author's note: Last bit featuring Tony and Steve (and a bit Tasha) Tony hits the spot even better than he knows himself here. As always reviews and concrit are welcome :)

Tony and Steve were standing outside the common room on the vast balcony after Coulson and Barton had retreated to their bed room. It was still a bit odd to think of it that way.

Steve was staring out into the sky. "I wonder how long this has been going on?"

"According to Agent Romanoff, since before you were defrosted. They never made a big deal out of it though – the job always comes first." Tony took a sip from his beer.

Rogers' brow furrowed. "That's not right."

"The job coming first or the hiding?" Tony was genuinely curious what Steve thought about that.

"The hiding – I'm the field leader, I'm supposed to make decisions, but how can I do that if they keep these kind of secrets and besides that, we're their team." The way Steve said it, it sounded more like family than anything else. "Why did they hide it from us?"

Tony studied Steve's earnest confusion. "You really got no clue, do you?"

Steve shook his head.

"Daddy issues."

"What? What do Agent Coulson's or Barton's fathers have to do with this?" The super soldier was utterly confused.

Tony sighed. "Nothing – look Barton is an orphan and as far as I know Coulson and his parents get along boringly well, or their dead too – who cares, that's not the point. The point is YOU, Captain. Coulson has a serious case of hero worship going on concerning you. Which means he wants your approval. Take into account the fact that your time wasn't exactly famous for their tolerance regarding anyone who wasn't a white, blonde, male, heterosexual Presbyterian..."

Steve blushed slightly. "It might be still confusing to me that people are so open about this kind of thing in the here and now, but I never gave him a reason to believe I would think less of him because of something like that."

Tony shook his head at Steve's avoidance of the word homosexuality, you could take a man out of the 40's it seemed, but not the other way around. "Nevertheless Cap, it isn't easy coming out to your family, can be quite traumatic indeed."

"You speak from experience, Stark," Natasha's cool voice chimed in. Tony hadn't heard her approach but apparently she'd decided they had done enough talking about her two best friends.

"Oh it was quite traumatic for my father. For me it was more exhausting. I had to work months on letting him capture me in the act with that cute guy Victor. Ever after walking in on me with Sally Lakins he had grown quite cautious about walking into my room."

"You slept with men?" Steve was quite shocked.

Tony just shrugged. "Yes and before you ask, of course Pepper knows."

"You worked on letting your father catch you in the act?" Tasha asked amused.

"Well what can I say, I had quite the rebellious streak." Tony turned to Steve. "But don't worry Cap – I doubt that Coulson would ever do something like that to you." He patted the other man the shoulder and went inside.