Steve Rogers & Pietro | backdated to March 2nd

[om_patriot]

After his and Tony's fight, during the period of Not Speaking, Pietro comes across a second angry bear.



To say that Steve felt rough was a massive understatement.

The whole weeke​​nd had been a disaster. The fight, then all the time he'd spent since running the words through his head again, his mood turning from scared and anxious to angry and hurt, on to guilty and horrible, just to circle right back around. The only thing worse than remembering what Tony had said to him, he'd decided, was remembering the things he'd said to Tony.
​​
And then he'd decided to get drunk, which was its own disaster, and when he'd realized he was late, lying on his bed in the clothes he'd worn the night before with a pounding head and the distinct impression that something had died in his mouth, he'd decided 'fuck it' and had skipped altogether.

Which was why he was now sitting at the kitchen island, head down with the hood of his rumpled hoodie drawn over his eyes like a curtain. He had a half empty bottle of Gatorade next to him, another one in the fridge, and was angling his Camelbak so the straw poked under the hood, the steady sipping the only real sign of life.

Pietro had been on the lookout for him all day. So when he popped into the kitchen and saw Steve looking all... droopy, he guessed easily enough that things were bad on both ends. He frowned and cut to the chase: "What did you do to Tony? Or what did he do to you?"

Steve groaned at the noise and pushed his hood up enough to glare at him. "I didn't do anything to Tony. It's not my fault he's a dumbass." He paused to take another sip of his drink, and the look he gave Pietro was irritated and suspicious. "Why, what did Tony say to you?"

"Oh my god, two of you. Two super angry bears," Pietro said, wincing. "He won't even talk to me, and when I poked him about it he said fuck off and ask Steve."

​Steve frowned and put his head back down, groaning slightly. "We had a huge fight on Saturday," he said finally, still talking into his arm. "And we haven't spoken to each other since."

"Thaaaaat explains it." Pietro frowned and leaned one hip against the counter next to Steve. "And you. It must've been nuclear, to fuck you two up this bad..."

​Steve nodded, sitting up enough that he could push his hand through his hair. "It was," he said, not really looking at Pietro, and groaned as he rubbed his face. "I can't completely get into it, it's really...personal, I guess. But we were screaming at each other, and swearing, and, Christ- I almost pushed over his work bench before I caught myself." He sighed and took another slug of his drink. "It was bad."

"That does explain a lot," Pietro admitted. "I mean you're both pretty tunnel vision so I'm not surprised you ended up screaming, really. But it still sucks."

​"Well, he was being a jerk," he muttered, taking a sip of his drink. "I just-" He stopped with a huff, and tugged at his hair in frustration. "It's pretty damn unfair of him to have you come talk to me when he knows I can't talk about it, because of he doesn't want me to. Especially since I might like to talk to someone about it, but he probably didn't think of that, did he." He scowled bitterly at his bottle as he went to take another sip and found it empty, then ditched it altogether, drinking straight from the bottle of Gatorade.

Internally, Pietro was torn between a snarky "someone needs a snack and a nap" and a very heartfelt "oh, baby, let me get you a snack and a nap" reaction. He smiled and hopped up beside Steve, then put an arm around his shoulder. "I'm sorry, baby doll. I think he just wanted me to leave him alone and thought you might like some company, is all. But yes, he's a very unfair jerk-face, and I'm sure he'll come to his senses and apologize soon."

​"We're not speaking," Steve said, tucking himself under Pietro's arm as best he could, and wishing a little that he were smaller again. "I love him, Pietro," he said quietly, and picked at the side of his thumb. "I was horrible too, though. I walked out, during the fight. I told him I was scared we'd say something we couldn't take back."

Pietro kissed Steve's hair. "You're sweet. And Tony--I mean, he's not sweet, but he's not stupid, either. He'll understand, once he's slipped out of angry bear mode."

"He's sweet sometimes, sort of," Steve mumbled, but he let himself relax into the affection and sighed quietly.

For a long moment, he just stayed like that, but then he sighed again, deeper. "Do you think it's a bad thing that we never talk about things?" He gave his head a little shake, but immediately regretted it with a hand to his aching temple. "Not never. We do talk, sometimes, sort of. Just..I don't know." He groaned and scrubbed his face. "I'm not making sense."

Pietro patted Steve's broad shoulder, then gave it a squeeze. "It's okay. You're hungover and cranky. And--honestly, I really can't throw stones from my glass house when it comes to talking about things with the boyfriend. We talk when it becomes necessary. Awkwardly. We're both just better at saying things in other ways." Not just sex, either, but he knew Steve wouldn't take it that way. Steve got things. "But you guys will find the right way. Like, how much to talk, how much you can get away with not talking about.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it's probably not in balance yet. But hey. You're young."

Steve thought about the way Tony was with him, how whenever Steve was brooding, he would lay out over him- not sex or even just making out, just laying on him and getting his brain to be quiet. How whenever Steve did have something important to talk about, like his dysphoria or when he came out, he always stopped and gave Steve all his attention, took it seriously, tried to make him feel better. They didn't talk about some things, like their parents, but it wasn't as bad as he was thinking about it last night, when he was angry. Honestly, he felt guilty now for even thinking it.

"That's all true," he agreed after a long silence, and sighed. "I just worry about him."

"Well, I can't fault you there. Bro is worrisome." Pietro gave a little sigh. "He's really into you. It'll be okay."​

The corner of Steve's mouth turned up, and he nodded with a small sigh. "Yeah. I guess everyone has fights." He leaned in a little more to Pietro and closed his eyes. "Thanks, Pietro."

Pietro bumped his head against Steve's. "Any time, dude. I mean, I don't need two angry bears in my life, so anything I can do..."