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Requested by Pandora of Ithilien

Thank you to my beta, WithinHerHeart :)

Every morning followed the same routine.

Steve was always the first to wake up. It was an old habit, one that had picked up from being in the military that hadn't really gone away, that had him awake at 5am. Usually, he'd lie in bed for a few minutes, and watch the two most important people in his life. Most nights, Pepper and Tony would sleep on either side of him, their faces pressed into his bare chest, which made it much easier for him to observe them while they're sleeping. He found it fascinating how much of their true personalities shone through in these vulnerable states.

When Tony slept, he couldn't keep silent. He would mutter things under his breath, usually stuff that Steve couldn't understand, whether it was because it was too low to hear or because it was some mathematical equation that he had no hope to understand in the first place. When Pepper slept, she moved a lot, like she was unable to find a comfortable position. Sometimes she would end up rolled away from them, spread eagle in whatever space on the bed that Steve and Tony hadn't taken up, or curled into some tight little ball against Steve's side.

And Steve would watch them, just taking in the contours of their faces and just relish in the feeling of their bodies pressed against his. Pepper would be woken by the feeling of eyes on her. She would stir slightly, her eyes blinking away sleep rapidly and, in a croaked, sleep-addled voice, she would mutter his name. In response, he would always respond with an apology for waking her up, regardless of how sincere he actually was. Pepper would then smile and lean up to press a small kiss to the underside of his jaw, and he would incline his head down so he could nuzzle the closest piece of skin he could reach.

Tony would make a noise of objection at the movement, and would cling to Steve's shirt tighter, burying his face closer, and his body would relax once more announcing he had fallen back to sleep again. Pepper and Steve would share a fond look, both reaching out to run their hands through the hair of the sleeping man or along the curve of his body – whatever they could reach. Usually, this gentle petting would lead them back into slumber.

Tony would wake up, properly this time, usually around 6:30am, 7am. He would jerk awake suddenly, pushing off the mattress so he could sit up. He would peer around blankly for a moment, at a loss of where he was before he gaze landed on the two other occupants of his bed. He would flush pink, just enough that it was noticeable but nothing too dramatic, and mutter his apologies. Steve would gently urge Tony back to lie down beside him and the three would share morning kisses, brief brushes of hands and soft presses of lips.

Steve would break away from the middle of the pile, moving around the room, shrugging into muscle shirts and jogging bottoms because he had a certain amount of minutes to make up for his run. Pepper would curl into Tony and the two would hold each other, nuzzling gently and try to return to the land of the sleep. Steve would smile at the embrace and pause only to drop kisses to the revealed skin – a cheek, a shoulder, a neck – before he disappeared beyond the door.

Pepper and Tony would fade in and out of sleep, using the times when they were awake to murmur their plans for the day. This would normally consist of Tony listing the projects that he needed to complete down in the lab and Pepper reciting a long list of investors that she needed to met with and an update of Stark Industries profile margins.

At 7:30am, Pepper would reluctantly drag herself from the bed and head to the shower. Tony would lie under the covers and call out overdramatic reasons why Pepper should just forget the investors and stockholders for another few hours and come back to the bed with him, all of which Pepper would ignore. Steve would come in a few minutes later, sweating from his vigorous run. He would strip to the nude, allowing Tony to ogle him for a moment, shooting him a knowing smile over his shoulder, and join Pepper in the shower. It was usually another couple of minutes before Tony would join them, complaining about not wanting to be left out.

Getting dressed was always the chore, usually because of Tony. He had a habit of stealing items of clothing when he thought no one was watching, even when they definitely were, and even if they weren't, they knew it was him. After the first couple of times, it became Steve's job to distract the other man while Pepper dressed herself in the many layers her dress suit contained. The most effect method was the physical kind - insistent kisses, tight grips, and the forceful parting of lips. Only when she was ready to leave would Pepper join in, practise meaning she would slip easily into the kiss. When they parted, she would smile widely at them, press chaste goodbye kisses to their lips and leave with the comment of "don't have too much fun without me".

Steve would dress Tony himself, because the man acted like a child when he was trying to entice his lover into the bed with him. The blond man would just smile fondly and use his superhuman strength to manhandle Tony in jogging bottoms and t-shirts or, when he had a meeting, trousers and a button up. He would then take his time to leave his marks on Tony's neck – something that would tie him over until the end of the work day – and, when Bruce would come to collect him, he'd squeeze his ass possessively and send him on his way.

Finally alone, Steve would take his time, slipping into something more work appropriate than jogging bottoms, before leaving to meet Phil, Maria and Fury at S.H.I.E.L.D's headquarters on the bike that Tony had help him fix up.

It was the same routine, every morning, right down to the kisses and the fleeting touches. It was something they needed, the order, the structure; the one thing that kept them together in their unusual circumstances, with their jobs and the public eye constantly focused on the tower.

Because the routine told them everything they needed to know about each other and the love they shared.