[Steven Grant Rogers, first of his name, was born three months early during a thunderstorm.
His parents, Joseph and Sarah Rogers, were King and Queen of the First, near the mountains. The lands, split into three sections, were governed by separate royal families. Steve, who was frail and small as a child but with a wicked temper and stubborn demeanor, was the only child to reach adulthood and claim his inheritance in generations. The crown had been handed down through marriage and distant relatives for so long that it was now considered commonplace - the throne would go to his uncle, his father's brother, if he couldn't step into the role. His mother, Queen by birth, was adamant that Steve marry an heir to one of the other families so that the country could be protected.
It was a desire that Steve seconded. He wouldn't allow Alexander Pierce to rule over his people. If Steve fell ill and passed without a husband or wife, the crown would go to him. That sense of responsibility and loyalty to his parents and people were what kept him silent when the Queen and King made arrangements. He made no demands and held no stipulations. He would do as he was told.
He was to marry Anthony Stark, of the Second - near the sea, the day after Steve had his twenty-fourth birthday. They would follow standard tradition, consummate the union and live together for one year before either party could leave the kingdom for any reason whatsoever. After, they would be expected to adopt a child from both countries, of high or low birth, and raise them as their heirs. The contracts were drawn, signed, and ceremonies performed. And, yet, still - Steve hadn't caught a single glimpse of his new husband. Fine lace attached to their crowns covered both of their faces, pressed ornamental uniforms completed the look, and the celebration afterwards was, for Steve, uncomfortable. They sat together, inches apart, but weren't allowed to speak. There was too much going on.
When the party ended and they were separated to bathe and dress, he still wasn't sure when he'd actually get to see or speak to Anthony.
Now, hours into being a husband, he was sitting on the edge of a large bed - their bed, in their room - in a dressing gown with damp hair. The door opens and his husband walks in, forcing Steve to stand so that he can turn to face the man. He waits, though, giving Anthony a view of his back from the other side of the room.]
[ For those who didn't know him, Anthony Edward Stark was thought to be one who thrived in the light of affection and attention. Nothing could be further from the truth. He played along, and the attention had its usefulness, but he cared very little for it.
He had no true desire to run the kingdom, but it was his by name. His mother had always tempered his turbulent nature. Too much like the sea that surged up upon the shore. Always looking away from the land and off into the distance. Looking for what lay beyond the horizon. His dearest friend, Rhodes, and closest counsel, Pepper, had been the ones to persuade him. Rhodes did not trust Stane, and had not for years. Pepper only wished for some sense of stability to be inflicted upon him so that he might stop causing her to become ill from stress.
The ceremony are the same as many he has seen before. Contracted and cold. His mother told him that she had learned to love Howard, a man cold like the ice in the North. Neither of them had seen each other's faces or heard their voice. It was not until he finally found himself to be alone with Steven that he heard his voice.
He waves a hand, adjusting his loose-fitting long sleeved shirt down to cover the rest of his chest and stomach. ]
Please, there's been enough ceremony for one day. You don't have to stand.
[ He finally looks up, and---well, he hadn't been expecting that. It was hardly terrible and he wasn't certain exactly what he was feeling. ] It's good to finally be able to see and speak to you.
[ Even if they both knew what was expected of them this night. God, he hated tradition. He railed against it at every turn. What was the point of all these ancient and idiotic ways when they held them back as a country? ]
[Steve is slow in his appraisal of his new husband. He doesn't mean to be, doesn't mean to look at him so critically, but they've known each other hours and have to spend the rest of their lives together. He'd agreed to do this. That didn't mean he never wanted to meet Anthony before their union. They could have cultivated a relationship and found what they had in common. If anything, it could have smoothed the transition but there's nothing for it now. It's time they'll never get to have.
He's handsome. Dark haired and attractive. And he sounds intelligent. Possibly kind. Steve wasn't sure but it was enough to relax him the fraction it would take to sit back down. He crosses the room to sit in a chair, eyes still on his husband.]
The same to you.
[He was also not sure if Anthony was going to report back everything that happened between them. He'd have to be careful with his words and tone until he knew him better.]
You're not what I expected.
[Steve rests his hands on his lap and then stands again, unable to stay seated. He places his hands on his hips and eyes narrowed, watches the other for a reaction.]
Are you ready?
[He didn't want to do this. Sex, in his opinion, should mean more than what it did now. Tradition. The joining of two countries and families. Unfortunately, neither of them were allowed that privilege. Not unless they both decided to wait and agreed to keep it a secret.]
[ Scrutiny is something Anthony is used to. The appraisal from Steve means little to him as he finds himself constantly assessed and reassessed by those closest to him daily. He was the only child of his parents and so the weight of leadership had been thrust on him at a very early age.
He's not sure about this man. He knows what he's heard. Good and steadfast. Loyal. He hadn't heard about how handsome he was, but then he'd apparently been very sickly as a child. Was he still, or had the ill Queen received her miracle? He sits down in the chair that's next to the one that Steven chooses, and leans back.
It doesn't last long, though, and the other man is up again. He can't help the slightly incredulous laugh. ]
Eager wasn't something I pegged you for. [ He clears his throat and stands, arms crossing over his own chest. ]
Sure, if that's what you want. [ There, he said it. Report back to whoever the hell for all he cares. ] You can let me know if I'm wrong but the prince I met a very, very long time ago had these whims and notions and ---frankly, I thought he thought that this whole deal was archaic.
Cold.
I'll bite with that. Not with the idea that you're just not feeling it cause I don't tick any of your boxes cause I'm everyone's boxes.
[Steve's pacing stops, eyes narrowed on Anthony again. He doesn't like what he feels is a criticism, judgement on his behavior, but the rest of what is said strikes a chord. His mouth falls open as he really looks at his new husband.
Over the years, Steve has met so many people that a few were bound to slip through the cracks. He does his best, as it's his duty, but every now and then he forgets. This time, it's the number of years that it has been coupled with how young Steve was when they met, that contributed to the loss. But he remembers now.
He'd been eight or nine. Sick, again, but settled out in the royal gardens to get some fresh air. An older boy, closing in on adulthood, had found him there and they'd talked for hours. Steve had lamented the archaic traditions of their courts and how one day he'd have to marry, probably a stranger. It was the first and last time Steve had met anyone that understood him so quickly. Now that man was his husband.]
Tony? You're Tony from the gardens?
[He shakes his head and moves closer, tries to see the truth of it in Anthony's expression.]
I don't want any of this. I thought.. It's what we're supposed to do. I didn't know what you might say once we left this room.
[The union could be dissolved. Steve would loose his credibility and it would ruin the alliance his mother had worked so hard to obtain. There was a lot riding on their night together and Steve's real feelings weren't supposed to play a part in any of it.]
[ Anthony is quiet, waiting for the other man to piece it together and figure it out. If Steve is going to be extra sensitive about things, then this isn't going to work out. Biting sarcasm and sass is a heavy Stark trait.
He shrugs a little, humming through pressed lips, and sighs, reaching up and scratching the back of his neck anxiously. ]
That's me. Unless there's another Prince from by the sea that gave you shells cause you'd never seen it. In which case, I think I'm allowed to be a little jealous, so.
[ Cause snark is a way to deal with this right? He sighs. ]
Look, nobody outside of this room knows what happens. They know what we say. If we say it happened, then it happened. We don't even have to cuddle if you don't want, and while we're on the subject of words that might get said: I don't know what you'd say either.
This isn't going to work if we don't trust each other.
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His parents, Joseph and Sarah Rogers, were King and Queen of the First, near the mountains. The lands, split into three sections, were governed by separate royal families. Steve, who was frail and small as a child but with a wicked temper and stubborn demeanor, was the only child to reach adulthood and claim his inheritance in generations. The crown had been handed down through marriage and distant relatives for so long that it was now considered commonplace - the throne would go to his uncle, his father's brother, if he couldn't step into the role. His mother, Queen by birth, was adamant that Steve marry an heir to one of the other families so that the country could be protected.
It was a desire that Steve seconded. He wouldn't allow Alexander Pierce to rule over his people. If Steve fell ill and passed without a husband or wife, the crown would go to him. That sense of responsibility and loyalty to his parents and people were what kept him silent when the Queen and King made arrangements. He made no demands and held no stipulations. He would do as he was told.
He was to marry Anthony Stark, of the Second - near the sea, the day after Steve had his twenty-fourth birthday. They would follow standard tradition, consummate the union and live together for one year before either party could leave the kingdom for any reason whatsoever. After, they would be expected to adopt a child from both countries, of high or low birth, and raise them as their heirs. The contracts were drawn, signed, and ceremonies performed. And, yet, still - Steve hadn't caught a single glimpse of his new husband. Fine lace attached to their crowns covered both of their faces, pressed ornamental uniforms completed the look, and the celebration afterwards was, for Steve, uncomfortable. They sat together, inches apart, but weren't allowed to speak. There was too much going on.
When the party ended and they were separated to bathe and dress, he still wasn't sure when he'd actually get to see or speak to Anthony.
Now, hours into being a husband, he was sitting on the edge of a large bed - their bed, in their room - in a dressing gown with damp hair. The door opens and his husband walks in, forcing Steve to stand so that he can turn to face the man. He waits, though, giving Anthony a view of his back from the other side of the room.]
I didn't think we'd ever be alone.
[He turns then.]
no subject
He had no true desire to run the kingdom, but it was his by name. His mother had always tempered his turbulent nature. Too much like the sea that surged up upon the shore. Always looking away from the land and off into the distance. Looking for what lay beyond the horizon. His dearest friend, Rhodes, and closest counsel, Pepper, had been the ones to persuade him. Rhodes did not trust Stane, and had not for years. Pepper only wished for some sense of stability to be inflicted upon him so that he might stop causing her to become ill from stress.
The ceremony are the same as many he has seen before. Contracted and cold. His mother told him that she had learned to love Howard, a man cold like the ice in the North. Neither of them had seen each other's faces or heard their voice. It was not until he finally found himself to be alone with Steven that he heard his voice.
He waves a hand, adjusting his loose-fitting long sleeved shirt down to cover the rest of his chest and stomach. ]
Please, there's been enough ceremony for one day. You don't have to stand.
[ He finally looks up, and---well, he hadn't been expecting that. It was hardly terrible and he wasn't certain exactly what he was feeling. ] It's good to finally be able to see and speak to you.
[ Even if they both knew what was expected of them this night. God, he hated tradition. He railed against it at every turn. What was the point of all these ancient and idiotic ways when they held them back as a country? ]
no subject
He's handsome. Dark haired and attractive. And he sounds intelligent. Possibly kind. Steve wasn't sure but it was enough to relax him the fraction it would take to sit back down. He crosses the room to sit in a chair, eyes still on his husband.]
The same to you.
[He was also not sure if Anthony was going to report back everything that happened between them. He'd have to be careful with his words and tone until he knew him better.]
You're not what I expected.
[Steve rests his hands on his lap and then stands again, unable to stay seated. He places his hands on his hips and eyes narrowed, watches the other for a reaction.]
Are you ready?
[He didn't want to do this. Sex, in his opinion, should mean more than what it did now. Tradition. The joining of two countries and families. Unfortunately, neither of them were allowed that privilege. Not unless they both decided to wait and agreed to keep it a secret.]
no subject
He's not sure about this man. He knows what he's heard. Good and steadfast. Loyal. He hadn't heard about how handsome he was, but then he'd apparently been very sickly as a child. Was he still, or had the ill Queen received her miracle? He sits down in the chair that's next to the one that Steven chooses, and leans back.
It doesn't last long, though, and the other man is up again. He can't help the slightly incredulous laugh. ]
Eager wasn't something I pegged you for. [ He clears his throat and stands, arms crossing over his own chest. ]
Sure, if that's what you want. [ There, he said it. Report back to whoever the hell for all he cares. ] You can let me know if I'm wrong but the prince I met a very, very long time ago had these whims and notions and ---frankly, I thought he thought that this whole deal was archaic.
Cold.
I'll bite with that. Not with the idea that you're just not feeling it cause I don't tick any of your boxes cause I'm everyone's boxes.
no subject
[Steve's pacing stops, eyes narrowed on Anthony again. He doesn't like what he feels is a criticism, judgement on his behavior, but the rest of what is said strikes a chord. His mouth falls open as he really looks at his new husband.
Over the years, Steve has met so many people that a few were bound to slip through the cracks. He does his best, as it's his duty, but every now and then he forgets. This time, it's the number of years that it has been coupled with how young Steve was when they met, that contributed to the loss. But he remembers now.
He'd been eight or nine. Sick, again, but settled out in the royal gardens to get some fresh air. An older boy, closing in on adulthood, had found him there and they'd talked for hours. Steve had lamented the archaic traditions of their courts and how one day he'd have to marry, probably a stranger. It was the first and last time Steve had met anyone that understood him so quickly. Now that man was his husband.]
Tony? You're Tony from the gardens?
[He shakes his head and moves closer, tries to see the truth of it in Anthony's expression.]
I don't want any of this. I thought.. It's what we're supposed to do. I didn't know what you might say once we left this room.
[The union could be dissolved. Steve would loose his credibility and it would ruin the alliance his mother had worked so hard to obtain. There was a lot riding on their night together and Steve's real feelings weren't supposed to play a part in any of it.]
no subject
He shrugs a little, humming through pressed lips, and sighs, reaching up and scratching the back of his neck anxiously. ]
That's me. Unless there's another Prince from by the sea that gave you shells cause you'd never seen it. In which case, I think I'm allowed to be a little jealous, so.
[ Cause snark is a way to deal with this right? He sighs. ]
Look, nobody outside of this room knows what happens. They know what we say. If we say it happened, then it happened. We don't even have to cuddle if you don't want, and while we're on the subject of words that might get said: I don't know what you'd say either.
This isn't going to work if we don't trust each other.