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Steve could spot Tony from where he was sitting among many proud friends and family no problem at all. In the sea of navy graduation caps, there was one with red and gold writing on it, ‘Hotter By One Degree’.
A little snort left his lips unprompted and he felt more than he saw Nat rolling her eyes. “You are so gone on him, you know that right?”
Steve was very well aware of his long standing crush on his best friend and roommate. It was the size of a Thanksgiving Day Parade vehicle, almost visible from space, but he had pushed it down, ignoring it throughout college.
He always thought there was no way in hell Tony was interested in him. Tony constantly pointed out how different they were, complete opposites and although they were closer like two opposite magnets, no one could butt heads like they did either. So just because he was dumb and caught feelings for Tony, he always believed it shouldn’t mean Tony had to lose a friend.
Besides, Steve was perfectly content with being just friends, he was content with being there for Tony, making him happy even if it meant that he couldn’t be happy with him the way he wanted to be.
Well maybe it didn’t have to be like that anymore. Maybe Tony liked him too, for years all of their friends suggested Tony felt the same too, encouraging him, yet he never could bring himself to believe it. Tonight he was going to believe, take the leap.
“Earth to Steve! Dude pull it together.” Bucky's elbow met with his ribs in a not so subtle way. “We know you’re pining but Tony is about to give his speech.
As the valedictorian, Tony was meant to give out an inspiring speech to the rest of the graduates. Steve was sure he was going to go up to the podium and say something like “Eat my shorts!” And leave.
Just as he predicted, Tony went up, looked at the crowd and began his speech in the most absurd, Tony way possible.
“First of all, I want to thank coffee for making this possible!” The crowd erupted in laughter. Clearing his throat Tony one again gathered their attention.
“On a serious note though. I know people expect me to make a big speech about finding our path in this world and using our degrees for good and all that jazz. But all I wanna say is ‘I’m so fucking glad this is over.’”
Students were once again laughing, most of the people in the bleachers too, the dean was too stunned to speak, when Tony went up to him to get his degree and shake his hand, his mouth was still agape.
Steve got up, cheered and yelled from where he was sitting when Tony shook his diploma and sat down when Nat pulled him by his pants.
He was fully expecting to sit through the entire ceremony but apparently Tony had many other plans. A few minutes after his speech, Steve got a text from Tony.
”Let’s dip before these assholes decide to take my diploma from me for my speech or something LOL”
Steve denying Tony anything would be like the gravity reversing, so five minutes later all four were at the entrance of MIT, ready to get the hell out of there.
Before they came to the graduation ceremony, Steve had made this airtight plan for a party, inviting all of their friends at a pub he rented out for the day.
There was going to be karaoke, darts and all kinds of bar games and lots and lots of drinking. Tony’s idea of a perfect night out. Yet as a self proclaimed Tony expert, there was a flaw in his plan.
He didn’t calculate Tony’s inability to stay at one boring place for more than twenty minutes. He should have known from their own graduation ceremony a week before.
Steve, Bucky, Nat and Pepper graduated from BU, their ceremony taking place the previous week and Tony dipped as soon as he watched Steve take his diploma meeting with them for the party afterwards.
This time Steve was counting on this being his own ceremony. He thought Tony would watch Rhodey, Carol, Bruce and Sam take their own diplomas too.
So now he had two whole hours to kill before the pub was ready…
If he took Tony there early Pepper would kill him, so that wasn’t an option. And Tony was too smart to see through any other bullshit excuse he could come up with to stall him.
“Help me get changed?” HELP ME GET CHANGED??? What the fuck Steve?? Alarm was blaring in his mind, red lights flashing. But the damage was already done.
“Okay.” Tony just held Steve’s elbow and started tugging him towards their apartment, no judgements, no questioning, like this was the most normal thing in the world.
Nat yelled behind them. “I refuse to be a part of whatever the fuck this is and am taking Bucky with me. We’ll see you guys later.”
Tony leaned over Steve’s ear as they walked and whispered. “Ten bucks she’s the one fucking him.”
“Tony!” Steve protested, Bucky was like a brother to him, he very much wouldn’t wanna talk about his sex life, in whichever way he was having it. He was already in a crisis on his own.
“Don’t judge Stevie, it’s not nice.”
“I- I’m not. It’s just Bucky is like my brother and-“ he was panicking, spiraling. Why was he acting like he had one singular brain cell and he was sharing it with Clint. And today of all days…
“Besides, don’t knock it til you try it. Prostate stimulation is sensational.”
Perfect, now Steve was red as a beat too on top of being a dumb dumb. How on earth did his plans get so thwarted that instead of toasting for Tony’s success he was talking about prostate stimulation?
In another setting, he would love to talk about that, like when they were both naked in bed and tearing animalistic sounds out of each other's throats. But not like that. Especially not on Bucky.
Thankfully they were at their apartment so he was saved from saying anything else stupid for the time being. All he needed to do was get changed and suggest Tony play a game of Mario Kart while waiting. He was sure he’d end up peeling Tony off of their living room couch at the two hour mark.
Once they were at their apartment, Steve turned towards his room, ready to casually mention Mario Kart when Tony called for him.
“Hey Steve! Do we have enough time before my party to play a few rounds of Mario Kart or should I just play Fall Guys instead?”
Steve just stops in his tracks and decides not turning around is the way to go because he can not do this facing Tony. “How do you know there is-“
“Please.” Tony intervened. “I know you. There is going to be a party.” And the way he said it, matter of factly, Steve couldn’t argue.
“Well you are not the only one in our friend group to graduate today. So it is not your party per-se.” Well maybe some of his brain cells are waking up and coming in clutch after all.
Tony’s hand found his shoulder, turning him around and they were in such close proximity, Steve was sure Tony could hear his accelerated heartbeat.
“So you didn’t plan it for me? Is it not in my favorite pub? Aren’t there going to be karaoke, my go to drunken fun activity?” The knowing smirk he was sporting was extremely distracting.
For a second Steve questioned how he survived living with Tony for so long without making a fool out of himself or flat out confessing his feelings then fleeing the country.
He forced his eyes to look at Tony’s face, his eyes and not his mouth, his pink lips. Focus Steve. Tony was now looking up at him under his eyelashes, pouting.
“Although I gotta admit Stevie. I am kinda disappointed. Your plan had a huge flaw, you didn’t factor in me leaving the ceremony alone. And here I thought you were a master tactician. I guess you can’t base someone's strategizing abilities on their ‘Civilization’ gameplay.”
He opened his mouth, then closed again.Tony was right. He was excellent at making full proof, flawless plans. There must have been a reason for his mind to oversee this possibility.
And he knew Tony so well, he could have seen this coming miles away. Time to regroup and make a new attack plan. He was nothing if not stubborn.
His original plan was to enjoy the party with Tony, get drunk enough to gather the courage and finally confess his feelings at the end of the night. See if he’d give Steve a chance.
“Well maybe I wanted to have you all to myself for two hours.”
Now it was Tony’s turn to stop in shock. And Steve saw hope in his eyes? But it couldn’t be.
“You mean it?” Tony asked. And there were no flashy jokes or flirting, no eyebrow wiggling. There was just a fragile glimpse of hope.
And he could recognize that look anywhere. It was how he looked whenever he thought of the possibility of Tony. Whenever he let himself believe all those flirting was not jokes but real, whenever Tony looked at him with especially soft eyes. Whenever his heart bloomed with hope.
Steve melted with the implications this question carried. Could they have been this stupid? Could they actually have feelings for each other for so long and wasted all this time simply because neither could really believe the other felt the same?
“Yes?”
“Well this means you also have feelings for me right. I am not reading this wrong.” Tony’s brows were furrowed but his lips were hiding a smirk. “Cause I totally could be reading this wrong and having a flawed logic the way your plans were. I mean you really dropped the ball on this one Steve.”
“I am going to shut you up with a kiss. Is that okay?” Steve laughed.
Tony then abruptly turned around, walked towards the couch and called him from there. “If only we can make out on the couch.”
Steve couldn’t see Tony’s face as he was now fully laying down on the couch, but he would bet everything that there was a sly grin on his face. He could practically hear it in his voice.
“Well we do have two hours to kill before your party. Least I can do it give you your graduation gift during that time.”