Title: Talking Body
Author: clarahow // blankspaceslayerbabe // charleybradburies (will be posted after challenge)
Fandom: Marvel (Cinematic Universe)
Characters: Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov, Pepper Potts, Phil Coulson, and OCs
Pairing: Steve/Tony; Pepper/Nat
Length: ~360w
Rating: T
Summary: Steve's thoughts on the age-old question as to whether a man can have his cake and eat it too.
Notes: A loooot less porny than I planned/hoped. Oh, well.
For cap_ironman tiny reverse bang | round twelve: liberty
Also inspired by 1_million_words video prompt 'Talking Body' (H50 - McDanno)

“Thank you, dear,” grins Tony as he grabs an hors d'oeuvre from the plate, and Steve rolls his eyes, awkwardly tapping his fingers on the champagne flute they surround before nodding nicely at the waitress as she walks away.

“What?” Tony chuckles at him.

“Can’t take you anywhere,” Steve sighs, as good-naturedly as ever, but the way Tony tenses up at the remark makes it clear he has an idea where it’s coming from.

“I’m not flirting with the waitstaff, Captain.”

“Who said anything about flirting?” Steve retorts, although he proves not quite able to make his voice come out as innocently curious as he’d hoped.

“Your eyebrows,” Tony deadpans before unceremoniously eating half the piece of bruschetta he’s been holding. He sets the rest of it down on Steve’s appetizer plate seemingly thoughtlessly, but still glances out into the ballroom as though he’s expecting someone to react.

“I see.”

“Really? Cause it kinda seems like you’re not actually sure that I’m a one-man guy, Captain.”

“One-man guy, I believe. One-person...that’s another story.”

“Yeah? Maybe you should tell me that story, you know, somewhere else. Somewhere with a bed, preferably.”

Steve growls.

“Academy graduation party, Tony. We can’t exactly go unnoticed.”

“Not true,” comes a startling voice from behind him, revealed momentarily as a lurking - and smirking - Natasha. Steve turns to accommodate her in the conversation, and she nabs his champagne.

“Pepper’s throwing the party, and she left for nearly an hour.”

“Not unnoticed, apparently,” Tony grumbles, haphazardly supplying an annoyed version of what he clearly expects might be Steve’s response, and she downs the rest of Steve’s champagne before widening her smile in his direction.

“Nat,” Steve groans after a moment.

“The bathroom code on the top floor is ‘liberty’, just so you know,” she says without reaction, setting the champagne flute on the tray of a passing waiter.

“And you’ll probably want to be back in time for cake, too. Word is it’s strawberry and blueberry this year.”

She plucks the bruschetta from Steve’s plate, and walks away into the crowd - able to be spotted moments later over at Pepper’s side as she chats with Coulson.

Pepper, though, saves Steve and Tony cake.