"Stark managed to get himself kidnapped", Nick Fury said the moment he stepped into the Bus' conference room. "Your next mission is to get him out, safe and sound."

Fitz/Simmons looked like Christmas had come early and in combination with a tenfold r&d budget.

"That Tony Stark?" Skye asked and licked her lips.

Melinda looked like she always did and Ward only asked questions about who, what defences they had and where they were.

"Why us?" Phil asked when he walked Nick down the ramp.

"You brought Stark in. I need you two to be able to work with each other should the day come."

"That's not a good idea."

"I don't care what happened between you two but handling Stark is like guarding a sack of flees on a good day. Since New York…Just get your shit together, Phil."

"Is that an order?"

"Do I have to make it one?"

They looked at each other and for a moment Phil wanted to be a coward but the he shook his head. "I'll deal with it."

"Oh and Phil?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Remember, Stark is only a consultant and not an agent", Nick said and winked at him.

"He missed his calling", Melinda said from behind him. Fortunately Phil had spent enough time with Natasha and Clint not to be surprised by people materialising out of nowhere. "He should have been a matchmaker."

"That's not what he meant", Phil said but knew he was flushed.

Melinda gave him a long look and then left.

/

The rescue itself mostly went off without a hitch. In fact Colonel Rhodes met them at the site Tony was being kept and Melinda received a text from Natasha saying to call her if they needed help.

Tony himself seemed to treat the whole thing like an amusing vacation, trying to flirt with Melinda and basking in the combined squees of Fitz, Simmons and Skye.

However he ignored Phil completely, no word, no look, no acknowledgement that Phil was alive and standing right next to him.

"Try not to get kidnapped again", Colonel Rhodes said. "I do have a day job."

"It's not like I'm doing this intentionally!"

Colonel Rhodes gave him an ever so slightly sceptical look and took off in his repainted War Machine armour.

Tony got Bruce to take Fitz and Simmons to the R&D levels while Ward ushered a still star struck Skye into the lift. When Phil wanted to follow them, Melinda stopped him.

"You have something else to do", she said and nodded towards Tony.

"You're worse than Fury."

Melinda gave him a sweet smile that spoke of indescribable pain should he not talk to Tony and followed Ward and Skye, leaving Tony and Phil alone in the penthouse.

"Is there anything else?" Tony said coldly without looking at Phil.

"You could have escaped at any moment."

"Maybe you overestimate me."

"You? Never." There had been a time when he had known exactly what to say to Tony to make him react the way he had wanted him to. Not now. Loki hadn't just killed him. With that stab wound he had shifted the axis of Phil's life and he was floundering. A few people had told him that Tony had taken his death harder than the other Avengers and Phil didn't know what to do with that piece of information. They had never been that. A few nights here and there to relieve stress or for fun but nothing more.

Tony scoffed. "Flattery from a dead man? Should I put that down in my diary?"

"I never meant to hurt you", Phil said and turned to leave.

"You're a shitty liar."

"Goodbye Tony. It was nice to see you again."

"So that's it?"

"Is there anything else I can do for you? Die for real, maybe so that you don't have to deal with your emotions?"

"You don't get to put that on me. You left."

"I'm right here."

"A fucking year later. And now you're just going to walk out of that door as if nothing ever happened, as if I didn't see the huge bloodstain you left where Loki stabbed you, as if Fury didn't lie."

"What the hell is your problem, Stark?"

"You gave up. You just left. Got you car and jet and new team and never looked back."

"I had my – "

"I swear if you say orders I will kill you. Fury lets you get away with everything because he feels like he owes you for your cards. So don't give me that fucking excuse."

" – doubts."

Tony looked so taken aback and hurt that Phil hurried to explain. "I felt guilty for not being there when you needed me."

"Hard to do that when you're in a coma", Tony muttered.

"And when I finally came back you seemed to have moved on. I thought maybe it was better to stay dead than to open old wounds."

"You know me better than that."

"I barely know you at all. I'm not a genius. I haven't gotten you figured out and laid bare, nor would I want to."

"I want you to."

"Tony – "

"I want you in my home and in my bed, I want you to have my back and threaten to taser me when I annoy you. I want to tease you about your crush on Rogers and have you gang up on me with Pepper. And if you don't want that too then get the hell out of my house." Tony turned around and walked towards the bar.

"I want that, too."

Phil's soft words made him stop dead in his tracks.

"What did you say?"

"I want you too. I have no idea what I'm getting into or how we're going to make it work but I want you, too." Life was too short and if Tony fucking Stark wanted to have a relationship with him Phil wasn't going to say no.

It was slightly ridiculous how they stood fifteen foot apart and not moving at all, just looking at each other. Tony raked a hand through his hair. "Good. Okay." He looked at Phil. "What are we going to do now?"

"I need to report back. Then...dinner at seven? My place."

"Dinner sounds good."

"I'll see you then." Phil walked into the lift.

"Hey, wait. I don't know where you live!"

Phil grinned at him just as the doors were closing. "You're a genius. You'll figure it out."