I want to write a fic where Tony’s just completely in love with Steve and pretty much everyone close to him knows, like, it’s not a secret exactly but he knows nothing can come of it, so he doesn’t talk about it. And he and Steve are close, their friendship is one of the strongest and most important in Tony’s life, so he copes. But one day Steve says something about settling down, or maybe there’s a woman that he seems to be getting especially close to, and Tony’s just… sad. Happy for his friend, but it breaks his heart at the same time.
But then Steve realizes that Tony’s been sad lately, maybe sadder than usual and he somehow figures out that Tony’s in love – Tony slips up, or maybe one of their mutual friends tells Steve just enough to get him to understand (or to see if Steve can figure out the rest himself and end this). And Steve is indignant, just flat-out furious that this person doesn’t love Tony back. Cue Steve coddling Tony and making loud and pointed comments about people who wouldn’t know a good thing if it bit them on the ass and trying to reassure Tony that he’s loved, that he deserves better than some blind, ignorant jerk who clearly doesn’t have the sense God gave a lemming.
“Anyone should be lucky enough to be loved by you,” Steve declares fiercely.
Meanwhile all of their friends are like “Oh god, these fucking losers.”
Steve shows up ALL AT ONCE in HIGH DUDGEON to deliver a RANT about whatever asshole hasn’t noticed Tony Stark, who let’s all agree is delightful but not subtle, is in love with them, and how clearly they don’t deserve him and he deserves better –
And meanwhile Tony’s just sat there, confused, looking at Rhodey like “What…what do I even do with this? Should we stop him? He’d want us to stop him, right?” and Rhodey’s all man, this is above my pay grade and finally Clint sets off his new musical arrow he’s been working on just to make it stop.
I just have to add that I imagined Clint having an arrow that makes the world be a musical rather than an arrow that is musical and can that be canon now pls?
