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Chapter Text

Contrary to popular belief, Tony Stark wasn't big on going out for drinks. He'd gotten blackout drunk last year at a party as a result of a particularly bad altercation with his father, and the news of the Stark heir drunk out of his mind spread across campus and tabloids like wildfire. They all assumed it was normal behavior for him when really, Tony didn't like hanging around large crowds and drinking. He preferred to stay in and have quiet nights in his dorm while he worked on his homework and projects.

That was why Tony had not been interested in going out for drinks and karaoke.

He had a big speech in his public speaking class tomorrow, a quantum mechanics and atomic physics test the day after, and a huge project for his engineering class due next week. He didn't have time for fun at the moment.

The only reason he was currently stuck at a table in the middle of Sally's Karaoke Bar was because Rhodey was tired of hearing him muttering to himself as he worked. Rhodey practically dragged Tony out of their dorm so they could have some fun.

Once they'd gotten to the bar, Tony realized that it wasn't something spontaneous. The rest of their friend group—Pepper, Happy, Bruce, and Natasha—were standing outside waiting for them. Apparently, a karaoke night was something that they'd planned during their last group movie night, but Tony hadn't known that because he'd fallen asleep about an hour into the first movie after having been up for three days working on projects.

Tony knew that since he was already at the bar, there was no way his friends were going to let him leave. Rhodey, having spent the most time around him as his roommate, knew that Tony was starting to get frustrated with one of the projects he was working on and needed a night away from it. Pepper was always telling Tony that she wished he would go out more with their group instead of staying cooped up in his dorm, so Tony didn’t want to upset her by leaving. Happy had been rather busy lately which meant Tony hadn’t gotten to see him recently, so he figured this would be a great time to catch up. He saw Bruce every day because they shared multiple classes, and Natasha, Pepper’s roommate, was scary, so Tony didn’t want to get on her bad side.

They’d been there for a couple of hours, catching up and sharing drinks and snacks. They all knew Tony and Bruce didn’t like being in the center of all the action, so they made sure they grabbed a table off to the side to hang out at. The group, minus Tony and Bruce, had signed up for karaoke. Pepper went first, singing a tipsy, pitchy version of a Pat Benatar song. Happy and Rhodey sang a terrible drunk version of some screamy rock song while Tony and Bruce laughed in their seats.

There were still a few people left before Natasha’s turn, so she excused herself from their table and greeted a group who had just entered the bar.

“Any idea who those guys are?” Tony asked as he watched Natasha talk to the group of guys that just walked in.

“No clue,” Bruce said before sipping his second drink.

Pepper squinted at Natasha and the guys. “One of ‘em looks like Clint.”

“Who’s Clint?” Rhodey asked.

“No clue, sometimes when I get back from class, he’s in our room. They always leave, so I just assumed he’s her boyfriend or something.”

Natasha looked up from where she was and motioned for her friend to follow her. Nat guided him to their table and introduced him to them all.

“Guys, this is Clint. Clint, this is Rhodey, Tony, Bruce, Happy, and Pepper, who you already know,” she said, gesturing to each person as she said their name.

“Hey guys! Nat’s told me all about you. It’s nice to finally meet you guys!” Clint said cheerfully.

“Funnily enough, Natasha’s never mentioned you before,” Rhodey said, reaching for another chip out of the basket on the table. “How do you guys know each other?”

“Oh, we grew up together! We’ve pretty much known each other our whole lives,” Clint said, earning him a glare from Natasha.

“Enough of that, they don’t need to know everything about me,” she said. “Do you guys want to join us over here? I’m sure we can all squeeze together a little more. There’s more than enough space in our booth.”

“Nah, it’s cool. I’m sure the guys got our usual table.”

“Do you guys come here often?” Bruce asked politely.

“Oh, yeah. We come almost every Thursday night because Steve loves this place, but whenever Steve and Buck have to travel for their football games, we come on Wednesdays instead,” Clint explained.

“Your friends are on the team?”

“Yeah! Here, let me see if I can get them over here! I’m sure they’d love to meet you guys!”

Clint stuck his hand up and started waving until one of his friends—a muscular brunette in a tight shirt—looked up and saw. The guy spoke to one of his friends, who nodded and didn’t follow when the brunette and the other guy left him.

“Is Tasha finally letting us meet her other friends?” The brunette laughed. “Bucky Barnes, nice to meet ya!”

Bucky shook everyone’s hand, and Tony had to admit that he was surprised by the gesture. Not many people in college introduced themselves by shaking hands.

“And I’m Sam. Oh, and Steve’s the tall blonde at our table. He usually stays there when we all get up so that no one takes our table,” Sam said, pointing toward their table.

“Yo, Stevie!” Bucky shouted, waving his hands around to get Steve’s attention.

Steve looked up, waving at everyone with a friendly smile on his face. Tony stared at him wide-eyed. He was cute. And then, Steve’s eyes looked with his and they stared at each other briefly. Steve sent Tony a soft, almost shy smile and gave him a little wave. Tony felt his cheeks heat up as he smiled back.

Rhodey, who saw the interaction, smirked and nudged Tony in the side. “Looks like someone’s got a crush already!”

“Shut up! I do not!” Tony said, his eyes never leaving Steve’s. “He’s just… pretty.”

“Pretty? Oh man, you’re smitten. Hey Barnes! Is Steve single?”

Bucky turned to Rhodey, clearly confused, but when he realized that Rhodey was asking for Tony, he laughed. “Hell yeah, Stevie’s single! He hasn’t really dated since high school. His girlfriend dumped him before moving back to England.”

Tony finally pulled his eyes away from Steve to look at Bucky, a frown forming on his face. “Girlfriend?”

“Yeah, but after Peggy left, we tried to set him up on dates. He wasn’t interested in any of the guys or gals we set him up with,” Bucky explained.

“Guys? So he’s…?”

“Bi. And by the looks of it, he’s definitely interested in you. You should let him buy you a drink, Stark.”

Tony shook his head. “No, I don’t drink. This is just water,” he said, gesturing to his half-empty glass. “And besides, I’d make a horrible boyfriend. He could do way better than me.”

Bucky and Rhodey smirked at each other, silently agreeing that they needed to get their best friends together.

“You know, Steve loves karaoke. He’s the reason we always come here. I’m sure he’d love it if you went up there and sang something for him,” Sam said, having heard their conversation.

“Oh, no. I can’t do that. Being on stage with all these people staring at me and judging me… no thanks,” Tony said, waving his hand dismissively.

“It’s a miracle Rhodey even managed to get him here,” Pepper chimed in. “We try not to push our luck with him.”

Just then, the announcer called Natasha to the stage for her turn to sing. She pulled a laughing Clint up to the front with her, saying that she’d only signed up so that Clint could take her turn, knowing that he was going to be there later.

“Oh, you guys don’t wanna miss this!” Bucky laughed. “Clint always sings a Celine Dion song. The problem is that he can’t carry a tune to save his life!”

“We’re gonna head back to our table now, but it was great to meet you guys! We’ll have to join groups and come together sometime!” Sam said kindly.

Sam and Bucky waved to the rest of the group before heading back to their table with Steve. Tony watched as they seemingly poked fun at Steve, based on the way Steve’s face turned red. As Sam and Bucky teased him, Steve turned back toward Tony, surprised that Tony was looking at him. They smiled before Steve shot a glance at his friends and shrugged at Tony. Their eyes left each other when they heard Clint’s horrible voice screeching throughout the bar as everyone began to cheer.

An hour later, Tony was starting to get tired.

Natasha had been spending her time bouncing between their table and Clint’s but was currently talking to Bruce. Rhodey was standing at the bar talking to a couple of girls, casually sipping on what was probably his 5th drink. Happy and Pepper were arguing over a movie they must have both seen.

Tony knew that if he slipped out right now, none of them would probably notice. But he also didn’t want to disappear without telling anyone, he didn’t want them to worry when they noticed he was gone.

“Hey, Nat,” Tony said, causing her and Bruce to look up, “I think I’m going to head out now. I’m kind of tired, I want to go to sleep.”

Natasha shook her head. “You can’t leave yet.”

“Why not?” Tony asked, confused.

“Steve’s coming up on the list to sing. He wants you to be here for it. He’s trying to hit on you, just go with it,” she explained.

“Wait, what?”

“Alright, that was awful!” The announcer at the front of the bar said into the microphone. “Our next victim is Steve Rogers! And he’s singing another Abba song this week! Get on up here, Rogers!”

Everyone in the bar cheered loudly as Steve made his way up to the stage. As he walked up, he received pats on the back from his friends. The announcer must have been a friend of Steve’s considering how frequently Clint said they visit the bar, because when Steve got onto the stage, the announcer grabbed his wrist, lifted his arm into the air, and cheered. Tony chuckled at the action; it reminded him of the end of a wrestling match.

The announcer passed Steve the microphone and stepped off stage, leaving Steve in front of everyone.

“Like Chuck said, I’ve chosen another Abba song to sing.” The crowd cheered as Steve spoke. “This time, though, I chose the version of the song from Mamma Mia because there’s someone I’d love to do a duet with.”

Steve looked directly at Tony through the crowd.

“Tony, would you like to join me?” He asked, causing everyone to cheer and whoop.

Tony’s face turned red as everyone looked at him. He slowly turned to Natasha, who was smirking.

“Get on up there, loverboy.”

“I hate you so much,” Tony mumbled before getting up and making his way to the front of the bar. When Tony reached the stage, Steve held his hand out to help Tony step up. It wasn’t a large step by any means, but because Tony had shorter legs, he was grateful for the hand.

“Hey,” Steve said. “You ready to sing?”

Tony smiled. “Ready as I’ll ever be. What song did you pick?”

“Lay All Your Love on Me,” Steve said, making Tony squint.

“Did Natasha tell you I love Abba, or was it a lucky guess?”

“Nat might’ve mentioned it. She also said you know Mamma Mia by heart, so I’ll sing Sky’s parts and you can do Sophie’s, sound good?”

With the way Steve was smiling at him, Tony found it impossible to say no.

“Hit it,” he said, and Steve’s smile got brighter.

As the song began, the entire crowd cheered. Steve sang to Tony, looking at him flirtingly, which made Tony want to giggle. He recognized that Steve was doing some of the moves from the movie as he sang. Tony looked out to his friends, shaking his head as Natasha smirked at him as she sipped her drink.

When it was Tony’s turn to sing, he decided that he’d play Steve’s little flirting game. As Tony sang, he slowly sunk to his knees and gestured to Steve to do the same. When Steve got to his knees, Tony began to crawl over to him as he sang, just like in the movie. When he reached Steve, he kneeled up to meet him and realized how close together they were as he sang. Their noses almost touched as they stared into each other’s eyes.

Tony felt butterflies in his stomach, and they had nothing to do with the fact that he was singing karaoke in front of a bar full of people. He was singing a flirty song with the most attractive man he’d ever seen, so of course, he was feeling butterflies! They were so close to each other that Tony hoped Steve would kiss him. Tony had never wanted to be kissed so badly before.

But before it could happen, Steve backed up and began singing his next part. He stood up and held a hand out to Tony, who grabbed it and stood up as they continued their song.

When the song came to a close, the entire bar erupted with applause as Steve and Tony smiled at each other.

The announcer came back on stage and patted them both on the back before taking their microphones.

“Wow! That was steamy! Somebody better get these guys a drink to cool them off, ha!” He said with a chuckle.

Steve grabbed Tony’s hand and pulled him off the stage and toward the bar as the announcer called up the next person on the list.

“Can I buy you a drink?” Steve asked loudly, trying to be heard over the loud crowd. “What were you drinking earlier?”

“Oh, it was just water. I don’t drink,” Tony said, starting to feel embarrassed. A hot guy wanted to buy him a drink, he felt stupid for saying no.

“That’s alright! I was drinking a Shirley Temple, I’m always the designated driver,” Steve said to Tony before turning to the bartender. “Two glasses of water, please.”

“You guys drive here? My friends and I usually walk or take a bus when we go out,” Tony said before mumbling a quick thank you to the bartender, who placed a glass of water next to him.

Steve took a sip of his water. “Yeah, we have to drive because Bucky and Clint are horrible drunks. Sam limits himself to three drinks, so he’s never super drunk. He helps me get the others back to our dorms. Buck and Clint get a little crazy, so it’s just easier to get them into a car instead of trying to get them to walk back to campus.”

“It’s really nice of you to drive them all home,” Tony said. He thought it was sweet of Steve. He could tell that Steve liked to take care of those closest to him. If he was Steve’s boyfriend, he knew Steve would take care of him, too.

Tony felt his cheeks heat up at the thought of being Steve’s boyfriend.

“You okay? You look a little red in the cheeks,” Steve said, a small, almost teasing smile on his face. He seemed to realize that Tony was blushing.

“Yup, I’m good. It’s just a little warm in here, that’s all,” He replied, avoiding eye contact with Steve.

“Do you want to step outside for a minute and get some fresh air?”

“No, it’s okay. I was actually going to head out before you asked me to sing with you, I’m a little tired,” Tony admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Already?”

“Yeah, my friends and I got here a few hours before you guys. We got food and hung around for a while before they started drinking. I haven’t slept in a few days, so I’m kind of ready to get home.”

Steve placed his half-full glass of water on the bartop and looked at Tony with a playful smile.

“Any chance I could get you to do another song with me before you head out for the night?” Steve asked, jutting his lip out to give Tony a pouty face.

“I don’t know, what song did you have in mind?” Tony asked, trying to hide a smile.

“Well, I happen to know that your other favorite Abba song is Dancing Queen.”

“Alright, fine. You’ve convinced me. Nat knows I can’t say no to Abba.”

“I know, she told me Abba is the way to your heart,” Steve laughed. “And I might not know anything about you, other than what Nat’s told me, but anyone who likes Abba is automatically in my good graces.”

“Oh, really?” Tony smirked. “How about people who sing Abba at karaoke bars with you?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I guess I’d have to think about it a little more. Wait and see, you know?” Steve flirted, stepping impossibly closer to Tony.

“Oh? Then maybe we should go sing again,” Tony said, flirting back, his lips nearly brushing against Steve’s as he spoke.

Just as Steve was about to press his lips to Tony’s, an annoying voice interrupted their moment.

“‘Ey, Stevie! Whaddaya doin’ over here?” Bucky slurred, drunkenly throwing an arm over Steve’s shoulders. “Stark! I saw you singin’ up there! Thought you and Stevie were gonna start goin’ at it up there! Ya gotta go sing somethin’ else! The people love ya!”

“Well, Tony? What do you say?” Steve asked.

“Oh, alright. I guess one more song won’t hurt, especially if it’s Dancing Queen.”

“Great,” Steve said before shoving Bucky off of him and grabbing Tony’s hand. “Let’s go! Chuck will let us cut the list, he likes me. Says I remind him of his brother.”

Tony laughed as Steve pulled him up the the front of the bar to sing another song.

An hour later, Tony found himself under the covers of his bed in his dorm thinking about how much fun he’d had with Steve. He always dreaded going to bars with his friends, but Steve turned his night around and made it fun. Thinking about Steve made Tony feel all warm inside. He was about to drift off to sleep with Steve on his mind when he suddenly sat up with a sad realization.

“I forgot to get his number!”

Chapter Text

Since that night at the karaoke bar a couple of weeks ago, Steve had been dying to talk to Tony again. The only problem was that Steve forgot to get Tony’s number before he left, so he didn’t have a way to contact him.

Steve had asked Natasha for Tony’s number, but she refused to give it to him, saying he needed to grow a pair and ask Tony himself. The issue was that Steve didn’t know what classes Tony took. He’d never seen Tony around the campus before, so he knew they never crossed paths regularly. He remembered that Tony said he preferred to spend most of his time in his dorm working, but Steve didn’t know which dorm building Tony’s room was in.

He was so mad at himself for forgetting to ask Tony for his number, but between singing a second song together and then Tony tiredly admitting that he was ready to call it a night, it completely slipped his mind.

Steve had spent the past two weeks moping.

He was distracted in his classes and underperforming at football practice because he couldn’t stop thinking about Tony. His friends decided that enough was enough and took matters into their own hands.

“Rogers, up and at ‘em!” Bucky said as he entered the dorm and pulled the covers off of Steve.

“Bucky, what the hell? I told you to hang out with Sam and Clint because I wanted to have an early night tonight. I’m tired,” Steve said as he sat in bed, half asleep. Despite it only being nine o’clock, he had just gotten into bed and started dozing, so he was not happy that Bucky pulled him out of his sleepy state.

“Yeah, no you’re not. It’s a Saturday night, we’re going out, so get some clothes on,” Bucky said before opening their small closet and looking through Steve’s clothes. “Here, put this on,” he said, pulling a blue shirt off its hanger and throwing it onto Steve’s bed.

“I don’t want to go out, I’m not in the mood.”

Steve flopped back down onto his pillow as Bucky continued digging through his closet. The last thing he felt like doing was going out drinking with his rowdy bunch of friends.

“Too bad, we’re meeting Sam and Clint at Ramone’s in a half hour. They’re already heading there, I told them I’d handle you.”

“Ramone’s? Buck, I’m not in the mood to go to a club tonight.”

“You will be as soon as we get there, promise! Tasha’s coming tonight, it’s always more fun when she’s there. Plus, we haven’t gotten to hang out with her in a while because she’s been with To—her other friends.”

“You can say his name, you know,” Steve said, rolling his eyes. “I won’t throw a tantrum just because you said his name.”

“No, but you will make that sad face that makes you look like a wounded puppy,” Bucky replied.

“I still don’t understand why none of you will help me find Tony. You all got to meet his friends, you know their names. I didn’t meet any of them because you made me watch the table for you,” Steve said pointedly.

Bucky waved his hand dissmissively. “Whatever, man. Would you just get changed and come to Ramone’s with us?”

“I really don’t want to.”

Bucky sighed as he pulled out a pair of jeans for Steve. He placed them on the bed before sitting down next to Steve.

“Look. I’m not supposed to tell you this, but Natasha’s bringing her other friends to meet us there.”

Steve raised an eyebrow. “Does that include—”

“Yes, it includes Stark.”

Steve began to smile but stopped when he remembered what Tony had told him. “I thought he hated going out to clubs.”

“Tasha said that Stark had a rough week and they wanted to get him out of his dorm for a while to get his mind off of everything. She thought that if we all went, he’d cheer up when he saw you,” Bucky explained.

“Is Tony okay?” Steve asked, clearly worried.

“Tasha didn’t say much, just that there was an argument with his dad and a few panic attacks. I don’t know if the two are related, she didn’t want to give much detail. It’s personal, you know? But apparently, he was also moping last week about forgetting to get your number.”

“Why won’t you guys just help us out?” Steve asked. He would never tell Natasha, but he was annoyed that she wouldn’t just give him Tony’s number.

“Tash said she wants you two to talk to each other like normal people instead of going through friends.”

“She’s starting to get on my nerves,” Steve said, rolling his eyes.

“Well, if you come with me tonight, you can see Tony and ask him for his number yourself,” Bucky suggested, waggling his eyebrows. Steve noticed and elbowed him square in the ribs, causing him to groan. “That hurt, punk! Sometimes I miss when you used to be tiny. Get your ass out of bed and get changed, we’re leaving for Ramone’s in five minutes.”

Soon enough, Bucky had managed to pull Steve out of their dorm and they made their way down to the club. Steve felt better than he had in days, knowing that he was finally going to see Tony again. Bucky noticed the extra pep in his step and teased him the entire walk to Ramone’s. When they reached their destination, they saw Tony sitting on the curb outside.

“Hey, Stark!” Bucky called, walking over to him. “What are you doing out here?”

“Thinking about going back to my dorm,” Tony said as he picked at his cuticles. He didn’t bother looking up as he spoke.

“You’re leaving already?” Steve said, disappointed.

Tony’s hands stopped moving when he recognized Steve’s voice. He turned toward him and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“You’re here? I thought Nat said you weren’t coming!” Tony said, both looking and sounding pleased to see Steve.

“I wasn’t going to, but I changed my mind.”

Bucky snorted. “Yeah, only when you found out Stark would be here.”

Steve’s face turned red as he turned to Bucky. “Shut up, man.”

“Whatever, I’m going inside. I need a beer. See ya in there,” Bucky said before heading into the club, leaving Steve and Tony to themselves.

“Is it true?” Tony asked.

“Is what true?”

“That you only came when you found out I would be here, is that true?”

“Yeah,” Steve said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I hope that’s not weird. It’s just—I’ve been trying to find you since that night at the karaoke bar, but I’ve had no luck. And my friends—”

“Have been ridiculously unhelpful?” Tony finished.

Steve laughed, taking a seat on the curb next to Tony. “Well, at least we’re here now.”

“Yeah, it’s nice to see you again,” Tony said, a soft smile on his face.

“You, too. I was kicking myself for not getting your number, though. Any chance I could get it now?”

When Tony smiled brightly, Steve knew that he wanted to make Tony happy all the time. Tony’s smile was beautiful. Steve passed Tony his phone and watched as he typed in his contact information. Tony opened Steve’s camera and stuck his tongue out, snapping a picture and setting it as his contact photo.

“Here you go,” Tony said, handing Steve’s phone back.

Steve typed in a smiley face and sent it to Tony. “There, now you have mine, too. Now, we don’t have to ask our wildly unhelpful friends to help us out anymore.”

“Thank God, I think my friends were getting tired of me complaining. Rhodey threw his pillow at me one night because I kept asking him if it would be a good idea to hack into the school databases to find your class schedule.”

“Can I ask you something?” Steve asked hesitantly.

Tony looked at him, his expression showing that he was concerned. “Anything, what’s up?”

“According to Nat, you’ve been having a bad week. I just wanted to make sure you’re alright… so are you? Alright, I mean.”

Tony smiled softly at Steve, appreciating that Steve wanted to check up on him.

“Yeah, I’m okay now. Just dad stuff, you know?” Tony said, trying to sound casual.

“I mean, I never knew my dad, so I don’t—”

“Oh my God! I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have said that, I’m sorry,” Tony interrupted, feeling terrible.

“No, no, it’s okay! What I meant was that since I never knew him, I don’t really understand the whole ‘dad stuff’ thing.”

“Is he like… still around somewhere? Sorry—is that rude to ask? Conversation isn’t really my strength.”

Steve shook his head. “No, it’s alright. My dad died a couple of months before I was born. He was in the army.”

“Oh, I’m really sorry. That must be hard, not knowing him.”

“It was at first. I didn’t really understand why everyone else had dads and I didn’t, but I’ve come to terms with it. Sometimes, though, I wish I had him here to talk to. My mom is great, but sometimes there are things you just want to talk to your dad about, you know?”

Tony sighed. “Yeah, I get that. I wish I could talk to my dad about stuff.”

“Is he busy with work?” Steve asked, knowing who Howard Stark was.

“Well, he is, but he also hates me. He should’ve never been a father. He was in the area last weekend and showed up at my dorm unexpectedly. We got into a huge argument… didn’t end well, to put it lightly,” Tony said, sounding dejected.

Tony looked like he had shrunk in on himself. His shoulders were hunched and he was hugging himself. Steve hated seeing him upset. He lifted an arm and wrapped it around Tony’s shoulders, hoping it would comfort Tony.

“I’m sorry your dad sucks,” he said sympathetically.

Tony gave a small laugh before leaning his head on Steve’s shoulder. “Yeah, me too. But he’s back in Malibu now so I don’t have to worry about him. Honestly, though, after everything that’s happened this week, I could really use a drink.”

Steve was surprised. “I thought you didn’t like drinking.”

“Oh, no, I wasn’t being serious. That’s just something I’ve heard people say. I’m not really supposed to drink, actually. My therapist told me not to mix alcohol with my Lexapro. Plus, I’m not 21 yet and since I’m in the news a lot, everyone knows that. I tried to buy Rhodey a drink once while he was in the bathroom and the bartender wouldn’t let me. I tried bribing him, but he wouldn’t take it because he didn’t want to get caught giving alcohol to someone underage, no matter how famous I was.”

“You’re not 21 yet? How old are you?”

“I just turned 20 in May.”

“Oh, well happy belated birthday.”

“Thanks, you dummy,” Tony said warmly, nudging Steve’s side. “How old are you?”

“I turned 22 in July.”

Tony lifted his head from Steve’s shoulder and looked at him, a smile on his face. “Happy belated birthday to you, too, then.”

“Thanks, you dummy,” Steve repeated which made Tony laugh. “Do you want to head inside? It’s a little cold out and I can feel you starting to shiver. I’ll get you a Shirley Temple.”

“Are you bribing me?” Tony asked, placing a hand over his chest.

Steve laughed as he stood up. “I am, so are you in?”

Steve held a hand out to Tony as he waggled his eyebrows. Tony placed his hand in Steve’s and smiled brightly at him.

“Lead the way, kind sir!”

Steve pulled Tony up with a little too much force, causing Tony to crash against him. Steve grabbed him, steadying him, and froze when Tony looked up at him.

“T-Thanks,” Tony stuttered, seemingly nervous by their proximity.

“Anytime.”

Steve caught Tony’s eyes moving down to his lips briefly before he almost seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in. Tony stepped back, grabbing Steve’s hand.

“Come on, I want my Shirley Temple.”

Steve let out a confused chuckle before pulling Tony toward the door.

It was pretty crowded at Ramone’s, Steve noticed. He’d been there on Saturday nights before, but he’d never seen it so packed. It was their college football team’s off week, and since they didn’t have a game over the weekend, a lot of students were still around the campus. It seemed that they had all decided to go to the club tonight.

Ramone’s was the most popular among the college students and the people who lived in the area. Ramone, the owner, was an older gentleman who had been running the place for decades, and everyone in town knew him. He was a fan of the football team, his son having played on the team when he was in college, so he always gave a discount to the football players who visited.

As Steve looked around the club, he could see that many of his teammates were there taking advantage of both the weekend off and the discounted drinks.

“Hey, can you see the others?” Tony asked, standing on his toes and craning his neck. That was when Steve realized how short Tony was. He only came up to about Steve’s shoulder.

“Yeah, they’re hanging out at the bar. I don’t see the guy with the curly hair that was with you guys a couple of weeks ago, though,” Steve said as he led Tony toward their friends.

“Happy couldn’t come tonight, he had to cover someone’s shift at the store he works at.”

“Oh, then I guess I’ll have to meet him some other time.”

“Hey, look who it is!” Clint shouted over the noise when Steve and Tony approached the bar.

Their friends cheered when Steve and Tony finally joined them. They had been waiting for them and were making a game out of guessing how much longer it would take them to come inside.

Steve introduced himself to each of Tony’s friends since he hadn’t gotten to meet them last time, and they seemed glad to meet him. Rhodey had a beer in his hand but put it down to give Steve a welcoming hug. Pepper sounded like she was on her way to drunk, Steve could hear the slight slur in her voice. Bruce wasn’t drinking tonight, having agreed to stay sober in case Tony had ended up leaving early.

From his own friend group, Clint was already on his 3rd drink despite having only arrived at the club 20 minutes before Steve and Bucky got there. Bucky and Sam both had drinks in their hands and were standing close to each other. Steve knew that by the end of the night, they’d be in a corner making out somewhere. It wouldn’t have been the first time Steve had caught them making out while drunk. Steve couldn’t tell if Natasha was drunk or not. She knew how to handle her alcohol, so even after a handful of drinks, Natasha acted like the alcohol barely affected her.

After catching up with everyone, the group split up. Natasha and Clint went to the other side of the bar to get some shots, Rhodey, Pepper, and Bruce went over to a less crowded area near the wall, and Sam and Bucky disappeared into the crowd dancing.

That left Steve and Tony to sit at the bar together. Steve ordered them both Shirley Temples and turned toward Tony.

“You know, I almost thought you were going to kiss me outside,” He said, trying to sound casual.

Tony took a sip of his drink before setting it back down on the bar top and licking his lips. “I never kiss on the first date.”

“Is that what this is? A date?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’d love it if it was a date, but considering all of our friends are here, I don’t think this counts,” Tony said.

“Alright, then would you like to go on a date with me? We could catch a movie, go bowling, or take a walk around campus, whatever you’d like, honestly. I just want to spend more time with you,” Steve said, a soft smile on his face.

Tony blushed. “I’d love to go on a date with you, Steve.” He almost sounded shy; it made Steve’s heart melt. God, Tony was cute.

“Really? Great! Maybe I could text you tomorrow morning and we could plan something? I know we’re here right now, but it’s honestly getting really loud in here, so I could call you tomorrow and we can talk about it when we can hear each other a little better,” Steve suggested.

“That would be great!” Tony said excitedly before realization crossed his face. “Oh, wait, I forgot I have a robotics competition tomorrow morning. Bruce and I have been working on our bot for months. It should be over by one, though, so if you call any time after that, I’ll answer. Unless you want to come to the competition and hang out afterward. Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, and Nat are coming. I’m sure they’d let you sit with them if you wanted to come.”

“I’d love to come to support you! Text me the details later and I’ll be there. I didn’t know you were into robotics.”

“I love robots. I’m working on my own right now in the workshop, actually. It’s nearly halfway done. Working with robots and coding is going to help me get into AI.”

The pair spent the next couple of hours talking about their interests and getting to know each other. Tony told Steve about the AI he planned on making, how he loved watching cartoons, and how he’d always wanted a cat but could never have one growing up because his mom had an allergy. In return, Steve told Tony how he and Bucky had met, that he wanted to open his own art show someday, and how he loved going to midnight showings at the movies.

Neither of them had realized how long they had been talking until Tony declared that he needed to use the restroom. Steve offered to walk him through the crowd, but Tony insisted that he’d be fine and told Steve to make sure no one took his seat at the bar instead. Steve watched as Tony weaved his way through the crowd and toward the bathroom.

While he waited for Tony to return, Steve looked around the club, trying to spot his friends. The first people his eyes landed on were Sam and Bucky, who, to absolutely no one’s surprise, were making out in the corner against the wall. Rhodey, Natasha, Clint, and Pepper were all on the dance floor jamming out with some of the guys from the football team. A little while prior, Bruce had approached Tony and told him he’d be outside getting some air, and since Steve couldn’t see Bruce in the crowd anywhere, he assumed Bruce must have gone outside for some air.

A few moments later, the bartender came up to Steve and asked him about their football game the previous weekend. Steve was so engaged in the conversation that he didn’t realize Tony had come back until he felt a soft tap on his shoulder.

“Oh, you’re back!” Steve said, turning to Tony.

“Hey, so I just ran into Rhodey, Pepper, Nat, and Clint and we agreed to head to another club. It’s a little too crowded in here for me and Bruce. We both hate large groups of people, and I’m also pretty claustrophobic, so this is a little too much for me. Bruce texted me that he went outside, so I talked to the others and we agreed on making our way over to the place a few blocks away. I can’t remember what it’s called, but it’s never crowded there and they also have really good mozzarella sticks. Natasha went to grab Sam and Bucky, and Rhodey, Clint, and Pepper are waiting outside with Bruce,” Tony explained. “So, what do you say? Want to come to another club?”

Steve smiled and nodded. “I’d love to!”

“Great! Let’s go!” Tony said with a bright grin on his face. He grabbed Steve’s hand and pulled him away from the bar and toward the exit.

When they got outside, all of their friends were laughing together and didn’t seem to notice their presence. Steve and Tony stood off to the side watching them and quietly giggling to each other, thinking it was funny that no one knew they were there. Finally, Clint turned around.

“Oh, hey! Look who’s here! Ready to go?” He asked, his voice loud and slurred.

The pair nodded and the group began to stumble their way down the street. The entire way to the other club, Steve and Tony’s hands swung between them, still connected, as they chatted and laughed at their friends.

The night ended with Steve, Tony, and Bruce getting everyone else back to their dorms. After everyone else was back where they belonged, Steve offered to walk Tony and Rhodey back to their dorm. When they got there, Tony dumped Rhodey on his bed before standing in the hall with Steve, pulling the door behind him, but not closing it fully. He kept a hand on the doorknob to ensure the door wouldn’t shut and lock him out.

Tony thanked Steve for a great night, as well as for walking him home. Tony stood on his toes, reaching up to plant a soft kiss on Steve’s cheek. He smiled shyly before wishing Steve a good night and heading back into his dorm to take care of his drunk friend.

Steve stared at the closed door for a few minutes as he leaned up against the wall, a big smile on his face. When he finally made his way back to his room, he found Bucky snoring in his bed. Steve got changed quickly before climbing into his own bed. Before he closed his eyes to go to sleep, his phone buzzed. He picked it up and smiled when he saw that Tony had texted him.

Sweet dreams :), it read.

Steve smiled before sending a kissy face back and placing his phone under his pillow. He’d have to remember to thank Bucky in the morning for taking him to the club and giving him the chance to see Tony again.

Steve drifted to sleep with Tony on his mind and a smile on his face.

Chapter Text

Two weeks later, Steve and Tony had happily begun dating.

Steve had gone to Tony’s robotics competition, although he had arrived late. When Bucky had asked him where he was going so early on a Saturday morning, the blonde told his friend that he was going with Natasha to support Tony. Of course, Bucky decided that he wanted to go to the competition, too, and he invited Clint and Sam.

Natasha was annoyed when they finally met up with her outside of their dorm building. Because Bucky, Sam, and Clint had joined unplanned, they’d ended up running late. By the time they made it to the competition, the presentations had already started.

The group found Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy sitting in the front row of the audience just in time for Tony and Bruce’s presentation.

When Tony stepped on stage and saw Steve sitting front and center, he beamed, his entire face lighting up.

Two hours and a first-place trophy later, Tony and Bruce finally met up with the rest of their friends.

Tony ran straight to Steve and practically jumped into his arms shouting, “You came!”

After leaving the competition, they all treated Tony and Bruce to a celebratory lunch, and then everyone headed back to campus. Steve and Tony walked behind the rest of the group, and when everyone got back on campus, the pair decided to walk to the nearby park to spend time together.

They walked around the park for a few hours talking about anything before deciding to go out for dinner together. The night ended with Steve dropping Tony off at his dorm, and Tony planting a soft kiss on Steve’s lips.

Since that day a couple of weeks ago, Steve and Tony had gone on a few more dates and even combined their friend groups so that everyone could hang out at once. The only problem was that Tony’s friends wanted to know everything about Steve and their relationship, but couldn’t grill Tony about Steve while Steve was with them.

This was why Tony found himself sitting at his desk with all of his friends there.

Pepper and Natasha sat on Tony’s bed, leaning against the wall. Rhodey, Happy, and Bruce all sat squashed on Rhodey’s bed.

“Guys, is this necessary?” Tony asked, not bothering to look up from the equation he was solving.

“Yes, it is,” Pepper said. “We need to know everything about Steve before you move forward with a relationship.”

“I hate to break it to you, Pep, but Steve and I are already dating.”

“No, we mean going farther,” Rhodey said. “Like, is he going to sleep with you and dump you?”

Natasha shook her head. “Steve wouldn’t do that, he’s got a heart of gold. Plus, he’s a virgin.”

“Thank you, Natasha,” Tony said, his face bright red as he finally turned to face his friends. “And besides, neither of us are ready for that yet. We’ve already talked about it.”

“I’m sorry, you’ve already talked about it? Tony, you’ve only been dating the guy for two weeks, why are you already talking about sex?” Rhodey said.

“We discussed our boundaries like any other healthy couple would. No need to go all big brother on me, sourpatch. Neither of us is ready for sex yet. We agreed to take things slow and we’re going to set our own pace,” Tony explained.

His friends were surprised.

“Wow, Tones, I didn’t know you had that kind of maturity in you,” Happy said.

“What can I say? I’m super mature,” Tony teasingly boasted.

“Oh really? When’s the last time you did your laundry?” Pepper asked, raising an eyebrow playfully.

“Seriously, Tony,” Bruce laughed. “The pile under your bed gets larger and larger every time I come here.

Tony threw his hands up in surrender. “When did this become a ‘roast Tony’ session? I thought this was a ‘grill Tony about Steve’ session.”

“If I’m going to endure this conversation with you guys, I’m going to need a drink. Do you guys want to head over to Aunt Diane’s and have some snacks and drinks? I could go for some fried pickles,” Natasha said.

“Hell yeah! Just like old times! Let’s go!” Rhodey cheered, jumping off of his bed and sliding his sneakers on.

The rest of the group got up, put their shoes on, and pushed Tony out the door before he had the chance to complain about going out. Tony hated going out spontaneously, he preferred to know of plans at least a day in advance. He loved his friends, don’t get him wrong, but he hated how unpredictable they could be sometimes. He wasn’t expecting them all to show up at his and Rhodey’s dorm tonight, he had planned on working through some of the equations he’d been stuck on all week. When they had all showed up, he was surprised.

He figured they’d just hang around and chat while he finished up his equations, and then they’d settle down and watch a movie or something. He didn’t think they would’ve wanted to go out.

Tony grumbled the entire walk to the bar.

He liked that they lived on campus in a city so that they could walk everywhere instead of driving and having to worry about parking, but on nights like this, when it was chilly enough to have to wear a jacket, he hated having to walk everywhere.

And to make the walk even more miserable, Tony’s friends didn’t give him time to grab a jacket, which really sucked because Tony was always cold. He only had on a short-sleeved AC/DC shirt and a pair of sweatpants. He was lucky enough that his friends grabbed his sneakers for him on their way out of the dorm.

By the time they reached the bar, Tony was shivering. When they went inside, they grabbed a table farther away from the door than they usually did. They always preferred to sit near the door in case Tony or Bruce needed to step outside for a few minutes. But tonight, they grabbed a booth in the far corner, away from both the door and the crowded bar.

“First round’s on me,” Rhodey said before heading over to the bar to grab everyone's drinks.

After Rhodey came back and passed around everyone’s drinks, Pepper leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand.

“So, Tony, tell us everything about Steve.”

“You guys literally know him,” Tony said, taking a sip of his water.

“Where is he tonight?” Happy asked.

“Football practice. They have that big game against Hydra University tomorrow night, remember? Steve’s been stressing about it all week.”

“Does he think they’ll lose? Shield is one of the top five ranked football teams right now and they’re undefeated,” Rhodey said. “Hydra is ranked at 15 and they’ve lost a couple of games. I’d put money on Shield winning.”

“He’s the team captain, so he feels like if they lose, it’ll be on him. I told him a couple of days ago that it wouldn’t be just his fault and that it’s a team effort, but he’s still stressed about it. Luckily, I got us really good seats for the game tomorrow away from the student section so we’ll be closer to the sidelines. He’ll be able to see us cheering for him,” Tony smiled.

“I never thought I’d live to see the day Tony Stark willingly goes to a football game,” Rhodey laughed. “You must really like him.”

Tony blushed. “I do. He’s kind of the best.”

The others leaned in, expecting Tony to elaborate, but he simply lifted his glass of water and took another sip.

“Come on,” Pepper groaned. “Is that all you’re going to give us?”

Tony looked at her curiously. “What else do you want me to say? You all know him. You could also ask Nat about him.”

“But we don’t know how he is with you when none of us are around,” Natasha said. “He talks about you all the time, he’s clearly smitten with you. But what’s he like when you go out on dates? Does he make you laugh? Does he hold the door open for you? You know, that kind of stuff. I’ve heard his perspective, I want to hear yours.”

Tony blinked owlishly at her. “Oh.”

“Yeah, oh. So, what’s he like?”

“Well, he’s very sweet. He always holds the door open and pulls my chair out like a perfect gentleman. He’s great at maintaining eye contact. I thought it was awkward at first ‘cause you know eye contact for long periods makes me uncomfortable, but it didn’t feel weird with him after our first date. I can always tell that he’s listening to everything I say, even when I start rambling. He’s always interested in what I say, and even when I try to apologize for talking so much, he tells me he likes hearing my passion for things.

“He holds my hand as much as he can. His touch makes me feel safe. I mean, Steve in general makes me feel safe. I feel comfortable around him, and he makes me happier than I ever thought I could be. After our first date, my face hurt from smiling so much. I know we’ve only been dating for a couple of weeks, but I really like him and I can’t imagine my life without him.”

Tony’s friends stared at him as he finished speaking, shocked at some of Tony’s admissions. It took a long time for Tony to trust people, so the fact that he said that Steve made him feel safe meant that Tony really trusted him despite only knowing him for a few weeks.

“Tony,” Pepper started, a big smile on her face. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks, Pep,” He replied, giving her a lopsided smile.

“Seriously, Tony, he’s been good for you. You seem so much happier than you were. It’s nice to see you smiling so much.”

Tony blushed, suddenly feeling embarrassed and shy.

“Yeah, man,” Rhodey agreed. “It’s nice seeing you focused on something other than your work. You always spend so much time cooped up in our dorm and the labs working on your projects, and you don’t care for yourself enough. Since you started dating Steve, you’ve been eating and sleeping more, and spending less time alone with your work. Hell, you even started showering more. I’ll have to thank Steve for that, you always stink when you come back from the lab.”

“Not to mention, you’re a lot safer in the lab when Steve is around,” Bruce said. “I never thought I’d see you in the lab wearing a lab coat, safety goggles, and gloves.”

“Okay, that was because Steve saw the cut I got on my hand from the beaker that exploded last week and he didn’t want me to get hurt again,” Tony said.

“He’s taking care of you, which is what you need in your life, Tones. You don’t like to listen to us sometimes, so it says a lot about how much you love him if you’re letting him take care of you,” Happy said.

Tony’s eyes went wide. “The ‘L’ word?! It’s too soon for the ‘L’ word! Oh, God, is he in love with me already? I mean, I’m clearly on my way to getting there eventually, but what if he’s already there?”

Natasha chuckled. “Tony, relax. He’s not there yet, but he’s said he definitely thinks he’ll get there. He really likes you. I’ve never seen him so happy before. Even when he was dating Peggy in high school, he was never as happy as he is with you. You’ve been good for him, too, Tony.”

“Oh… really?” Tony asked, a shy smile on his face.

“Yeah, really. You two are perfect together,” Nat said honestly. It felt foreign to Tony to hear her sound so sincere, so he knew she was serious.

“Thanks, Nat. Well, all of you, really.”

“For what?” Pepper asked.

Tony shrugged. “Everything, I guess. You guys are the best.”

Pepper and Natasha smiled sweetly at Tony’s statement. Bruce nudged Tony’s side, while Happy clapped him on the shoulder.

“You’re our little brother, man,” Rhodey said, smiling widely at Tony from across the table. “We’ll always support you and be here for you.”

Tony smiled back at Rhodey before taking a sip of his water.

“Okay, this is getting too sappy for me, so I’m going to get another drink and my fried pickles,” Nat said, standing up. She disappeared into the crowd, heading toward the bar.

As the others struck up a conversation, Tony felt his phone buzz. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw that Steve texted him. He smiled as he opened up the message.

Game tomorrow got canceled so coach ended practice early. The team and I are heading out for drinks to celebrate the off weekend. Hope you’re having fun with your friends! :)

Tony typed back, Have fun and be safe!! My annoying friends forced me out of my dorm :/

After hitting send, Tony watched the little dots pop up, indicating that Steve was typing back.

You’ve been working so hard all week, I’m glad they made you take a break. Remind me to thank them the next time I see them lol!!! Maybe since the game is canceled tomorrow, we can go out for lunch?

Ha ha, very funny. And yes to lunch!!! My treat this time since you paid last time!

Sounds perfect, I’ll see you tomorrow! :3

Tony sent a kissy face back before putting his phone down on the table and joining in the conversation. Natasha came back balancing a martini, a basket of fried pickles, and a basket of mozzarella sticks in her hands. She placed them all on the table and slid the mozzarella sticks over to Tony.

“Since we forced you out against your will and made you talk about your feelings, I got you a snack.”

“Natasha, you are my favorite person on the planet,” Tony said before digging in.

“I’m telling Steve you said that,” Nat teased, the hint of a laugh in her voice.

They sat at their booth in the corner and talked and joked around for a while. Tony found himself secretly glad they brought him out, he was having fun. He loved being with Steve and hanging out with Steve’s friends, but it was nice to be with his own friends again in the smaller group setting.

Suddenly, the door to the bar opened and a large group of rowdy guys came in. Tony flinched at the sudden wave of noise and looked up. He caught a glimpse of a familiar face in the crowd. Tony waved him over, a dopey smile on his face.

“Who are you waving at? Pepper asked as she turned to face the door, her eyes trying to scan the crowd.

“Obviously, it’s Steve. Look at his face,” Nat said, not even bothering to turn.

Steve walked up to the table, a warm grin on his face. “Hey, guys! I didn’t think you’d be here!”

Happy stood up from the booth and let Steve slide in next to Tony. Steve wrapped an arm around Tony’s shoulders, and Tony happily leaned against him. From across the table, Rhodey jokingly made a gagging noise at them.

“Hey, baby,” Steve said, dropping a kiss into Tony’s messy curls. “Having fun with your friends?”

“Yeah! Nat got me mozzarella sticks,” Tony said gleefully, smiling before he took another bite from the one he was holding.

“I didn’t know Nat could be nice like that,” Steve teased, looking up at her.

From across the table, Natasha smirked. “Don’t get used to it.”

“So what are you doing here?” Bruce asked. “I thought you guys had practice.”

“The game got canceled. Turns out they got a bad snowstorm in Minnesota and the Hyrda team can’t get here. Coach had to get on the phone with some of the other coaches to rearrange our schedule so we can still play Hydra. They’re our biggest rival and the school makes a lot of money off of that game, so they’re trying to find a week to play. But that meant we got to leave practice early and now I have a free weekend,” Steve explained.

“Snow? In October?” Tony asked, tilting his head at Steve like a confused puppy.

“Just because it isn’t snowing in Massachusetts yet doesn’t mean that it’s not snowing in other parts of the country, sweetheart,” Steve said, a laugh punctuating his sentence as he moved his hand up to ruffle Tony’s hair playfully.

“It’s so shocking that you’re a genius because you have no common sense,” Rhodey laughed.

“Oh, please. The other day you tried to stick a magnet on something that wasn’t magnetic for 10 minutes.”

“You swore you wouldn’t speak of that, remember? Or else I’d tell Steve that you still suck your thumb sometimes when you sleep.”

“You said you would take that to the grave, Rhodes!” Tony said, his face bright red. He turned to Steve. “It only happens when I’m really stressed, I swear I don’t do it all the time—”

“Tony, baby, calm down,” Steve said, his voice soft. “I would never judge you for that. Actually, my mom knew someone who did it until they were in their 20s. Sometimes it takes longer to break a habit, and that’s okay. I’d never make fun of you for that.”

“Damn, he even likes your embarrassing habits,” Rhodey said. “He’s a keeper.”

“Just wait until he finds out you talk in your sleep sometimes, too,” Pepper laughed.

“Oh my God,” Tony groaned, dropping his head into his hands, clearly embarrassed. “Stop telling Steve all of my most humiliating secrets!”

“Have you told Steve about the time you broke your foot because you thought you could do a backflip on the concrete sidewalk despite having never done a backflip before?” Bruce asked, a smirk on his face as he took a sip of his diet coke.

“Oh my God! Et tu, Brucie?”

“Hey, guys! What are we all doing over here?” Bucky said, emerging from the crowd of football players and standing at the side of the booth, a drink in hand.

“Telling Steve embarrassing things about Tony,” Nat said.

“Oh, I got one about Steve for you, Tones! When we were in, like, the second grade, Stevie was presenting a project we had to do and when he grabbed his poster from the teacher, he threw up all over her shoes, and when he realized what happened, he sat on the floor and started crying.”

Steve sighed, rolling his eyes. “Of all of the embarrassing stories you could’ve told, you just had to choose the gross one, didn’t you?”

Bucky didn’t respond, instead sending Steve a devilish grin and taking a sip of his beer.

“Did that make you feel any better, Tony?” Steve asked his boyfriend.

“Kind of, but I’m just imagining a little Steve crying on the floor and it’s making me feel bad for you,” Tony admitted.

“Well, little Steve is glad someone feels bad for him, Bucky laughed at me for it for three days.”

“It’s true. And I wrote about it in your yearbook that year,” Bucky laughed. “Anyways, Ryan’s looking for you, man. Says he’s got a funny story to tell you. Shane also wanted to talk to you. Come on, man!”

“Alright, alright,” Steve said before turning back to Tony. “I’ll let you guys get back to your night, then. And I’ll text you tomorrow when I’m on my way to your dorm to pick you up for lunch. Text me when you get back tonight so I know you’re safe, okay?”

Tony smiled brightly. “I will, don’t worry. The same goes for you, too.”

“Kiss before I leave?” Steve asked, batting his eyelashes at Tony, which made the younger boy laugh.

Tony leaned up and planted a kiss onto Steve’s awaiting lips, smiling into it when he felt Steve kiss him back. The kiss was chaste and ended as soon as the two started laughing at their friends making gagging noises at them. They pulled away, not even trying to hide their laughter.

“You guys are so immature,” Tony said, shaking his head, but a smile remained on his face.

Steve dropped a quick kiss onto Tony’s blush-dusted cheek before sliding out of the booth. He clapped Happy on the shoulder, thanking him for moving so he could get out, before wishing the group of friends a goodnight and heading off into the crowd with Bucky. Before Tony lost sight of him, Steve turned back and blew him a kiss.

“You guys are disgusting,” Rhodey said.

“Disgustingly adorable,” said Pepper. “Seriously, he’s, like, the perfect guy for you, Tony.”

“He’s the best,” Tony smiled bashfully.

“Oh, hey! Did you guys see the trailer for that new movie with the dog and the wedding?” Bruce said, changing the topic. He could tell Tony wanted the attention off of him for once this evening. “We should go see it together! Wouldn’t that be fun?”

When the rest of the group started discussing the movie, Tony mouthed a quick thank you to Bruce before joining in.

They sat around the table talking and laughing for another hour before they all started getting antsy. When Natasha suggested hopping to a couple of different bars before heading back to campus, Happy, Rhodey, and Pepper cheered. Everyone got up and headed toward the exit.

“Oh, Tony, wait!” Bruce said, grabbing Tony’s wrist and pulling him back. “Why don’t you ask Steve and Bucky if they’d like to join us? I know this isn’t exactly how you thought you’d be spending your night, so maybe it’ll be more fun for you if Steve came with us. Plus, Bucky and Rhodey get along surprisingly well, so I’m sure Bucky would love to tag along.”

Tony nodded, telling Bruce he’d meet him outside. He headed over to the large group of football players and pushed his way through until he found Steve. He and Bucky were standing at the side of a table listening as one of the players talked about something that happened at a game. Tony walked up to Steve and wrapped his arms around his waist. Steve jumped, not realizing who it was, and after seeing it was Tony, he wrapped his arm around Tony’s shoulders.

“Hey, what are you doing over here? It’s kind of crowded, do you want to go to the other side of the room? There’s more space over there. I know you don’t like crowds,” Steve said, worried about Tony.

“No, I’m okay. I was actually going to ask you if you want to come to another bar with us. And Barnes, of course. Nat suggested stopping by a few more before heading home. You want to come with us?” Tony asked, giving Steve his best puppy eyes to get him to agree.

Steve smiled. “You’re adorable. And I’d love to. Let me ask Buck.”

Steve tapped on Bucky’s shoulder, making him turn around. He asked Bucky if he wanted to join, but Bucky declined the invitation, saying he wanted to hang out with the guys instead tonight. They said goodbye to each other before Steve grabbed Tony’s hand and pulled him out of the crowd.

When they met up with the rest of Tony’s friends out on the sidewalk, they all cheered when they saw Steve was coming with them. As much as they liked to tease Steve and Tony, they loved having Steve around. He was like a breath of fresh air to their friend group. Plus, he made Tony happy. If Steve tagging along meant Tony would be happy instead of begging to go back to his dorm, they considered it a win.

The group went to three more bars before deciding to call it a night and heading back to campus. Surprisingly, the only one of them who drank too much was Rhodey, who usually didn’t go past four drinks. He’d had a tough test during the week and wanted to celebrate his passing grade, so the others made sure they were sober enough to get Rhodey home.

As they walked home, Happy and Bruce helped keep Rhodey steady on his feet. Pepper and Natasha walked behind them, chatting away about a book that they had both read. Steve and Tony remained close enough behind them to participate in the conversation because Steve loved the book they were discussing. They held hands as they walked.

Because they’d walked so far from campus, Tony started getting tired and struggled to keep up with everyone because, “Unlike you, Steve, I have little legs.” To solve the problem, Steve offered to give him a piggyback ride the whole way back to campus. Tony beamed as he climbed onto Steve’s back. As Steve carried him, Tony found himself getting lulled to sleep by the rhythm of Steve’s steps and the soothing sound of his voice.

The group split up when they reached the campus. Natasha and Pepper went to their dorm building, wishing the guys a good night. The guys went to Tony and Rhodey’s dorm first to get them to bed. Happy and Bruce helped the drunk Rhodey into his bed and left when Rhodey began to snore as soon as his head hit his pillow.

Steve gently lowered his sleeping boyfriend onto his bed and pulled off his shoes. Tony stirred, mumbling something unintelligible before curling up on his side and nuzzling his face against his cool pillowcase. Steve smiled sweetly at him as he pulled the blankets up to cover him. After tucking Tony in, Steve brushed Tony’s hair back from his forehead and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. Tony smiled in his sleep.

Steve gave Tony one last glance as he left the dorm, pulling the door shut behind him.

Chapter Text

The next month was filled with romance and fun. Steve and Tony tried to go on a date every week, but with Steve’s football schedule and Tony’s robotics competitions, they often found themselves going out together at odd times.

They went on midnight picnics and stargazing dates. They went bowling, shopping, out to eat, and for walks. Sometimes, they even decided to stay in one of their dorms for a movie night. They were happy together, they loved spending as much time together as they could. Their friends always made fun of them, saying they were in their honeymoon phase, but Steve and Tony just brushed it off. They couldn’t help that they were falling for each other quickly.

Tony met Steve’s mom while she was visiting for Thanksgiving and they instantly hit it off. Honestly, Steve couldn’t have been happier about it. His two favorite people got along perfectly, it was all he could’ve asked for.

Christmas was right around the corner, and it would be their first one together. They’d both spent time searching for the perfect gift for each other as well as going on cute Christmas-y dates. Steve learned that Tony couldn’t ice skate to save his life, but made the best hot chocolate in the world. Tony found that Steve loved walking around neighborhoods just to admire all of the Christmas lights and decorations. They were having fun finding ways to celebrate together before they had to leave for the break.

It was also fun to do those activities with the rest of their friends, too. The whole gang went skating together and then squished themselves in Tony and Rhodey’s dorm to spend the night watching their favorite Christmas movies over the past weekend. They’d also snuck into the dorm building’s kitchen to make gingerbread cookies in the middle of the night.

Their friend groups had perfectly merged to form one big one, and Steve and Tony were so happy that everyone got along so well.

Tonight was the last night their whole friend group would be together on campus before leaving for winter break.

Tony, Pepper, Happy, and Bruce would depart for the break first, all leaving in the morning. Tony, Pepper, and Happy were all on the same flight to Los Angeles. They would split up at the airport; Tony heading to his home in Malibu and the other two going to their homes in LA. Bruce would be driving to stay with his stepmother in Ohio and had to leave early in the morning to make it there later that night.

Steve and Bucky would be taking a train down to Brooklyn, where Mrs. Rogers would be waiting for them. Bucky would be staying with them for the holidays, as he had since his mother died. Tony would also be staying at the Rogers’ for the last two weeks of the break.

Sam was heading down to his family in New Orleans but was also planning to stay in Brooklyn for a few days at Bucky’s request.

Rhodey would be the last one leaving for the break as his mom was picking him up in two days. They would be driving back to their home in Philadelphia. Rhodey would be there until the break ended mid-January.

Natasha and Clint were staying on campus until after Christmas when they would leave for a cruise together. They’d been saving up for it for a while, both wanting to travel instead of being stuck in the dorms for the whole break since they didn’t have family. Steve had invited them to stay in Brooklyn until their cruise departed, but they politely declined his offer.

They all wanted to go out together one more time before they went their separate ways for the holidays. That was how they all ended up back at Aunt Diane’s, at a large table toward the back of the bar. It was a Friday night, so the bar was packed. Many of the college students from Shield University, as well as the two other nearby colleges, were out celebrating the end of the semester. The DJ was playing loud music that everyone was drunkenly dancing along to, and there were Christmas lights strung all around the bar to make it feel more festive.

The group had been hanging around at their table for a while, sipping drinks, sharing snacks, and cracking jokes. Clint was in the middle of telling another one of his whacky stories when Steve turned to look at Tony, who was sitting next to him.

Steve knew Tony was upset about having to go home for the holidays. Tony and his father didn’t get along and there was an added sadness surrounding him this year because it would be the first Christmas without Tony’s beloved butler Edwin Jarvis, who had passed in the spring. Steve knew Tony was having a hard time coming to terms with having to go back home for Christmas without the one person who ever celebrated it with him. His parents usually went to parties and got drunk, leaving Tony home alone with Jarvis. Tony wasn’t looking forward to being home by himself for the holiday without Jarvis there. That was why Steve had invited him to Brooklyn, but Howard Stark wouldn’t let Tony go until after the new year.

Steve wanted to make the night fun and memorable for Tony. He already had a plan to give Tony his Christmas gift later on, but he wanted to put a smile on Tony’s face as soon as he could. He hated seeing his boyfriend so sad.

“Hey, Tones,” He said quietly, catching Tony’s attention.

“What, babe?”

“You look really cute tonight.”

Tony blushed, covering his face with his hands. “Shut up!”

Steve slung his arm around Tony’s shoulders and kissed his cheek.

“Ugh, gross! Mom and Dad are smooching again!” Clint teased.

“Ugh, gross! Clint is existing again!” Tony teased back, some of his usual spunk starting to slowly return.

“Ah, man!” Clint laughed. “You’re great, Tones! Hey, let’s go dance!”

Tony shook his head. “Not happening, I don’t dance. Go dance by yourself or something.”

“Come on, guys!” Clint said, looking around at the rest of their group. “It’s Britney Spears!”

Sighing, Natasha got up. “Come on, loser. I’ll dance with you. You’re coming too, Barnes.”

Bucky nearly spat out his beer. “Me? Why me?”

“Because you suck at dancing and I want to laugh at you. Let’s go.”

Natasha grabbed Bucky and Clint’s hands and dragged them off to go dance.

“Hey, wait up!” Sam called, quickly following them. Soon enough, the rest of their friends left to go dance, even Bruce. Steve and Tony remained at the table.

“You didn’t want to go with Clint?”

“Nah, not really in the mood,” Tony sighed.

“I know you’re upset about Christmas, but don’t you want to have some fun tonight before we all have to leave?”

“I mean, I do, but I don’t know, Steve.”

“What can I do to help cheer you up? I can get you some more mozzarella sticks, I can tell you some of those stupid jokes you like, what do you need, sweetheart?”

“Just being with you is enough.”

“That’s very sweet of you to say, but are you sure you don’t want to try to have some fun with everyone else?”

“Maybe in a little bit. Do you mind if we stay here for a while?” Tony asked, looking up at Steve through his long eyelashes.

“Of course we can. How about I tell you the story my mom told me when she called over the weekend?

“You know I love your mom’s stories! What’s Mrs. R been up to lately?”

After telling Tony about the phone call with his mom, Steve continued talking about everything he could think of to get Tony’s mind off of the holidays.

The pair sat and talked for over an hour, watching their friends goofing off together on the dance floor. Occasionally, one or two of them would come back to the table to take a break, quickly chatting with them. Eventually, some of them ended up at the bar, some went to mingle with the other students around, and the rest remained on the dance floor.

Tony seemed to be cheering up and getting more comfortable, so Steve thought it would be the perfect opportunity to see if Tony wanted to dance with him.

Just then, the song changed. Steve seemed to recognize it immediately as he smiled and began to hum along.

“Oh, I love this song!” He exclaimed, delighted. “Let’s go dance, Tones!”

Tony nearly choked on his water. “I can’t dance, Steve! And neither can you!”

“Tony, baby, all of these people are drunk. None of them can dance. Just look at Bucky and Sam.”

Tony looked to where Steve was pointing in the crowd. Sure enough, Bucky and Sam were dancing like drunken fools at the center of the floor. They whooped as they swayed and spun each other, laughing when some of Sam’s drink spilled on Bucky’s shirt. They danced without a care in the world, which made Tony smile.

“Besides, we won’t look as silly as them because we’re both sober. And it’s not like anyone else cares, either. All that matters is you and me,” Steve continued. “Come dance with me, doll.”

Tony blushed. “You know I can’t resist you when you go all Brooklyn on me.”

Steve beamed, standing from his chair and holding a hand out to Tony. Tony accepted it, letting Steve whisk him off to the dance floor.

Steve grabbed Tony’s other hand and began shimmying their arms back and forth.

“That the best you can do, Captain?” Tony laughed.

Steve smirked, raising a teasing eyebrow. “Careful what you wish for!”

Steve released one of Tony’s hands, before lifting their connected hands and spinning Tony under his arm. Tony continued laughing as Steve pulled him out, brought him into his arms, and dipped him.

“How’s that for ya, darlin’?”

Tony stared up at Steve with a wide smile and gleaming eyes. “That was pretty good.”

Steve pulled Tony upright and put his hands on his hips. “What do you mean ‘pretty good’? Those were some of my best moves!”

Tony laughed again. He swore he hadn’t laughed this hard before in his life. “What else do you have up your sleeve?”

“Alright, you asked for it,” Steve smirked. “Prepare to be amazed.”

Steve shook his arms and took a deep breath before doing the sprinkler move.

Tony doubled over, laughing hysterically. “Oh my God! You dance like a middle-aged dad!”

“You like that, sweetheart? Well, there’s more where that came from!” He replied before busting out into the disco point. “Come on, Tones! Show me what you’ve got!”

“Okay, okay! How about this one?” He said before starting to do the hand jive.

“Oh yeah! That’s it!” Steve cheered before joining in.

“Oh, wait, this one’s my favorite!” Tony said before he began moving his arms robotically.

Steve chuckled. “Of course, the robot is your favorite dance move!”

They laughed together as they kept doing silly dance moves until the song ended.

“Alright, everyone!” The DJ said. “For the next song, we’re going back to the 60s! So, grab a partner, get on your feet, and get ready to twist!”

The crowd cheered as The Beatles’ “Twist and Shout” started to play.

“I love this song!” Tony said excitedly. “Come on, Steve!”

Steve and Tony twisted together to the music, smiles never leaving their faces. Steve was so glad that he’d managed to get Tony to have some fun.

“Here, babe, give me your hands,” Tony said. Steve put his hands in Tony’s and laughed when Tony began to twist them both.

They kept dancing and laughing without a care in the world. They ignored all of the other people on the dance floor, only having eyes for each other.

By the time the song ended, Steve and Tony were sweating and out of breath.

“God, I need some water,” Tony panted. “And possibly my inhaler.”

“Oh, gosh, I forgot about your asthma! I’m so sorry, Tony! Here, let’s go sit,” Steve said, dragging Tony back to their table.

“I’ll be fine, Steve. I just need to take a break, that’s all. Seriously, babe, that was the most fun I think I’ve ever had,” Tony said before taking a big gulp of his water.

“No asthma attack, then?” Steve asked, just to be safe.

“No asthma attack,” Tony confirmed.

“Then it’s safe to say that that was the most fun I’ve ever had, too.”

Tony chuckled. “Who knew the quarterback had moved, huh? Why don’t you ever do them on the field? All the other guys do.”

“They dance when they score touchdowns. I’m the guy who throws them the passes so they can score,” Steve explained.

“With the amount of your games I’ve watched, you’d think I would understand football by now.”

“Especially considering you’re supposed to be a genius.”

“Hey! I am a genius!”

“Oh really? Who was the 10th president of the United States?” Steve asked, propping his chin up on his hand and smirking.

“I don’t know, Lincoln?” Tony said, shaking his head. “My genius is only in my field. Football isn’t exactly in my field.”

“Neither is history.”

Tony nudged Steve in the ribs with his elbow.

“I mean, you’re so smart and good at history, baby!”

“That’s more like it,” Tony nodded cheekily.

They leaned in, about to lock lips, but jumped apart when they heard some of their friends coming back to the table.

“Ooooh! Were Steve and Tony about to kiss?” Sam teased, patting Steve on the shoulder before sitting in an empty seat.

“Stevie and Tony sittin’ in a tree! K-i-s-s-i-n-g!” Bucky sang, his voice slurred as he dropped into the seat next to Sam.

“I hate walking in on you guys kissing. It’s like watching your baby brother making out. Gross,” Rhodey shuddered.

Pepper nudged Rhodey in the side before sitting down. “I think you two are adorable.”

Natasha, Bruce, and Happy soon joined them all at the table.

“Hey, we were thinking about heading out soon,” Bruce began. “It’s getting late and some of us have to finish getting ready to leave for the break.”

“Is it weird to say that I kind of don’t want this night to end? It’s going to be weird not seeing everyone for a month,” Tony said, a pout on his face.

“You’ll see me and Buck when you come to Brooklyn after the new year. And Pepper and Happy both live in Los Angeles, which isn’t too far from Malibu, so you can see them too,” Steve said, trying to cheer up his boyfriend.

“I’ll be in the city visiting my aunt after the new year, maybe we can all meet up,” Bruce suggested.

“And New York’s just a train ride away from Philly! Plus, I know you’ll be blowing up my phone every chance you get,” Rhodey added.

“You’ll have to wait to see me and Clint,” Natasha said. “We’re going on that cruise after Christmas and won’t be back until right before move-in day, remember?.”

Tony furrowed his eyebrows. “Speaking of Clint, where is he?”

“Oh, he’s still at the bar,” Nat answered. “He was making friends with the bachelor party that’s there. I’ll go grab him so we can leave. You guys can wait outside. Sound good?”

Everyone nodded, got up, and put their coats on. Natasha made her way toward the bar to find Clint while the others headed to the exit to wait outside.

Tony took one last sip of his water and sighed. Steve kissed his cheek before standing up.

“It’ll be alright, doll. We’re all a text away if you need us. It’s only two weeks at home and then you’ll be in Brooklyn with me, my ma, and Buck. And I think Sam is coming too at some point. Just two weeks apart, that’s it.”

“But we can FaceTime every day, right?” Tony asked as he stood up.

“Of course! I’ll always answer your calls, I promise. Now, come on, we’ve got to meet everyone outside.”

Steve held Tony’s jacket up for him to slide his arms into. He adjusted the jacket on Tony’s shoulders before turning him around and zipping it up for him. He cupped Tony’s face in his hands and pecked his lips.

“Everything will be okay, baby. I promise. Now put your gloves on, I don’t want your hands to freeze outside.”

When they met the rest of their friends outside, Tony couldn’t help but smile. He was glad that he had these people in his life, even though he’d only known some of them for a few months. He felt lucky to call them all his friends.

“Hey! It’s Steve and Tony!” Clint cheered, hanging from Natasha’s shoulder. “We were waitin’ for yous!”

Tony laughed. “How much did you drink tonight, dumbass?”

“So much! Those hot guys from the bachelor party were awesome!”

“I knew we shouldn’t have walked here,” Natasha said. “We’ve got our work cut out for us between Clint, Bucky, and Sam. And it’s starting to snow.”

“I’m not that drunk,” Sam said, crossing his arms like a petulant child. “I’m okay to walk.”

Soon enough, they began the trek back to campus. Tony walked next to Steve, who was helping Bucky stay upright. Sam and Rhodey walked behind them, neither of them drunk enough to need help. Natasha and Happy helped Clint, and behind them were Pepper and Bruce, chatting happily with each other. As they walked, they all had fun sticking their tongues out to try and catch some of the falling snowflakes, and then laughing at each other.

Eventually, they made it back to campus, snow dusting their heads and shoulders, and had to decide how to split up to make sure everyone got back to their dorms safely.

“Can someone take Bucky back to our dorm? I wanted to take Tony somewhere quickly,” Steve said.

“Sam and I got him,” Rhodey said. “Just make sure you get Tony back to our dorm in one piece.”

Steve nodded, passing his roommate to Rhodey and Sam.

Once it was settled who would be helping their drunk friends to their dorms, everyone hugged and wished each other safe travels since it was the last time they would all be together until the spring semester began. When the rest of the group split off, heading to their dorm buildings, Steve pulled Tony in the opposite direction.

“Where are we going, babe?” Tony asked, confused.

“To the fountain,” Steve replied. “They decorated it for the holidays. I thought we could see it together before you leave for the break.”

Tony smiled, tightening his grip on Steve’s hand. He moved closer to Steve as they crossed the quad, shivering as a wintery breeze swept through.

When they reached the fountain, Tony couldn’t help but widen his eyes in awe. Each tier was glowing with colorful Christmas lights, and on the very top was a bright star. As the water trickled down the fountain and into the large basin, Tony realized that the fountain was decorated to look like a Christmas tree. He loved it.

“Wow,” He breathed out. “Do you know who did this?”

“I’m not sure,” Steve said. “It might’ve been the campus life department. But I can see it from my dorm when the blinds are pulled up. We usually keep them closed, though, which is why you haven’t seen it when you’ve been over.”

“It’s beautiful,” Tony said.

“Sure is,” Steve said. When Tony turned to face him, he saw that Steve had been looking at him the whole time.

Tony blushed. “I’m not beautiful.”

“Sure you are, baby,” Steve said before leaning down and kissing Tony’s cheek.

“So what exactly are we doing here? It’s kind of cold out,” Tony said as he shivered.

“I thought it would be a good spot to give you your Christmas gift, especially since you leave for Malibu tomorrow.”

Steve brushed some of the snow off of the edge of the fountain and sat down, pulling a small wrapped box out of his coat pocket.

Tony sat down next to him. “But I don’t have your gift. It’s not done yet.”

Tony had decided to make Steve a miniature model of the motorcycle he had back home in Brooklyn. Steve had mentioned that his mom had spent months saving up to buy it for his 18th birthday and that he hated having to leave it behind when he moved back into the dorms each year when summer ended.

Tony asked Steve’s mom to send him pictures of the motorcycle when she was visiting for Thanksgiving. Mrs. Rogers texted Tony tons of photos the day she arrived back in New York and Tony began building immediately.

The problem was that with finals, Tony hadn’t been able to spend as much time working on Steve’s gift as he would’ve liked. Tony was embarrassed to tell Steve that it wouldn’t be done until after the winter break, but Steve was quick to reassure him that it was okay.

“And that’s fine, Tony. I just wanted to give you your gift before you go.”

Steve passed the box over to Tony with a bright smile on his face. Tony opened it, having some difficulty with the wrapping paper due to the gloves he was wearing, and pulled the box open.

“Steve… what?” Tony said, speechless. His eyes widened at the watch in the box. It was a simple silver watch with leather bands, the same watch that Jarvis once wore. Tony had mentioned in passing that he always loved Jarvis’ watch because it wasn’t expensive or extravagant like everything else he’d been surrounded by as a kid. He’d always wanted to have matching watches with Jarvis.

“I hope it’s not overstepping, but I loved the story you told me about when you dressed as Jarvis for Halloween when you were little and he let—”

“Let me wear his watch,” Tony finished. “How did you find one like his? I’ve been looking since he died.”

“I found it at an antique store while I was in Michigan for the game last month. We had that extra day since our flight was delayed, so I went to explore the area.”

“Steve, this means everything to me. Thank you,” Tony said, his eyes shining with tears.

Tony threw himself into Steve’s arms, squeezing his boyfriend tightly. Steve held him, clearly sensing that Tony needed comfort. Steve smiled when he felt Tony’s soft lips press a gentle kiss onto the pulse point on his neck. He reciprocated by planting a kiss into Tony’s messy, snow-covered curls.

After a few minutes, Tony pulled back, his eyes no longer wet.

“Seriously, Steve. This means the world to me. Thank you so much,” Tony said, a big smile on his face as he closed the box and tucked it safely into his coat pocket.

“You’re very welcome. I’m glad you have pictures of Jarvis in your dorm. It would’ve been way harder to find the watch if I didn’t know what it looked like,” Steve said, scratching the back of his neck.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to follow this up now,” Tony sheepishly admitted.

“I’m sure I’ll love anything you make for me. It comes from your heart and it’s made from your amazing hands. Besides, Christmas isn’t a competition, Tony.”

“I know, I just really want you to love it.”

“I will, I promise.”

“How can you promise you won’t hate it if you haven’t seen it yet?”

“It’s impossible to hate anything to do with you.”

“What about my dad?”

“Fuck your dad. He’s the exception.”

Tony laughed. “You’re sweet. I promise I’ll finish your gift while I’m home. When I come to see you in Brooklyn, I’ll give it to you. Plus, then your mom can see it. She’s been helping me out.”

“I knew introducing you two was a bad idea. Now you guys are plotting against me!” Steve joked.

“Well, I can’t wait to see her again. She promised to show me your baby pictures.”

Steve blushed. “I should be glad you two get along so well, but really, I’m scared.”

“Oh, please. I’m sure baby Steve is just as adorable as current Steve,” Tony smiled, kissing Steve’s cheek.

Steve didn’t respond, instead opting to look at Tony with a wide grin on his face. Steve placed a hand on Tony’s cheek and pulled him in for a slow, chaste kiss. Tony wrapped his arms around Steve’s neck and pulled him impossibly closer. When they separated, Steve nuzzled his nose against Tony’s, making Tony giggle.

“Hey, dance with me,” Steve said suddenly, standing up.

Tony blinked, looking around. “But there’s no music.”

“We don’t need music. Come on, how about another dance? It’s snowing, the stars are out, and we’re in front of this beautiful fountain. It’s so romantic.”

“It is pretty romantic,” Tony agreed.

“May I have this dance?” Steve asked, holding a hand out to Tony.

“Tony smiled, placing his hand in Steve’s larger one. “You may.”

Tony let Steve pull him off of the edge of the fountain and into his arms. Tony clasped his hands behind Steve’s neck while Steve’s hands settled on Tony’s waist. They smiled softly at each other as they began to sway.

Tony found that dancing in the middle of the quad late at night without music wasn’t even awkward. He felt the most comfortable that he’d been in a while. He felt at peace, there in his boyfriend’s arms as they danced together.

Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking into Steve’s bright blue eyes.

“I love you,” He said softly for the first time.

Steve smiled impossibly brighter, his face practically glowing with joy.

“I love you too, Tony.”

Steve leaned down, resting his forehead against Tony’s, their puffs of breath mingling. Tony smiled shyly before capturing Steve’s lips with his own.

They kissed as they continued to sway along to music only they could hear in their minds. The lovers remained outside for a while, dancing under the stars and kissing by the fountain as the snow continued to fall. Each time they pulled apart, they laughed as they saw the snowflakes in each other’s hair. As they danced together in harmony under the colorful lights and the glow of the moon, the rest of the world seemed to fade away.

All that mattered was that they were in love.