A/N: Okay so I'm starting to think that I should have left my first chapter as a cliff hanger-y one shot because I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING NOW.

I'll just put a warning that this story has kinda gotten out of control and this is the last chapter because my brain is doing it zero favours from here on out.

That being said, Enjoy. LOL

Seconds after Tony stalks off, Steve immediately feels guilty. He stays rooted in his spot, continuing to stare into the space the other man previously occupied, wondering whether he should have gone after him.

He doesn't get the chance to make that decision when he's led to the communal kitchen by Clint and Natasha, both of whom have seemed to recover from the argument already.

Clint perhaps more so than Natasha, currently bombarding the rest of them with questions for lunch and what he should eat. Natasha, though remaining largely unconcerned, heads into the kitchen with a more subtle type of hesitance not seen in Clint.

Steve lets himself become immersed in Clint's constant chatter while his thoughts go back to the argument with Tony. He honestly hadn't been trying to upset the genius because for all his faults and personality quirks, Tony never intentionally disobeyed orders, and deep down, Steve can understand his obsessive need to be protective of his teammates. He just wishes the other man would learn to be more tactful about it.

Contrary to what he might have believed, Steve wasn't mad at Tony, he was just scared that his teammate's erratic decision making would one day hurt someone, or worse, hurt himself, and the Captain is unwilling to let that happen under his leadership. After all, it's his job to both lead the team and ensure their safety. If he can't do those things, then he's failing his responsibilities.

Captain America does not fail responsibilities.

So, all things considered, maybe Steve had been too harsh on Tony earlier and accusing him of not caring was definitely the wrong thing to say. Over the months that followed New York, the Captain had the opportunity to learn a lot about the people he works with, what with all the team building exercises and causal movie nights. Of course, Tony wasn't always there for all them, usually caught up in other business (he does have a company to run), so it stands to reason that there were still some gaps in their professional and personal relationship. And when he thinks back to that initial explosive interaction with Tony on the Heli carrier, he's reminded of how easy it is to misjudge the other man when you don't know enough about him.

Hence, Steve figures that today just happened to be another opportunity where he learned how not to teach Tony Stark a lesson, and that in order to do so, he's going to have to try a different approach. Maybe that starts with meeting Tony where he's at, instead of expecting him to catch up with the rest of them.

Starting with whatever the hell Natasha was thinking by encouraging Tony to hurt himself.

Steve would never admit it out loud, least of all to the two people who just left, but the cold ease with which Natasha offered her gun to Tony was, quite frankly, terrifying to witness. And when he saw the look on the other man's face and the way his face had crumpled, Steve knew something potentially irreparable had occurred.

Steve likes to think that Clint and Natasha are not cruel people, despite the evident ruthlessness displayed by Natasha earlier. That perhaps they've simply been moulded by cruelty their whole lives and tend to forget the fact that other have not. This is why he believes that Natasha, for all her fear inducing qualities, never means for legitimate harm to befall others and is simply oblivious of the effect her candid approach to violence has on the people around her. She's so used to dealing with catastrophic outcomes that the notion of killing oneself doesn't offend her and she makes the mistake of assuming the same to be for others.

As for Clint, Steve's not sure the archer realizes how similar he and Tony are. The very things that Clint despises Stark for sometimes are the very same afflictions Clint suffers from: pride. Those two men are in many ways cut from the same cloth and seeing them butt heads over their bruised egos becomes less and less amusing to watch each time. He truly believes that Clint holds Tony to a standard that he holds himself to, ignoring the assumption that for all their similarities, they're still vastly different people.

And then to top it all off, Steve now learns that Tony is in fact not an Avenger and has the unique displeasure of learning it from Natasha, no less. He's going to have to talk to her about keeping such secrets from him in the future.

But the knowledge that Tony's been functioning in the capacity of a consultant this whole time only proves to increase his anxiety all that much more. It was different when he thought Tony was an Avenger, someone who had ultimately signed up for the danger they face, but to learn that he's not even that concerns him for several reasons.

One, why is Tony not an official member of the team? Steve may be 'old' but his memory's still intact and he distinctly recalls a certain iron clad hero fly a nuke into space. One would think that's the ultimate qualifying factor. Secondly, why didn't Tony say anything? It certainly makes more sense now why he was away so often, unable to participate in the very team bonding exercises that might have avoided this whole misunderstanding in the first place. But for a man who complains about everything, he oddly failed to mention something that important.

Steve is itching to confront Tony now, to barge into his lab where he's undoubtedly locked up and tell him how sorry he is. He shouldn't have dismissed him like that and all he wanted was for Tony to understand that no matter their differences, Steve is never going to put him in position of vulnerability. But he supposes that it matters less now considering the vulnerable position Tony was put in yesterday.

Resolved to pursue this further, Steve decides to give Tony space for the time being. Confronting him is obviously not the most effective approach, evidenced by the disaster from a while ago. Not wanting to make the same mistake, the Captain tells himself that this conversation will be easier to have after a good night's sleep.

He looks out towards the common room and sees Natasha and Clint lounging on the couches with a movie playing in the background. Neither are really paying attention to it, Clint busy with his phone and Natasha buried in a book. He considers joining them but is suddenly aware of how exhausted he is and makes his way towards his room instead. It's not very late in the evening, but the sky has darkened outside enough to make him feel sleepy. What with all the physical and mental exhaustion, it's not unusual for Steve to turn in so early. It's the one thing about him that Tony loves to make fun of, often joking about how he's such a grandpa for sleeping at nine PM.

Without bidding good night to the others, he leaves the communal kitchen with thoughts of Tony running through his mind.

The next morning, Steve is the first to wake. The sun is streaming in through the window as J.A.R.V.I.S. announces the time and date to him, followed by the weather. It's early in the morning still, around five AM which is typical for him on an average day. He's usually out for a run by now but for some reason, he's just not feeling it and the exhaustion from the night before doesn't seem to have vanished.

The day goes by in relative silence. He meets with Natasha and Clint at some point in the day and they have a short sparring session together. Usually, they try to keep it a group activity with all the avengers but Bruce has been out of town for a couple of weeks and Thor hasn't returned from Asgard yet, so they end up training with just the three of them present.

Nobody had mentioned Tony during this time either, likely because of the awkwardness of having to recount yesterday's events. Steve tried to bring him up once but didn't get far in his sentence before Natasha was looking at him strangely. She didn't seem upset in the sense of anger but more in the sense of regret, and Steve hazards she had time to really think about what happened. If regret is the outcome of that, then a tiny, quiet part of him feels a little bit relieved by her self-awareness. Hopefully, this means he can have a sincere conversation with her about expressing her thoughts and emotions more appropriately, though he doubts it would be easy in any context.

The group disperses after about an hour and Steve spends his time reading or working on his art. Art has been the only consistent part of his life since waking from the ice, and he always makes sure to revisit it when he gets the chance. Art is the only part of his life most familiar to him and when he feels especially out of time, sketching helps reel him back to the present. It's easy for Steve to get lost in the process and it's not long before lunch time rolls around when he decides to grab some food from the kitchen.

He still has a fair distance to go till he reaches the kitchen but his super hearing picks up on a familiar voice he didn't expect to hear for another few weeks, at least. His suspicions are confirmed when upon entering, he's met with the sight of Tony and Pepper having lunch together, engaged in a lighthearted conversation as Tony smiles wide.

Steve hangs back a bit, not making his presence immediately known, content to simply observe a version of Tony he hasn't been privileged to witness. It's nice, seeing him relax for once with his metaphorical walls lowered and personality out in the open. It's in times like these that Steve really, truly, appreciates Pepper Potts, serving as the constant pillar by his side and making sure the man takes care of himself.

Though they can rely on Pepper to communicate their differences, this time Steve knows that she shouldn't have to be cleaning up what was ultimately their mess, and he's resolved to make it right.

Stepping into the kitchen fully, Pepper is the first to notice him. She smiles at him brightly as her hand squeezes Tony's reassuringly.

"Hi, Steve. Did you have lunch yet?"

He steals a quick glance at Tony, who continues to eat as though Steve wasn't there. Turning back to Pepper, he notices her looking at him with a knowing smile, subtly shaking her head to say not now.

Feeling slightly disheartened, Steve nods in understanding and carefully moves towards the fridge.

"Um, no, not yet. I just came by to grab a quick bite," he answers.

"Do you want me to fix you something? I'm sure there's enough ingredients to cook up some kind of dish," she says, already twisting out of her seat.

Steve is quick to stop her however, assuring her that there's no need to go out of her way. She offers him a friendly smile and turns back to her food, but not before informing him the leftover pasta in the fridge if he wants it.

He can't help but smile at the sheer generosity that Pepper emanates and while it was nice of her to offer cooking, his appetite has somewhat vanished anyway.

After Steve has fixed a sandwich for himself, he internally debates whether he should sit in the common room or just eat at the table like normal. The decision is made for him when Pepper gestures for him to sit down and join them. He looks a bit hesitantly towards Tony, who to his surprise, is already watching him. Tony seems doubtful for a second but then raises a brow in the Captain's direction who then promptly takes a seat across from him.

There's a brief moment of awkward silence with the three them choosing to focus on their food. Pepper, for all her wonders, is clearly letting Tony take the reign with this one and Steve thinks they must be having some kind of telepathic conversation.

When the silence stretches on for too long, Steve begins to feel more and more restless, with all the words he wants to say to the other man bubbling up in his chest, threatening to spill if he doesn't talk soon. His restlessness must have been obvious because the other two occupants are staring at him strangely, like a nervous toddler getting ready to confess his crime. He stares back at them and looks at Tony intensely, trying to convey his sincerity and guilty through his eyes alone.

It must have worked because Tony's face does something strange where instead of the apprehension from earlier, he seems amused. This gives Steve the courage to finally break the silence.

"Tony, listen, about yesterday, I just wanted to say that I'm so, so sorry." The weight in his chest doesn't immediately disappear but when Tony doesn't yell back, he hopes that this conversation has potential.

Tony, on the other hand, was not expecting Captain America to be the one apologizing. The genius had a whole speech lined up in his head, even learned to swallow his pride long enough to apologize for his actions during battle, making promises to do better and be better. The furthest possibility in his mind was for Steve to be apologizing to him.

"Why on Earth would you be sorry?" he questions.

Something about the incredulity and awe in Tony's voice at having been apologized to just makes Steve feel overwhelmed at the idea that no one has ever apologized to him before.

"For everything. For not taking the time to ask you about your side of the story. For accusing you of not caring. For the…thing that happened with Natasha."

His voice lowers to a whisper at that last part, nervous of the reaction it might elicit. Fortunately, there's no explosive reaction and instead, Tony simply lowers his eyes and nods in a gesture to accept Steve's apology. But Steve isn't finished and pushes forward.

"And worst of all, for not knowing you weren't an Avenger."

Tony looks up abruptly. Because while he accepted that Steve was apologizing for his own actions or even on behalf of Clint and Natasha, he wasn't prepared for him to apologize about something that wasn't even in his control.

"You don't have to apologize for that Cap," he says. "I agreed to be a consultant, that was my decision."

"Somehow, I think you're sugar-coating what exactly you agreed to."

"He is," comes a new voice. Natasha emerges from the corner of the entry way, moving to stand in front of the table but refusing to take a seat. She smiles softly at Pepper before speaking.

"He didn't exactly agree to be a consultant and I may or may not have had a hand in that." Her voice is soft and the words are spoken quietly, laced with a hint of remorse.

Tony's posture shifts, like he's ready to bolt any second. The tension from yesterday has clearly carried over and Steve doesn't blame him, though he hopes the other man stays long enough for a conversation to be had.

"I don't understand what you mean," Steve responds.

"I mean that I'm the one who recommended against Stark being an official avenger, back when he was dying from palladium poisoning at which point Fury brought him on as a consultant instead."

A silence descends as they consider her words. Steve didn't know about any palladium poisoning, let alone any instance of the genius dying and the worry from before bubbles in his chest again. Tony, noticing the panic on Cap's face, is quick to reassure him.

"I'm fine. I'm not dying, it's all fixed now. Good as new. Well, not new but definitely better than dying." His rambling is cut short when Natasha continues.

"But I've since been proven wrong and I suppose it's my mistake for not correcting him sooner."

The man in question sighs loudly, getting tired of the constant pity he's receiving from all sides. Tony's not a helpless and injured man and he's perfectly capable of speaking up for himself. Not to mention that the whole 'consultant business' wasn't exactly the reason he was so upset yesterday, and he's inclined to never bring it up, especially not in present company.

Though the fact that Steve brought it up in his apology likely means there will be a discussion about it. Cap's just old school like that.

What he wasn't expecting was for it to be brought up so soon. Natasha moves from her position and takes a seat between Tony and Steve. She meets Tony's line of sight, forcing him to make eye contact with her which only proves to make him more uncomfortable. Surely, she's not going to try anything in the presence of both Pepper and Steve?

She doesn't. Instead, her face becomes soft, her eyes regarding him with a sincerity he didn't think she was capable of. She continues to stare for a moment before raising a delicate hand to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

Tony's breath gets stuck in his throat in nervous anticipation as she continues.

"I shouldn't have been so reckless with my words yesterday. Sometimes I forget you use self-deprecating humor to deflect from what you're really feeling, and I'll try to be less scary about it from now on."

There's a twinkle in her eye, like she's trying to say something without really saying it which only makes the genius feel as though he should be offended, but he recognizes that as Natasha-speak for I misread the situation and made a mistake. Tony also knows firsthand how difficult is to apologize, unfamiliar with the idea in general, so he appreciates her apology regardless of what form it takes.

Relaxing his posture a bit, Tony nods his head in acceptance, offering her a hint of his charming smile.

"I hear you loud and clear, double agent. And I don't deflect," he protests.

"You did just now."

"Did not."

Steve watches in soft amusement as the two of them resume their friendly bickering. It's not exactly how he expected this conversation to go but he's not going to be the one to ruin the moment, so he leaves it be. That only leaves one other person who's suspiciously not in the room.

He's distracted from thinking about it further when Tony gets up to put his and Pepper's plate in the sink. It's only in that moment that the Captain has noticed Pepper is no longer in the room, likely having gone to deal with Stark Industries business.

That woman is always on the move.

Once Tony places the dishes in the sink, he turns around with his hands on his hips and stares intensely at the ceiling. Sighing loudly, he pulls the chair previous occupied by Pepper away from the table and positions it directly under one of the ceiling vents.

Steve observes in confusion as Natasha looks on with a knowing smile. He's about to ask Tony what he's doing when suddenly Clint hops down from the vent and onto the chair beneath him. He lands in a crouch directly in front of Tony as a result, and the two of them stare at each other with neutral expressions.

Clint remains still, hands grabbing the back of the chair which happens to be in front of him, when Tony speaks first.

"Apology accepted."

"But he didn't say anything."

Tony shushes Steve without taking his eyes off of Clint who's now smiling wide.

"Can I at least say what I'm sorry for?" asks Clint.

"No need, you and I both know you'd be apologizing for the wrong thing anyway."

Clint playfully rolls his eyes and extends a friendly hand towards the genius, who stares at the hand for a second before reaching out to shake it firmly as the two of them share a smile. When they break off, Tony points a mischievous finger in the archer's face, jokingly threatening to add glitter to his explosive arrows. Clint plays along and protests loudly, already back to his incessant whining as Natasha sighs and leaves the room.

Steve remains sitting in his seat, stunned by the odd progression of events. He was expecting a serious, in depth conversation about trust, honesty, and the importance of communication but instead, he got three emotionally stunted adults skirting around the words they needed to say.

He supposes that holding three superheroes to such conventional standards was what got them into this whole mess in the first place, and he considers it a small mercy that he didn't need to intervene.

Sighing, Steve stands up from his seat and follows Clint and Tony into the common area, stowing away his lecture on emotional maturity for another day.

The End