Chapter Text
“Tell me about your nephew.” the blonde man commanded, and Obadiah Stane grimaced at the order in the deep voice.
“You misunderstand, Rogers.” he said smoothly, covering his irritation. “My nephew is not a part of this deal. I’m not sure why you would—”
“It’s Captain Rogers.” God the interruption rankled Stane, but he bit back an oath and smiled placatingly.
“Of course. Captain Rogers. My nephew is not to be included in this deal. He is promised to the Viscount, Tiberius Stone, and they are set to announce their engagement any day.”
“I see.” Captain Rogers tented his fingers in thought, giving a critical glance to the man sitting across from him. “And your nephew– Anthony, is it?– desires this marriage?”
“He has no choice in the matter.” Stane waved off the inquiry. “Marrying into a titled family will benefit both of our homes, and Tiberius and he have a favorable relationship.”
“The Viscount is willing to marry someone without a title?” The Captain pressed. “Why would that be?”
“The Starks are very rich.” Obadiah cut the end off his cigar and lit it casually, drawing deep of the scented smoke to hide his annoyance at the Captain prying into their matters. “Rich enough to turn the heads of different levels of royalty, regardless of their Colonial heritage.”
“And you, Stane–” the word was spoken as if dirty and Obadiah had to work hard to ignore the flare of anger.. “– you control the finances of the company until your nephew is of age?”
“Until he is thirty.” Obadiah nodded. “And beyond that, as long as his husband sees fit to keep me involved.”
“And Viscount Stone is willing to do that? Your nephew has no interest in the company? In learning the workings of it?” Rogers leaned forward in his chair. “You and the Viscount will be the ones I report to at all times? I have no interest in being in the employ of a child who has no idea what he is doing.”
“Anthony is not a child, but he has no interest in the company, and will be content to simply be wed.” Obadiah said smoothly. “I have been running the company for nearly fifteen years now, which should tell you that you will have no issues dealing with me. We have several ships, and our merchandise is very valuable, and a Captain such as yourself commanding my fleet would be beneficial for everyone involved. The Viscount as well has an affinity for finances and business ventures, you should not worry.”
“You would require my ship to be part of the Stark fleet.” Captain Rogers mused. “To ensure my loyalty.”
“I can assure you, you will be compensated greatly for it.” Obadiah grinned around his cigar. “A partnership between yourself and Stark Company, with the backing of the Viscount will make us all very rich.”
“I see.” The Captain rubbed at his chin. “I will have to converse with my First Mate, as he would be coming along, as well as my crew.”
“Naturally.” Obadiah agreed. “Tis no small feat to give your independence up to work for the company. But you– a decorated war hero, owner of your own ship with a crew that is entirely loyal– this a smart step for you to take.”
“Hm. I will require knowledge of your routes.” Rogers said firmly. “I aim to know exactly where you travel and when before I make my decision. I would also like to meet the Viscount Stone, to see the man I will be working for.”
“Naturally.” Obadiah repeated. “If you would give me some time, no more than an hour, I will have all of it acquired for you, and the Viscount is staying here in the city, I can send for him shortly.”
“That is acceptable. Is there somewhere I may—” He motioned vaguely. “–take a reprieve?”
“Oh, by all means. This estate has some of the largest, most beautiful gardens in New York, please spend your time there, I will send a servant to fetch you when I am ready.”
“Thank you.” Captain Rogers stood to his full height, putting him eye level with Obadiah. “An hour then.”
“I look forward to working with you, Captain Rogers.” Obadiah managed a smile to hide the way he wanted to snarl at the Captain’s superior attitude. “I will send for you in an hour.”
************************
************************
“What’d’ya think, Stevie?” the low voice brought the Captain over to a shadowed part of the garden path and he spied his first mate waiting in the foliage.
“I think–” his voice lost the stiff intonation of the conversation with Stane, sliding into the easy near drawl that spoke of his youth in New York. “I think Stane is smarter than we are prepared for. He will make me give up the ship to work for him, Bucky. He isn’t letting his nephew into any part of the business, it will be him and the Viscount Stone only.”
“Do you think that means the kid don’ know what Stane is doing?” Bucky asked carefully. “Y’think maybe he’s innocent?”
“I think it would be hard to share a house with someone and not know what they are dealing in.” Steve said firmly. “I think his nephew is at least partially aware, which makes him completely guilty.”
“This is a big deal.” Bucky shrugged, and Steve felt a jolt of guilt when the left shoulder didn’t rise as high as the right, remnants of an injury several months ago that had nearly cost Bucky his life. “Stevie, we can’t just take on something like Stark Company and expect it to go smoothly.”
“What are you thinking?” Steve kept an eye on the house, watching in interest as a carriage rolled up, a tall man in stylish clothes departing and nearly running up the steps.
“I’m thinkin’ you need to meet the nephew. I’m thinkin you need to stick to the original plan and get close to him and find out what he knows.”
“That plan is slightly complicated by him already being betrothed to someone.” Steve said dryly, and Bucky’s pale blue eyes lit in interest.
“Well now, that will make it interesting. How long has it been since ya stole someone from their lover, Stevie?”
“How old were you when I stole you from Bonnie?”
“Seventeen.” Bucky grunted.
“Well that’s how long it’s been.” Steve reached for him then, pushing him further into the shadows and covering his mouth in a hungry kiss. “Haven’t wanted anyone else since then.”
“You’ll have to pretend then.” Bucky whispered. “Ain’t gonna be easy on me, or us, but I’ll manage. We’ve gone through worse things than you flirting with a dandy, hm?”
“You’re sure.” Steve asked, one last time, even though they had gone over the plan in great detail at least six different times on the ship. “Buck, we can try something different.”
“This is the only way to figure out how to get this operation shut down.” Bucky said firmly.
“We’re pirates, not the law.” Steve argued.
“Yeah, but even pirates don’t sell kids. Stane has got to be stopped.” Bucky muttered. “Come on, you know this will work. Especially if he is as bookish and reclusive as we’ve heard. He won’t stand a chance against your charm, Stevie. Just be less of a pirate captain and more of that sweetheart you are when it’s just you and me.” Another kiss, and Steve moved into it with a low sigh.
“I love you, Buck.”
“I love you too.” Bucky’s voice was rough. “Now go seduce him, huh? Do what you gotta do and get what we need. Just save a little lovin’ for me.”
“It’s all yours, Bucky.” Steve promised. “All of it. Head back to the ship and I’ll be there tonight.”
Steve turned and left before Bucky did, not sure if he could make himself go through with this if his love was watching.
The plan to get close to the heir of Stark Companies had seemed so simple at first, but after asking around and learning that he hardly ever left his home, that he was more interested in his books and tinkering in a workshop than he was to attend parties, and learning today that he was betrothed— the plan was looking less and less feasible.
But they had to find a way into Stane’s organization, they had to do more than sinking ships and attempting to thwart sales before they happened. Stane’s nephew– Anthony– was the way to do this. Stane had said his nephew had no interest in the business, but Steve was willing to bet that Anthony knew more than he was letting on.
No one could live with a man like Stane and not know what was going on right under his nose, right?
**********************
**********************
“What do you think of the Captain?” Viscount Stone swept his hair off his forehead, taking a sip of tea and managing to look entirely condescending as he did. “Will he do what we need?”
“I’m not sure.” Obadiah admitted. “He is hesitant about signing over his ship, wants to know our trade routes, is asking quite a few questions.”
“That isn’t a bad thing.” Tiberious conceded. “To have a man like the Captain on our side, knowing most of what we do could be fortuitous. His reputation from the war is unparalleled, even though I have concerns about the recent whisperings I have heard about him.”
“Recent whisperings.” Stane prompted. “Such as?”
“That he has turned to pirating.” Tiberius cocked an elegant eyebrow. “The he has tired of honest merchant sailing and has turned that band of miscreants he sails with into a bloodthirsty pirate crew.”
“Hm.” Stane scratched at his beard. “I’m sure they are only whisperings, and as long as he joins our employment, they will be snuffed immediately. We need his expertise to continue our…business. And even if he has had dabblings in a disreputable lifestyle, those skill will only come in handy when he runs into whoever has been sabotaging our trades and sinking my ships hm? If this continues, I will be unable to replace the ships I am losing and that is unacceptable.
“Indeed.” Another sip of tea. “But you need to be careful, Stane. A man such as Rogers is too cunning to be left in the dark, and too moral to be bribed for his silence. We will need to keep a close eye on him, to the point of perhaps replacing his crew.”
“He will not part with his crew.” Stane shook his head. “Especially not his first mate, but we can add in our own men. Rumlow for instance, or perhaps Raza. Even Hammer, for all his weasel like charm, can be surprisingly handy.”
“Do what you will.” Tiberius grunted. “And how is my betrothed this day? Has he warmed more to the idea of our betrothal, or is he still being mullish?”
“He is still protesting.” Obadiah grimaced. “Fortunately as his guardian and keeper of his wealth, I can force him to marry you. It wouldn’t hurt for you to show the boy some interest. You treat him more like a fancy bauble than a future spouse.”
“How I treat my husband is of no concern to you.” Tiberius said coldly. “As long as you keep your end of the bargain.”
“And you other… interests?” Stane prodded. “I assume my nephew will not be exposed to them?”
“No.” The Viscount narrowed his eyes. “No, he will be put in one of my country homes, there to warm my bed when I wish and to stay out of my way at other times. I might even take him to England, tuck him away somewhere he won’t be any trouble. Where is he, anyway? Why has he not appeared to greet me?”
“In the gardens.” Stane waved his hand out the window, decidedly uncomfortable with the way the Viscount talked about his nephew. “No doubt buried in some book. It’s a shame he has never showed the aptitude and interest in business his father always did.”
“Perhaps.” Tiberius shrugged. “But where would you be if Anthony had indeed risen up and wrested the reins of the company from your hands? As it is now, you have a compliant nephew who has no idea what you are using his ships for, and I have a willing fiancee who will know better than to question me. Anthony will be content spending his days reading and his nights in my bed and keeping his nose from my dealings and that is all I require.”
“To excellently laid plans coming to fruition.” Stane raised his tea cup in a toast.
“Here here.” Tiberius smiled, and it wasn’t a friendly one. “Here here.”
*******************
*******************
“Oh hullo, love.” Steve kept his voice quiet when he came upon a young man slouched underneath a tree in the far side of the garden. “Perhaps you could help me, I seem to have gotten turned around in here.”
“Oh.” the man looked up with a quick smile, setting his book aside and standing to his feet. “That’s unfortunate, but I can show you the way out. I should probably head back towards the house anyway.”
“Hm.” Steve tilted his head, taking in the long lines of his body, the thick head of hair, soft brown eyes. “Are you Anthony?”
“Oh. Tony is fine.” A smile then, a real one, and Steve blinked at the shine of it. “Only my Uncle calls me Anthony and I can’t say I enjoy it.”
“Tony, then.” Steve let his voice roughen on purpose and was rewarded with a slight pinkening of Tony’s cheeks. “Are you out here all alone?”
“Reading.” Tony explained and bent to retrieve his book, treating Steve to a glimpse of a perfectly pert butt under the loose folds of a linen shirt. “This is fascinating, the science behind mechanics, have you read it?”
“No.” Steve smiled curiously. “I haven’t– you are reading about mechanics?”
“Yes!” Brown eyes sparked, the smile grew even brighter and Steve thought he might have felt it to his soul. “Can you imagine, being able to use mechanics to do away with horse drawn transportation? For greater production of textiles? Even–” he hesitated. “If someone was to lose a limb, an arm perhaps, to be able to construct gears and tools to give them back something of a working hand?”
“I don’t think I could imagine that.” Steve admitted, struck by the passion in Tony’s gaze, hearing the hitch in his breath as he spoke excitedly. “But will you tell me more about it?”
“Oh!” If possible, those beautiful eyes lit even more. “Yes! Come sit with me!”
Steve settled down beneath the tree with the enigmatic young man, shoulder to shoulder, listening to him read from the book, that soft voice rising and falling in explanations, pointing out diagrams, sharing his ideas for how things could work.
Before he knew it, Steve had been sitting there for almost two hours, thoroughly entranced, halfway to smitten, too easily forgetting that this was a plan, that he was supposed to finding out all he could about Stark Company. Here in the fading sunlight, thigh to thigh with the beautiful brunette, Steve could feel himself falling in a way he hadn’t since he had met Bucky all those years ago.
“I don’t even know your name.” Tony suddenly blurted, smiling sheepishly, and Steve smiled gently back at him.
“Captain Steven Rogers.”
“Captain.” Tony breathed. “You have your own ship then? Is it here in the harbor? I’ve always wanted to sail.”
“I would take you, if you like.” Steve offered before he even realized what he was saying. “My ship isn’t in the main harbor, but a smaller cove outside of town. It wouldn’t be no trouble to spirit you away for an afternoon, or an entire day if you like?”
“Would you?” Tony bit at his lip. “Oh, I would love that. I’ve never seen the ocean, do you know? Only the harbor and brief glimpses of what lies past it. Are there monsters, like in the books? Captain, have you ever seen a–”
“You may call me Steve.” He interrupted. “My men call me Captain, but you may call me Steve. Captain seems far too formal after the time we have spent together.”
“Steve.” Tony repeated, blushing just a bit and Steve wanted to curse when he couldn’t help leaning closer, reacting to the innocence and beauty radiating from the other man. “I would love to see your ship. My Uncle would be upset if I left the harbor, but to just walk the decks would be–oh!”
Steve couldn’t stop himself from moving in and pushing a soft kiss onto red lips, lingering over the taste, brushing their noses together as he pulled away just enough to breathe.
“Oh.” Tony repeated, glancing down at his hands shyly, then back up into Steve’s eyes. “What was that for?”
“Forgive me.” Steve whispered, unsure of why his voice sounded hoarse, even to his own ears. “I couldn’t seem to help myself. You are beautiful, do you know that? Just…beautiful.”
A big hand cupped Tony’s jaw, and the brunette seemed to melt into the touch, turning his head to nuzzle into Steve’s palm. “Thank you.”
“You act like you’ve never been told—” Steve paused, taking in the way Tony was biting at his lip, the way he was leaning in even more and realization flashed across his face. “You’ve never been kissed.”
“Well–” Tony blushed again and it was about the most enticing thing Steve had ever seen. “Now I have.”
“Jesus Christ.” Steve muttered, and Tony’s gasp of shock at his language was swallowed behind another kiss, a longer kiss, and Steve urged him closer until he was almost in his lap. “Tony, you taste like—”
“What the hell is going on here?!” Obadiah’s angry voice cut into the air, ripped through their moment. “Captain Rogers, explain yourself!”
Shit. Steve closed his eyes against the eager light in Tony’s gaze, steeled himself against the shock in Stane’s tone. He was suddenly furious. Furious that they had been caught in a vulnerable moment, furious that he had been entranced by the innocent gaze of the Stark heir, furious that he had forgotten his plan and had gotten lost in the feel of Tony’s lips and the taste of his tongue.
But he didn’t let any of that anger show, only set Tony aside and stood to his feet in one fluid motion, straightening his jacket with a quick jerk.
“Stane.” he said coolly, flicking an uninterested gaze over towards the man who was surely Viscount Stone. “I thought I was to be kept waiting an hour, not over two. The sun is nearly setting and I have to get back to my ship.”
“So you thought to amuse yourself with my betrothed?” Tiberius was practically yelling, his fists clenched at his sides and in his peripheral, Steve saw Tony flinch away.
“Well. If Stane was a man of his word, and not so rude as to leave me waiting, I would have had no need to amuse myself, would I?” Steve arched a brow, the lofty tone he kept especially for use with the upper class filling his words his conceit. “Do you have what I requested?”
“I should rend you in two.” Tiberius all but ripped his sword from it’s scabbard, brandishing it threateningly. “For daring to put your hands on my fiancee–”
“Come on then.” Steve bit out a sharp laugh and pulled his own sword. “Lets have at it, shall we?”
“Stop!” Tony blurted. “Please! Steve and I were only–”
“Steve?” The Viscount hissed. “You would presume to be so familiar as to use his Christian name?!”
“Stop.” it was Stane who held up a hand this time. “Perhaps we may come to a new agreement, the three of us.”
Three? Steve thought it odd that Stane didn’t seem to include Tony in the number.
“Perhaps, if the Captain were to wed Anthony, it would secure his loyalty to the company hm? And Viscount, you may stay an investor as you have, and be free to pursue other endeavors.” Stane raised his eyebrows, emphasizing the other and Tiberius’ face darkened.
“Absolutely not! I will not have my prize taken from me by some filthy sailor.”
“Absolutely not.” Steve repeated. “I have no wish to be married, I will not be forced into some machination of–”
“You will wed.” Stane announced, firm in his new decision, more relieved than he would admit to have found a way to keep Anthony from Stone’s cruel hands. “Or you will hang for the assault and attempted molestation of my nephew, do you understand?”
“What?” Steve re-sheathed his sword. “You cannot be serious. You have no manner or proof–”
“The Viscount Stone, as witness of course.” Stane continued. “No one will doubt the words of the head of Stark Company when combined with the infallible word of a Viscount, do you see? So you will marry, you will be tied to the company, and all will be as we meant for it to be before this… incident.”
“Uncle.” Tony sounded uncertain. “Surely you don’t mean to sell me off to the Captain to ensure his loyalty to the company? I am betrothed to–”
“Your betrothal had no bearing on your actions today.” Obadiah raised his voice. “Therefore it is of no consequence. You will be married to the Captain before the weeks end.”
“The weeks end!” Steve exploded. “This is madness! I will not be forced into a dalliance with a partner I do not–”
“You will.” Obadiah sent Tiberius a quelling look when the Viscount went to protest again. “Or I will see you hanged by tomorrow evening. If your ship leaves the harbor, you will be hunted down and brought back. Do not think to escape this.”
He turned on his heel and strode away, following by an angry Tiberius, and they argued all the way through the garden, until their voices were cut off by the doors to the house shutting behind them.
“I am so sorry.” Tony sounded like he might be sick. “Steve I am—”
“It’s Captain Rogers.” Steve could barely breathe around the fury choking him. “You will refer to me as Captain Rogers. I will go see what I can do about this farcical charge. You will go inside and try to reason with them. Remind your Viscount that you wish to marry him. Try to–”
“But I don’t want to marry him.” Tony interjected. “I don’t. My Uncle arranged the betrothal, I didn’t have a choice. Tiberius thinks of me only as a possession, and I would much rather marry–”
“Do not even finish that sentence!” Steve hissed. “God forbid it will come to be!”
“And if does?” Tony asked timidly, ducking his head and shuffling his feet, and if Steve wouldn’t have been so blindingly angry, he would have felt sorry for the man. “What if we cannot escape this?”
“Then I am sorry.” Steve said grimly. “I will apologize now, rather than seek your forgiveness later.”
“Apologize for what?” Tony bit at his lip. “What are you saying?”
“I will not be a good husband to you.” Steve met his eyes in a forbidding stare. “I will not. My heart belongs to another, and there is not room for you in it.”
“But you kissed me.” Tony said, whisper soft and Steve felt the guilt start to claw at his soul, felt the anger already start to dissipate. “I thought perhaps–”
“No.” Steve forced a hardness into his tone. “Men like to kiss pretty things, our embrace was nothing more than that.”
“Oh.” Tony closed his eyes and Steve did too, wondering how his plan had run so terribly amok.
“I am sorry.” he said again, quieter this time. “Tony, I swear I did not mean for this to happen.”
“And yet it has.”
Steve ran his hands through his hair in despair. “How bloody unfortunate for the both of us.”