Work Text:
The bamboo silk rope feels buttery soft in Tony's hand, its dark red color shining beautifully in the warm light of their bedroom. He’d waffled over the color choice for ages, first going for dark blue, then switching over to black, then over to various bright red tones. It's silly, to care about the coloring of all things, but he wants to do this right, wants it to be perfect.
This one feels just right, this one he can imagine wrapped around the soft strength of Steve's torso, mirroring the blush that flashes across his skin when Tony touches him just right—
"We don't have to if you don't want to," comes Steve's voice to his right.
Tony blinks, shaking himself out of it, and turns to face him on the bed. Steve smiles encouragingly at him but there's a worried slant to the furrow of his brow. "No, it's alright. I just…" He trails off, letting the rope trail through the seam between his thumb and forefinger. It tickles. Not an unpleasant feeling.
"I don't want you to do anything you don't like," Steve says, reaching out to put a warm hand on his knee.
Tony snorts. As if that's possible.
Steve huffs out a laugh. "I like the way we do things. I don't need it, you know."
Tony hums, watching the way he lounges on the bed. He's not so sure about that. You wouldn't know it unless you know him but there's something barely constrained, something restless, lurking in Steve. It's not the serum. He thinks Steve needs it. Steve likes it when Tony puts him through his paces.
Steve, he thinks, will like it when he has to stay put, too.
"No, I want to," he replies finally, coiling up the rope in one hand and getting up from the bed. For all of his brashness and cockiness, the mantle of dominance doesn't come to him immediately when it's just him and Steve. He'll have to work on it. He steels his shoulders, relaxes his jaw. Reminds himself Steve asked for this. Steve watches him intently, waiting for him to speak. "I want you naked for this."
Steve scrambles to comply, which is immensely satisfying. Heat curls in Tony's gut despite his nervousness as he watches Steve's body revealing itself, the smooth hardness of his stomach, the soft blonde curls at the base of his cock. He's half hard but it's not about getting off.
Or at least not for now.
Steve wants to be tied down and made to wait. Tony can do that. Lord knows Steve usually has to wait for Tony to finish one project or another. Tony's not sure he can concentrate while Steve looks all tantalizing and pretty, wrapped up like a birthday present come early, by his feet, but he can certainly try to. His data pad is ready by the armchair facing the bed, a soft pillow right in front of it if he decides he wants Steve kneeling in front of him.
Steve folds himself to a kneeling position on their bed, his hands on his knees, face turned toward Tony. Tony kneels on the bed, nudging Steve under the chin with his knuckles. "I'd like to do a simple box tie on you for the first time. That alright with you?"
"Anything you want is alright with me," Steve says, voice already hoarse.
Tony can't say this isn't doing it for him. He hums, trailing the back of his hand along Steve's jaw up to his cheek bone. He's so beautiful.
"Alright," he says, dropping his hand, "Move up the bed for me, darling. Your back to me. Sit however's most comfortable to you."
Steve does as he's instructed, turning over but remaining on his knees. Tony follows suit, kneeling behind him. He's watched countless videos, has memorized every single step until the end, but it's something else entirely having Steve's broad back in front of him, nape lowered in submission, waiting for Tony to put his hands, his rope, on him.
Tony shuffles forward to kiss Steve's nape, his ear. He smiles when he gets a whiff of Steve's apple shampoo in the process. "Hands behind your back for me."
Steve's shoulder muscles bunch as his forearms come together behind his back. It's a nice view. Reminds him of the way Steve sometimes likes being fucked, both wrists held in one of Tony's hand behind his back.
"Comfortable like this?" he asks, leaning away.
Steve hums.
"Words, Steve."
"Yes."
Tony hums, reaching for the rope, feeling its weight and smoothness on the work-worn skin of his hands. He didn't think he'd enjoy it quite as much as he's doing now, but he is. On a whim, he slides the rope over the smooth skin of Steve's back and watches him suppress a full body shiver. "You've wanted this for so long, haven't you?"
He hears Steve swallow. Steve's not inexperienced with restraints, which was both a delightful and shocking discovery, but the shy, hesitant way he asked for this makes him wonder how long Steve has wanted it like this. Wrapped up tight, lovingly.
Tony knows that it is an honor to get to see him like this. His own arousal is distant, non-urgent. It touches him on a deeper level than the sexual, doing this for Steve, akin to stepping into a hot bath after a long day. "Don't worry, my love. I'll take care of you," he says, swallowing heavily. Then softer: "Thank you for telling me."
"Thank you for doing this for me," Steve replies. "I love you."
"Love you too," Tony says, heart full, and reaches for Steve's forearms. He smoothes over the warm skin a few times, then reaches the rope again.
Step one. A single column tie around the forearms. Remember. Keep the pressure on the forearms. Absolutely no pressure on the sensitive skin of the wrist or the fingers.
Heart pounding, he slides the rope through the gap between Steve's back and his elbow, once, twice, wrapping it tight around Steve's forearms. He ties a single column knot on top, then slides one finger under the wrappings, testing its give. It's good. Probably tighter than one should use on an average human but Steve was clear with what he wants, and he can take it.
"Alright so far?"
"Yeah."
Tony hums, reaching up with the rope and wrapping it twice around Steve's chest, tight on the bottom rope, loose on the top, then slides it under the middle part on Steve's back and pulls. Steve's breath hitches when the rope pulls tight across his chest, pulling his arms up against the knot. His head falls to his chest, revealing the soft, vulnerable skin of his nape again. It's a beautiful sight.
Tony has to force down the urge to plaster himself to Steve's back, kissing every inch of his body. He has a job to do. A few twists here and there and the rope is locked, Steve's forearms securely fastened. Steve's fingers twitch on his forearm.
There's quite a bit of leftover rope. Tony bites his lower lip and imagines all the ways he could use the remaining rope. A sudden vision of turning it into a leash flashes across his mind, holding it while he puts Steve on his knees, torso pressed to the bed—
He clears his throat, gut tightening with molten heat, and wraps it around Steve's chest instead, right underneath his pecs, then finishes it off with a tight knot in the middle of Steve's back. He sits back on his heels to admire his handiwork.
It's not bad for his first time. Not bad at all.
Steve looks outwardly calm but Tony knows him well enough to know he's into it, his chest rising up and down with deep, uneven breaths. He shuffles forward, plastering himself to Steve's back, and squeezes one palm around the thickness of one firm pec. They look pretty like this, pressed up by the rope. Steve lets out a low gasp.
"Still good?" Tony asks, thumb brushing one sensitive nipple.
Steve lets out a noncommittal sound.
"Color?"
Steve lets out a beleaguered sigh. "Green."
Tony kisses his cheek, then slides back toward the edge of the bed. "Turn around, darling. Let me take a good look at you. I bet you look as pretty in the front as you do from the back."
Steve does and he's—well, he looks beautiful, there's no other word for it, chest a blotchy red, nipples hard, and the rope, the rope pressed against his beautiful skin. Tony bites his lower lip, eyes greedily drinking in the sight before him.
Dark red was the right choice. The knot is nothing elaborate but the simplicity suits Steve. He'd like to do a more elaborate chest tie sometime, maybe tie Steve's thighs against his forearms, fuck him like that if he wants. Maybe he'll put on the suit, press cold iron against Steve's hot skin, against the ropes. His mind whirs with endless possibilities.
"You're gorgeous," Tony says because it has to be said.
Steve ducks his head. "Thank you."
"Still good with sitting tight for me for a bit?"
Steve nods.
Tony kisses the nearest possible skin which turns out to be Steve's knee. "Come one then."
He heaves himself off the bed and makes himself comfortable in the armchair, legs spread. Steve folds himself down in between his legs. Tony's not sure what's the play here, if he's supposed to touch or not, but Steve takes away the choice from him by lying his chin on Tony's knee, looking up at him with wide, trusting eyes.
Well then. Tony reaches out and fluffs up his hair, traces one ear until Steve twitches away when it tickles. Tony can't tear his gaze away from the rope around Steve's chest. He sticks one finger under it and hitches Steve closer to him. "Beautiful."
Steve smiles up at him.
"Alright, I'll need to finish this," Tony says with a sigh after a moment, reluctantly removing his hand from Steve's body and reaching for his data pad. "We'll check on your bindings in twenty minutes. Let me know if you need the rope untied earlier. Or if you're feeling uncomfortable at any moment."
Steve looks like he wants to argue but he nods. Typical. "Okay."
Tony hums, unlocking his data pad with a quick flick of his middle finger, but his gaze keeps flitting over to Steve. He finds himself reaching for Steve again after barely a minute, brushing a hand through his soft hair, down his nape, squeezing his strong shoulder muscles.
Over Steve's bent head, he can see his fingers slowly uncurling, his body falling lax in the ropes—in Tony's—hold. It's a heady feeling, to be given this much power over Steve's body, willingly. To make Steve feel good, exactly the way he wants.
"Beautiful," he says again, brushing the place where the ropes press into Steve's sternum one last time, and settles in to read.