in hindsight --------- tony realises the party is not for steve at all. construction recently finished on the new avengers tower & timed with a birthday for the recently recovered all american symbol, arranging the event was a ppm : perfect paparazzi moment.
tony thumbs through his contact books, inviting men & women who he knows would be a great addition to the ( press stunt ). the list ranges from celebrities to wheelchair bound veterans, & although the SELECTION of guests is well thought out, he may or may not have disregarded steve’s own preferences. tony promises his intentions were good ; it is supposed to be a nice gesture & a great way to promote the team.
captain america & steve rogers are not synonymous. this confuses tony. he adores being immediately attributed to iron man, the suit is apart of him. stupidly, he expects steve to react similarly. the decorations are a shrine to captain america. projections of old propaganda films glittering on metallic walls, waitresses in uso uniforms. THE GUESTS LOVE IT, but steve does not. tony wants it to spark nostalgia. a miscalculation.
after his rounds, tony notices the absence of their dimple-chinned star. correction: he has for awhile, but before it was defensible. bathroom, hook up, lost, etc. the open bar makes the other guests oblivious to steve’s disappearance. contradictory to tony’s own response, his mind gravitates to steve more. so he runs a scan. peeps through different security feeds until he finds their missing man.
steve is found tucked into an emergency stairwell. alone. this prompts tony’s acute awareness to a massive oversight. a defensive panic bubbles in his throat: it’s supposed to be nice, a better WELCOME to the 21st century.
❛ crap, ❜ he mutters flicking the holograms away.
without a few glasses of dutch courage, tony thinks he might be nervous to approach steve now.
the metal CLANK from the door would alert steve of company, so tony maintains a feigned nonchalance. black eyes look everywhere but what’s important. ❛ i’m surprised you even found this. i forgot this was even installed ---- who decided this paint job ? ❜ genuine confusion.
finally, he lets himself look at steve. a sudden knot forms in tony’s stomach & his hands itch for another drink.
❛ there was ------ A LOT going on in there. the drapes were a travesty. i couldn’t stand to look at them another second. do you mind if i join you ? ❜
