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Word Count: 582

Arguments and Apologies

Tony threw his hands in the air. "I can't talk to you right now. We're going around in circles, and you won't admit that what you did was the stupidest thing!"

"I wasn't just going to let you die, Tony!"

"Now you know how I feel every time you shout at me for saving your life!" Tony shouted back, completely done with the conversation.

Although it was admittedly novel being on the opposite side of it to what he normally was.

"It's not—"

"It's exactly the same thing, Steve! I was fine. I don't know if you've noticed but I have a literal suit of armour to protect me! I don't need you to jump in front of people firing things that would probably turn you into a pile of goddamn ash!"

"Tony—"

"No, Steve. I don't want to hear it. Not right now. I'm not worth you dying for, and—" Tony cut himself off and turned away. He stomped his way to the waiting elevator to the sound of his name being called and JARVIS, bless his code, closed the doors as soon as Tony had cleared them.

"Take me up to the penthouse, J," he requested, rubbing a hand over his face. "There's no way can I concentrate on work right now."

"Of course, Sir."

…

"Hey," Steve said quietly. "Tony looked up from the tablet he'd been reading on and nodded silently.

It wasn't that he was still mad—he was, but that was neither here nor there—but he didn't want to start arguing again. He was tired, and he had a headache, and he just… didn't want to deal.

"I brought you hot chocolate," Steve said, offering the mug up like the peace offering it was. "JARVIS said you have a headache, so I didn't want to bring you coffee."

Tony accepted the mug with a quiet, "thanks."

Steve sat down on the sofa beside Tony, closer than was necessary given the size of it.

"I won't apologise for trying to save your life," Steve said softly. "But I will apologise for scaring you. And I promise that I'll try and be more careful in future about what I jump in front of."

Tony opened his mouth and then closed it before he nodded. It wasn't like he could ask for more than that, given his own penchant for taking hits meant for his team; Steve in particular.

"Okay. I don't… I don't like arguing with you," he admitted. "We used to be really good at it but now… I don't like it. I don't like being mad at you and I don't like you being mad at me."

"Me neither," Steve replied. He switched his own hot chocolate to his other hand and raised his arm so Tony could lean into his side. "I'm sorry."

Tony nodded as he snuggled in. "I know. I'm sorry for shouting at you. I know you were only doing what you thought you needed to."

"I won't lose you."

Tony glanced up at him and smiled. "You're right. You won't."

They sat in silence until Tony requested JARVIS put a movie on, and they watched together in comfort, cuddled together on the sofa. The rest of the team joined them within the first ten minutes of the movie, and Tony smiled.

He and Steve were moving towards something. He wasn't sure what that something was, but he was looking forward to finding out.

Even if they did still occasionally shout at each other.

Written for:

Showtime, 6: An argument.