let me go…” Peter begged and trying to escape from the grip that Anthony had on his arms. “Please…”

“Please, Peter, listen to me. Listen to me.” He said to feel that the kid wasn’t giving him any resistance or a try to run away from there. “Listen to me…” Peter looked at him still being grabbed with Anthony’s hands. “I love you. I love you since the day we met, okay?” Anthony sighed and then got loose the grip on the kid’s body. “But did you think that’s easy to realize that a man like me could fall in love with a kid?”

“It is so late, Tony.” The man looked at him, Peter’s eyes were puffy and red. “It’s late…”

“Is it? Really?” Anthony got closer to Peter and touched one of his cheeks with the tender that he never had with the kid whom shut down his eyes slowly. The sensation he was feeling makes Peter to shiver. “What did you feel?” Peter opened his eyes and looked at him. “When I kissed you, what did you feel?”

“That’s--”

“Tell me, what did you feel?”

“I don’t know… I don’t-- I want to go home… I already told you what I had to tell you, that’s all.”

“Stay here tonight. You already know the guest’s room. It’s raining outside.”

“Okay.” Peter said with no more energy to argue with him.

 

The lights of the thunders illuminated the entire room but it was Anthony’s words what don’t let him to sleep. It was great that he love him back, but it was just too late to return that love.

 

“So?” ia asked with a book on her hands and sat down on her side of the bed. Anthony looked at her. “How it goes?”

“I screwed up. Like I always do.”

“Tony…”

Anthony laid down on the bed and rested his head on the woman’s lap.

“It’s true. I lost him.”He whispered. ia caressed his hair.

“It’s okay. He will understand what you’ve done. He will understand you, Tony.”

“He doesn’t love me, Pepper. Not anymore…”