Tony was so warm and solid against him and it calmed that part of him that had been frantic with grief. He was here, this Tony was his and Steve felt like he might shake apart from the desperation he felt to keep him that way. They belonged together and he was more sure of that now that they were, confident in their relationship in a way he'd never thought possible, because he'd never felt he could be worthy.
He pulled back a little when Tony spoke, holding his face in one hand and the back of his head in the other. Steve couldn't believe how beautiful he was, he found himself thinking that when ever they had a quiet moment, laying beside one another, or when Tony worked. "I love you," he said and it came out broken and so quiet you almost couldn't hear it, let alone understand it.
It was three words Steve wasn't good at, had hidden away, desperate to hide from the hurt that would come along with it. But even without love there was so much pain and he was done wasting his time, losing things he wasn't brave enough to have. "I'm here," he added after a beat, more confident and clear with that. "I'm here."