#46 + Steve for the prompt list THANK U FOR THIS
Prompt: 46. “No! Don’t hurt them! Hurt me, leave them alone!”
Usually, when Steve aims that tone and that face and those eyes at him like this, he melts and gives in to whatever Steve is pleading for. That’s how he ended up with doctors telling him how much he’s “improved” and how his test results are “no longer abysmal, Mr. Stark, thank goodness”. That’s also how he ended up googling “hip replacement surgery” last night, dazed, half-asleep, post-coital.
What can he say? He’s whipped, it’s effective.
Tony looks over to where Steve sits, looking pathetic and forlorn. This time, however, it’s ridiculous.
“Steve, are you serious?” he says, wiping grease off his hands with a cloth, balling it up, and throwing it at Steve. It hits him in the face and drops to the floor, but not before leaving a small smudge of grease on his chin. “You’re being dumb and it’s not the adorable kind, sugarlips.”
Steve looks up and glowers at him. “I’m not letting you do this. It’s not right.”
He can’t help but snort so hard, it hurts his nose a little. “Baby, it’s literally in the manual. It’s routine maintenance. If you mean it’s not right, like, nothing can go wrong, then yes. You’re right, because I’m always right. Listen, you don’t even have to be in here for this, you can leave.”
Steve stares at him, horrified. “Tony, I’m not leaving. How could you even suggest- jeez. They’re going to be scared and I want to be there for them!”
As if on cue, Dum-E beeps almost desperately and bumps his claw against Steve’s side, which Steve catches and - oh, for the love of god, Tony thinks - caresses. Butterfingers and U huddle closer to them awkwardly, wheels and arms and camera attachments moving in what can only be described as protest. To a routine maintenance. Alright, then.
Tony looks up at the ceiling, pinching his nose. “JARVIS,” he mutters, “can you round up your brothers for daddy, please. Charging stations, now, then we’ll work on disassemble.”
“No! Tony, let’s, let’s just do it one at a time, I can take Butterfingers and U to the living room while you work on Dum-E, so they don’t feel too terrified-”
“Steve, oh my god, they’ll be in recharge mode, and that’s just robot-talk for asleep. And as they are robots, they won’t even feel a thing. I’m just gonna take them apart and put them back together, like I've been doing since I was literally a child,” Tony says, moving toward Steve and cupping his face in his hands. He squeezes Steve’s cheeks together, making his pouty lips look even more pink and lush. “Come on, sweetheart, I’ve got to get this going, I only have time for it today.”
Steve shakes out of Tony’s hold. “I-Tony I know I’m being crazy,” he wraps his arms around the bots surrounding him. “But I just don’t like the idea of them in pieces on the floor, it’s kind of scary.”
Tony looks at his six-foot, bulky, supersoldier boyfriend huddled in between three robots he can lift all at the same time, and his stupid, dumb eyelashes and stupid, dumb blue eyes and his stupid, dumb nose, tinged pink at the tip, and sighs.
“You’re crazy, and I hate you. Go cuddle Thing 1 and Thing 2 in the living room while I work on Dum-E. Make popcorn. Put on Finding Nemo. You’re insane.”
Steve grins, and stands to hug him. “Thank you, Tony. It really makes me feel better about this whole thing. I’m sorry.”
Tony smacks a loud kiss on his nose, right on the pink, flushed tippy tip. Stupid, dumb nose. “Yeah, yeah. Go play with the kids while I put this one in the bath, honey, yadda yadda.”
Steve looks at him, a small smile playing on his lips, his eyes bright. “That’s kinda what it is, though, huh?”
Tony sniffs, already turning away to gather his tools. “What? What’re you talking about? Get out of here, you lunatic. JARVIS, my only functioning child and the only one here apart from myself who has any sense whatsoever, did you get the station ready for daddy?”
“Yes, Sir. Dum-E, please make your way to the station and power down.”
“JARVIS, put up an alarm to let Steve know when daddy’s done with this first hunk of junk.” Dum-E beeps loudly as he flails toward the station.
Suddenly, he feels Steve right behind him, arms wrapping around Tony’s waist. He feels him trail quick, soft kisses against his neck before pulling away. Tony looks back just as Steve walks out of the workshop with the other two bots in tow.
“Skip the first part of Finding Nemo, when Nemo’s you-know-who you-know-whats. Don’t traumatize the kids, Cap.”
Steve looks back to wink at Tony, throwing out a casual mock salute and an, “Aye, aye, daddy,” before the workshop doors slide close behind him.
Tony has no shame in admitting he takes a minute to adjust his jeans and think about Fury in a ballerina costume before he’s confident enough to start on Dum-E.
