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"Get your hands off me, you fuckin' queer!"
Steve's head jerked around at the exclamation. He and Tony had shown up to help with a gas main explosion in Manhattan. The rest of the Avengers were on their own missions. It was pretty easy work, providing assistance to the local fire and police departments by lifting vehicles and rubble and carrying victims out of the more damaged buildings. Anything exciting had already happened and they were just getting the last of the victims out.
The soldier's eyes searched across the rubble to a spot two blocks away, a farther distance than a normal person could hear. It was only thanks to Steve's super hearing that he was able to make out what the trapped man was saying to his teammate.
The Ironman suit was crouched next to an over-turned car, a middle-aged man trapped inside. His position wasn't life-threatening, which was why he'd been left till near the end, but it was certainly uncomfortable. Tony's hands were held up in a non-threatening manner in response to the man's exclamation. Steve didn't even have to strain to hear his return comment.
"Hey, man. I'm just trying to get you out of here. Lemme get you out of that car and then you can hate on me all you want."
Tony's tone was patient, letting the insults slide off of him like water. He'd taken enough heat from the media in his time to know how to roll with the punches. He reached forward again to try and help the man but the paunchy fellow only scuttled backward further into the car.
"I thought I told you to keep your faggot hands off me! You touch me and I swear to God I'll sue you for every penny your pansy ass has got!"
Steve didn't have to be able to see Tony's face to know he was rolling his eyes behind his faceplate. This wasn't the first time Tony had been verbally abused since the press conference he'd given two weeks ago explaining that Loki was innocent and that the two were in a relationship, six months after the god had moved in with them. It had been artfully handled and the majority of the public seemed to at least be willing to give Loki a chance. There were several organizations and individuals, though, that condemned both the god and his Avenger counterpart. The most outspoken of these groups was The Westboro Baptist Church. This was the first time, however, that Steve had witnessed someone insulting Tony without it being through a TV.
"Do you honestly just want to hang out in that car till someone else can come get you? It'd take all of 30 seconds for me to get you out and you can go on with your little close-minded life. Besides, I'm pretty sure I've got better lawyers."
Tony started to reach for the man again before coming up short at his next exclamation.
"I'd rather die than accept help from some sick little shit like you."
It was one thing to have someone call you names, it was entirely different to have that person tell you they'd rather not live than touch you. It didn't matter how thick your skin was, that would still sting. Part of Steve wanted to go to his friend, to tell the man off, to defend the relationship that made his teammate so happy. But he couldn't. His legs felt frozen in place, as though the super serum that kept him alive had been drained away. He could only stand there and watch as Tony handled the situation with as much grace as he could muster.
The faceplate of his suit stayed locked in place as he radioed for one of the fire patrols in the area to meet them. He stayed with the man the entire time, until the local firemen were able to remove the door and get him out of the car. Abuse continued to be hurled at his teammate in the form of cussing and quoting bible verses, steadily growing worse as time passed, until the firemen finally took him away. It only made Steve feel worse about his lack of action when he heard one of the firemen tell Tony not to worry about, "that asshole, you've still got support from the rest of us. That took some balls, what you did."
Steve had never been the type to just stand aside and let someone be mocked or cut down, for anything. Tony was his teammate, but moreover, he was his friend. It didn't sit right that he'd allowed the man to suffer from some stranger's words…but how was he supposed to defend something he wasn't even sure he agreed with?
Steve had been born in the 20's, which wasn't exactly the most open-minded time for America. He'd been raised to believe a certain set of ideals that had no place in the new century he had found himself in. Society's views on race, gender, and sexuality had changed dramatically, not to mention a thousand other things. It was hard to keep up with how things had changed, much less adjust to them.
Steve wanted to support Tony, especially in something that seemed to make him so happy. Tony was a good man and a better friend. He might not be so great with the details, but he always had Steve's back when it counted. Anyone who knew Tony could see how much he did for the team, in a more-than-just-money kind of way. In his odd, quirky way, Tony had a thing for taking care of all of them.
He kept the kitchen stocked in traditional Russian foods for Natasha without ever needing to be asked. He'd built a shooting range onto the tower's training level that was designed specifically with arrows in mind. The billionaire set time aside to make sure Bruce socialized and felt included in human life. He'd added a guest room to Thor's floor for his Lady Jane, too. Even Steve, though their friendship had started off a bit roughly, he went out of his way for. He spent hours catching Steve up on what had happened while he'd been under and teaching him the new technologies available.
Tony could still be an ass easily mistaken for a petulant five-year-old, but it was really hard to stay mad at a guy who literally wanted to throw his money at you. At first, Steve had been worried that Tony was simply trying to buy their friendship. However, it quickly became apparent that giving gifts was just the man's way of showing affection. He had trouble expressing himself any other way.
The Captain was still caught in his inner conflict by the time the two heroes had arrived back at the tower. Loki greeted them as usual, with a kiss for Tony and barely an acknowledgement for anyone else in the room. When the kiss lacked its usual enthusiasm on Tony's side, though, Loki quickly turned concerned. The billionaire just brushed it off with a laugh and a painted-on smile.
"Oh, you know, long day at the office."
Steve quickly retreated to his quarters, not being able to stand watching Tony's faked happiness. The man was usually so carefree, so unbothered. It was easy to forget sometimes that he was human, too. He may never stand a chance in arm-wrestling against the rest of the team, but Steve was sure he could make a solid run for the strongest. He was a hero and he deserved to be treated like one.
Squaring his jaw in an act of defiance against an adversary who wasn't even present, Steve made his decision. He pulled a Starkphone from his pocket and hit the number 3 on speed dial, Tony had programmed them in for him. The call picked up after only two rings.
"Pepper Potts."
"Hello, Miss Potts, it's Steve Rogers."
"Oh, Steve! It's nice to hear from you, though I really must insist you call me Pepper."
Steve could hear the smile in her voice. This wasn't the first time she'd made that request. There was just something in his upbringing that resisted calling a woman so casually by her first name.
"Listen, I wasn't really sure who else to call and I was hoping you could do me a favor…"
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"Ahem, um…Hello."
Steve was surprised at how many people had turned out for this. When he'd asked Miss Potts if she would arrange a press conference, he'd expected maybe a handful of reporters, not the twenty-something news stations and papers represented before him. The podium he stood behind had at least seven microphones. He was impressed she'd managed to do all of this in one day.
"Thank you all for turning out on such short notice. As you may have guessed, this wasn't really a planned event."
Some of the reporters shifted in the crowd, cameramen jostling for a better view. The captain silently thanked his lucky stars that he'd at least had some experience talking in front of crowds before. He cleared his throat again before continuing.
"I'm sure you are all wondering why I called this press conference. Let me start by saying, no, the world is not in danger of imminent attack as I know some theories have suggested." A few chuckles sounded through the crowd and Steve took those as encouragement. "But there has been a recent attack I'd like to talk about."
This sent a murmur through the room and Steve pushed back his nerves with a colossal effort. He swallowed once and found his throat suddenly dry. He resisted the urge to take a drink of water. He could not appear nervous. This message needed to be conveyed with strength and conviction.
"Yesterday, my friend and teammate Tony Stark, also known as Ironman, was attacked while attempting to help a man trapped inside a vehicle. The car had been overturned in yesterday's gas main explosion and, while the man was uninjured, he was in definite need of assistance."
The murmuring of the crowd became more pronounced. No one had heard anything about an attack during the previous day's events.
"This attack came from the trapped man himself. He called my Tony a variety of things I'd rather not repeat on a program that might be watched by children. He was slanderous and threatening. He," Steve paused for a moment and shut his eyes, still struck by what he'd over heard. When his eyes reopened, it was to nail the crowd down with a determined and fiery gaze, "He told Tony that he would rather die than accept his help."
Steve knew he had them now. He'd run through what he was going to say with Miss Potts beforehand and she had given him several pointers. It was good to see that work paying off.
"This man said these things and chose to stay, upside down in a hot car for over half an hour until local firefighters could get to his location. Tony stayed by his side the entire time, listening to this abuse. And do you know why this man made that choice?" Steve swept his gaze across the crowd. "It was because Tony recently came out as gay."
He said it matter of factly, in an almost off-hand manner. He didn't want to give the term any more power than he absolutely had to.
"I grew up in an era when stereotypes were practically a way of life. People feared what was different and society was not forgiving when it came to those who were different."
Steve had so rarely talked about his former life that the reporters present were practically leaning forward to get closer to him. But this wasn't about him.
"When I woke up after 70 years of being asleep, I was told that times had changed. We'd won the war against the hate we'd been fighting, and not just in the battlefields of Europe and Asia. I was told about the Civil Rights Movement. I was told about how women could stand as equals beside men without fear of being prosecuted. I was told that American was an open-minded and free country, as it was meant to be."
He looked around the gathering, giving a moment's pause before continuing.
"I have not seen this to be true."
The crowd of reporters flew into an uproar, yelling questions at him left and right, but he simply raised a hand to silence them and waited until they settled down.
"In the past two weeks since Tony Stark's announcement, I have seen very little of this 'open-mindedness' I was told about. He has received threatening letters and phone calls. There have been protests to have him removed from the Avengers and the stock of his company has dropped dramatically. The moment the announcement was made, Tony's sexuality became the only thing that mattered. So let me remind you, America, who Tony Stark is.
"Tony is a man who has amazing intelligence. He can do things with science that outclass most of the world's top specialists. His inventions will continue to be the cutting edge long after he is gone because the rest of us can't even begin to understand how advanced his designs are. He has pioneered some of the greatest discoveries in medicine, agriculture, and clean energy.
"His company donates more to charity than any other business in the world, and that's without including donations from his fundraisers or himself personally, which are substantial as well. The plans he released last month for a new method of water filtration promised free equipment to Africa and other third world countries. This promise will ensure clean, drinkable water for the entire world in the next fifteen years, a goal previously unthinkable.
"He has overcome startling amounts of adversity to become the person he is today, including completely reinventing himself. He turned away from a life of making weapons and chose a life of helping others, and he does it with more than just his business and inventions. I have seen Tony put his life on the line to save another person more times that I can count. I had a serum injected into me that makes me incredibly strong, fast, and durable, but Tony only has his suit and sometimes not even that. He doesn't have to do what he does, but he chooses to because it's what is right. That's what makes him a hero.
"But for the past two weeks, none of that has mattered. He has been treated as though he's an entirely different person. Announcing you're gay doesn't make you someone else. Questions?"
The room exploded as every reporter tried to get their question in first. Steve indicated for a brunette man in his early forties to go ahead.
"Chad Wellham with CNN. You're a Christian man, Captain, how do you reconcile this view with what the Bible says?"
Steve had known this was coming and was ready for it.
"Well, we could probably stand here all day and talk about that, but I'll try and keep things short. The Bible is a book written thousands of years ago that has been handled time and time again by individuals seeking to twist it to suit their own purposes. It also states that we should keep slaves and that adulterers should be killed. There are a lot of things from that day and age that no longer apply."
He indicated another reporter, a young blond female.
"What are your feelings towards gay marriage, Captain Rogers? Do you believe it should be legalized?"
"One of the ideals this country was founded upon was the separation of church and state. I absolutely believe that any and all citizens should have the right to be able to marry the person they want to marry, regardless of gender."
The next reporter he picked was also female, a black woman with a commanding presence.
"Just to be clear, do you or do you not support Tony Stark's relationship with the notorious super villain Loki of Asgard?"
"Loki was proven innocent of the crimes he was charged with, as has been covered in previous interviews and press releases. 'Just to be clear,' I am absolutely in support of Tony Stark's relationship with Loki of Asgard, who is not a super villain."
The questions probably would have continued for hours if Pepper didn't choose that moment to step in. She sent an approving smile over her shoulder at Steve and he found himself smiling back.
"Alright, everyone! That'll be all for now! Thank you for coming out today!"
By the end of the week, Stark Industries stock was higher than it had ever been. Tony's hate mail hadn't totally disappeared, but it had certainly diminished, and the threatening phone calls were practically non-existent. Tony never actually acknowledged what Steve had done, but he did upgrade Steve's shield and armor the very next day without any comment. Loki had simply looked him in the eye and told Steve the god would remember this. (According to Thor, that was actually quite a valuable thing.)
All in all, Steve was just glad he had found the courage to stand up for his friend.