At the convention things had crossed lines, what with Steve in a towel and long lingering glances neither bothered to hide. It had been years, things building and then slipping away. Tony and Steve and everything that entailed, tangled with Pepper and Bucky and their makeshift family. It was so complicated and Steve, he'd never let himself have anything that resembled a life. Neither of them had ever taken that step where you let someone in all the way and Steve was terrified just by the idea of it.
Not to mention there was a part of him who still felt like Tony had far better options than him. He who would never be done with a mission to right wrongs, could never give him a child, could never be Pepper.
"Probably not, but that's not why I should have been there," he said as he spread his fingers a little, widening his grip like he could pull Tony right into the core of him where the ache echoed around. If he'd been there, Tony wouldn't have been alone and Steve was feeling more and more like that was their place. Together.