Sooner or later, I'll need a saviour.

Suddenly, she's in front of him, and Steve doesn't know what she's up to. Toni's hair, which had been impossibly long before they knew she was Ironman but was cropped just short enough to tie back after she realized if she wasn't in her suit it could be used against her in a fight, looks like it had fingers forcefully dragged through it several times, and her eyes look slightly puffy and unfocused, a sure sign that she hasn't gotten any sleep for at least twenty-four hours. Her lips are raw where she's clearly been chewing on them, and she looks more scared, and more determined, than he's ever seen her. She also looks absolutely gorgeous, and his heart skips a beat before he can steel himself to her presence.

"From here on out, no more lies," she tells him, and he barely has time to nod, or wonder what brought this on, before her arms are around his neck and she's pulling him down a little, but also clearly standing on her tip toes, and her lips crash to his. For a moment, Steve is shocked, but when his mind pulls out of it his body has already responded and his hands are resting on her hips and pulling them closer and he's bending over just a little more so she doesn't have to stretch as much and nothing in his life has ever felt so right than this moment, besides the first time he held his shield. There is no demand in the kiss, or any rush for that matter, just a gentle exploration of what should have been a long time ago.

Just as quickly, she's a few steps away, and Steve had no idea that she could move that fast, or if the entire moment had been a daydream. But Toni has her fingers pressed to her lips, and she looks deliriously happy for a few seconds before she seems to steel herself. "I love you," she says, "and I know that sooner or later, I'll need a saviour and I want that person to be you. But I heard your conversation with Hank last night, so I won't ask for anything from you. I'm sorry that I scared you so badly. If you want to love me, feel free, but I won't force you into anything you don't want." She turns to leave, and Steve is wondering why she could ever think anything like that, so he grabs her wrist and tugs gently so that she's pressed against him again. She hides her face in his chest, and he chuckles slightly.

"I love you, Toni," he whispers. Even he can hear the slight deepening of his voice, and she shivers. Then they are kissing again, and nothing else matters but her hands in his hair and the warmth of her body and the press of her lips. Steve thinks he'll never get tired of this, and then all thoughts are abandoned in favour of deepening the kiss.

Hank, Jan, and Thor watch the two on the security tapes a few hours later. Thor and Jan look shocked, and Hank is smug that he figured it out before they did.