Title: Independence Day Silliness
Author: haruka89
Beta: megalotro
Fandom: Iron Man
Pairings: Tony Stark/Steve Rogers
Word Count: 605
Rating: FRT
Warning: none
Spoiler: Iron Man v3 #51-#52
Summary: The Haven celebrates Independence Day.
Disclaimer: Everything you recognize from the comics belongs to Marvel and co. I don't make any money with this.
Author's Note 1: In this fic that takes place around 13 months after Iron Man v3 #51-#52, as calculated with the Mavel Chronology Project's calendar, I completely deny the existence of one Rumiko Fujikawa. Here Tony was never together with her, because he's happily married to Steve.
Author's Note 2: For those who don't know/remember Shelly, she's the teenage prostitute Tony picked up in Iron Man v3 #51 to bring her to The Haven, the safe house for kids from the street he founded and helps with (financially and otherwise). She's also the one who helped him find the killer of another girl from The Haven, who Tony was close to. And Shelly knew about Tony being Iron Man before he made that public knowledge.

For crimsonquills, who requested third person POV fic on Steve/Tony. I hope you like it.




It was just after eleven and the preparations for today's barbecue were in full swing when Shelly heard the front door open. From where she stood in the kitchen she was able to see Tony and Steve entering the house loaded with shopping bags and, in Steve's case, with cardboard boxes.

"-reason why I have to carry three times as much as you?" she could hear Steve complain.

"I have they key and needed a free hand to open the door. And you can carry more than me!" was the answer.

"So that's all I'm good for? Is that what you think?" His voice was full of mock-hurt and he pouted. Shelly had to grin. Nobody would ever believe her if she told them she'd seen Captain America pout. But then, most people hadn't been picked up from the street by Tony Stark and helped him get justice for a friend as Iron Man.

"Of course not. There's the punching villains, the cooking and the sex, too." The amused tone was obvious and a smirk graced Tony's features.

By now they'd arrived at the kitchen and Shelly saw Steve stick his tongue out at his lover. She had trouble suppressing her laugh. Sometimes they could be really silly. Not that she was going to complain. It was far too funny to watch them tease each other. She really hoped that she'd one day find someone she felt this comfortable around.

"Hi, Shelly!" they greeted in unison.

"Hi!"

Shelly continued cutting vegetables while she observed the other two. Steve and Tony unpacked the groceries, putting them in the appropriate places, without once being in each other's way. Then Tony stepped to Steve's side and put his arms around his waist, pressing a small kiss against his throat. Steve just hugged him back.

"You know I love you, Steve, right?" She barely heard the words, but she hated whoever was responsible for putting the insecurity in Tony's voice.

"I know." And they continued to whisper to each other, but Shelly made a conscious attempt at not listening to them, because she wanted to give them at least that amount of privacy. She always did.

Whenever she spent any amount of time with both Steve and Tony she found herself observing them. She was fascinated and amazed that two people could fit together so well as those two. They were almost like the perfect couple. For someone from a broken family like her it was almost like a miracle. And she'd only started believing in miracles again when she realized that The Haven was real. So she watched.

The way they always seemed to know where the other was. How they'd touch each other in some way more often than not. How attuned to each other's mood they always seemed. The way they looked at each other when they thought nobody would notice. All the other things, some small, some big, that showed how together they were. Two parts of a whole.

Suddenly Michael, another kid living here, entered the kitchen though the door leading into the garden, pulling her out of her thoughts. A quick look told her that Steve and Tony had apparently left their own small world.

"Shelly, are-" Michael started to ask, before he found the other two men standing in the kitchen. "Never mind. Steve, Tony, Mrs. Tate said you're supposed to help with the decorations."

She saw Steve exchange a glance with Tony, both starting to grin, and answered, "Okay. Far be it from us to disobey an order."

Shelly really didn't want to know what that grin had been about.