Classic New York City Pastimes - Episode Sixish? - Scenic Stark Tower Swimming Pool

[iam_ironwoman]

She'd had it.

Toni wasn't the sort of person to get bent out of shape about the turn of her social tides very often. She had a huge roster of acquaintances, many of them regarding her as a convenient ally and little else, but she could count the number of close friends she had one one hand and having one knocked off of that number was unacceptable.

She wasn't exactly sure when Steve Roger's had solidified himself as a good friend in her life, but the gaping holes in her days left by his absence stung too much for him to have been anything less. The vague thoughts of him being anything MORE to her had been packed away with the rest of her hurt feelings the first time he dodged around her in the hall with a brief hello.

When she arrived home from a late-running meeting and fixed herself a drink she was very ready to kick off her shoes and not move from the couch for a while. Instead she made the mistake of stepping up to the window, looking down at the balcony and the outdoor pool, looking down at Steve pacing his way from one end of the water to the other.

Something in her brain just snapped, the last thing thread of patience for the hurtfulness of his silence unraveling.

Toni finished her drink in a few swallows and left the glass on the sideboard, making her way down to the pool deck and striding to the water's edge, shedding her shoes and dipping her toes in.

Steve, making a lap toward the far end, would find her feet in the way of his touching the wall when he got back.

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[themanoutoftime]

Steve wasn't sure how he'd let this happen. He felt awful about it-- the way he'd been treating Toni-- but he couldn't think of any better way to deal with his feelings.

Because that was the problem. He had feelings. Pretty significant feelings about Toni that he hadn't had in 70 years. They'd started off as friends, and that was great, Steve was so happy just to have someone to talk to and hang out with, but then it turned into wanting to hang out with Toni all the time, and telling bad jokes just to hear her laugh. Steve would get so upset when she'd talk about dating other men and he had no idea why.

And then it hit him: Steve was in love with her.

Clearly, that was the worst thing that could ever happen. He couldn't sacrifice his friendship with Toni by telling her something like that, so he thought it would go away if he just stopped spending time with her. Except that didn't help either, so really, he was just ignoring Toni all the time and feeling generally bad about it. As a result, he spent a lot of time in the gym or pool, working out his feelings.

He wasn't entirely surprised when he ran into Toni's feet at the edge of the pool. She wasn't one to be ignored lightly, and he saw the hurt on her face every time he brushed her off.

Christ, he was a real jerk.

"Hey," he said, forcing a smile, wiping water from his face. "What brings you out here?"

[iam_ironwoman]

"You do." She replied, terse and no nonsense, willing her wounded tone to magically sound angry instead.

She crossed her arms, staring him down, swallowing thickly before speaking.

"We need to talk. I need to know what happened to make you decide you don't want to be around me anymore. Did I do something? Did Fury tell you I was a bad influence and to stop hanging out with me?"

[themanoutoftime]

It didn't quite work. Sure, Steve heard the 'ANGRY' message loud and clear, but the wounded tone was just as obvious to his ears, and made him feel even worse, if that were possible. He sighed and made his way over to the edge, pulling himself up to sit by Toni.

"Fury didn't say anything." That wasn't exactly true. He had warned Steve, but that was long ago, before they were friends. "You didn't do anything. It's not anything you did. That's not the problem." He did not want to be talking about this.

[iam_ironwoman]

She deflated a little, simultaneously relieved that she hadn't done something to piss him off and confused about what ELSE could be bringing out this avoidant attitude in her friend.

"So what IS the problem then?" she said with a huff, raking a hand through her hair in frustration. "I mean, did something happen to you? Are you having some kind of bullshit personal crisis about being proper around modern ladies or whatever?"

[themanoutoftime]

How were you supposed to tell someone like Toni Stark that you were hopelessly in love with them? Even worse, how was Steve supposed to lie about it? He was Catholic! He couldn't lie.

He opened his mouth a couple of times, trying to think of something to say. "I--" He sighed. "I just thought it would be better if we didn't spend as much time together. I should bond more with everyone else on the team, you know."

That sounded so lame, he knew, but it was the best he could come up with.

[iam_ironwoman]

"Seriously? You're dodging me in halls and avoiding my gaze because you think saying hello to me like you normally do would be showing me some kind of teammate favoritisim?"

Her jaw set tightly, voice like ice.

"Wow, I wasn't aware that favoritism was the same thing as just, you know, not being outright shunned. Fine, be like that and just don't explain it. It's none of my business why you do what you do anyway, is it.""

Toni shook her head, unfolding her arms and leaning over to stare into the water. She just couldn't look at him right now.

"...so, this is what you really want? For us to just not talk anymore? Because you could have just said so instead of giving me the cold shoulder for weeks and hoping I took the hint."

[themanoutoftime]

"I'm sorry." His voice was quiet, and like all of his apologies, it was genuine. He was sorry because he'd messed up and he knew it, but he also didn't think he could fix it.

But maybe it'd be easier if he just told her. Steve took a deep breath.

"I don't want us not to talk anymore," he said, avoiding looking at her. "I- I didn't mean to make you feel like I didn't care-- like I don't care for you because I- I do. Care for you." Christ, Steve, come on. You took on Nazis! You could do this, easy! "Just. Maybe I care for you. Too much?"

[iam_ironwoman]

That took a second to click, her puzzled squint shifting into surprise.

"...Wait wait wait. Run that by me again. You've been avoiding me because you... 'like me too much'?"

[themanoutoftime]

Steve nodded, still not looking at her. He couldn't trust himself to say anything else at the moment.

[iam_ironwoman]

"Okay..."

Part of her was downright exasperated - avoiding someone because of a crush? what was this highschool!? - but the way her chest tightened up and pulled her breath a little short at his nod overrode her irritation.

She let out a slow breath, tucking her hair behind her ears for something to do with her hands.

"Did it ever occur to you to just ask if I was interested?"

[themanoutoftime]

It wasn't like the serum enhanced his maturity level or his social skills! Inside, Steve was still just a skinny kid from Brooklyn. A kid from Brooklyn who didn't take rejection well, especially not from people he really liked. Especially not from his friends. And he could tell that this conversation was headed in that direction.

"Because I wasn't interested in your rejection and the aftermath, but I guess it's inevitable."

[iam_ironwoman]

"So my hanging out with you all the time, and my staying up late and talking to you, the parties I invited you to and me never turning you away and being glad to see you when you would show up practically every day at my penthouse? All of that stuff gave you the impression that rejection was the only thing you were going to get out of me?"

Her tone implied that he had just told her 2 plus 2 was 5 and she was trying to get him to see the glaring flaw in his logic, leaning over and tilting her head to try to catch his eyes. An amused smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. This was almost FUNNY now...

[themanoutoftime]

Steve furrowed his brow and looked at her, utterly confused. "What? I-- You-- You're a nice person, and we're friends! I just thought you were being a friend!"

He paused, and it finally seems to click. Toni's telling him she likes him. How he likes her. Oh, Christ. He finally seemed to notice how close they were and

Well, he'd always been a man of action, so he leaned in quickly to close the distance between them, kissing her.

[iam_ironwoman]

She tensed, startled, surprised more by the chill of his wet bangs against her forehead than his mouth on hers, but it only took a moment for her to lace her fingers across the nape of his neck and pull him in closer. If he was going to take that leap she wasn't about to give him the impression that he'd stuck his neck out for nothing!

...and she'd come out here expecting to have an argument.

It took a long few moments for her to pull back, catching her breath finally taking priority over kissing Captain America senseless.

"Could have done that two weeks ago you know." she smirked, taking a moment to ease back and push his wet hair off his forehead. He'd seen her excited and rosy-cheeked drunk but this might have been the first time he'd been close enough to see a genuine blush on her face.

[themanoutoftime]

The moment it took her to kiss back was excruciating for Steve, because there he was, heart on the line and mouth mashed against Toni's with absolutely no finesse and he felt like an idiot.

But then she kissed him back, and all he could think about was the feel of her under his hands and how far apart they were sitting. He moved closer, to remedy that, but Toni pulled away. Oh. To breathe. Yes. Breathing was probably good.

He smiled down at her, biting his bottom lip before leaning in to kiss her again, gently. "I'll have to make up for lost time then, I imagine."

[iam_ironwoman]

"I'm sure we can get you caught up in no time."

She laughed, letting herself lean into him when he pulled her closer, resting her head against his shoulder with a contented hum as his heavy arm settled around her small shoulders

Steve was still dripping wet but she wasn't inclined to care very much about getting clothes she had been planning to take off anyway a little damp.