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Steve Rogers was only a young boy when both his parents died. He lived with his grandmother for a few years until the old lady died as well. Being all alone and still too young to take care of himself the neighbour family took him in. Mister Fury was a scary looking guy and his wife Maria wasn’t much better, but they were kind to Steve. He got his own room, he got some new clothes and they even taught him how to read.
Everything was a lot more modern at the house of the Fury’s. It was all so different from the old-fashioned things Steve was used to. He didn’t feel comfortable in his new clothes, so he repaired his old ones. He was used to clean and cook. His mother had been sick and his grandmother was too old, so when he was taken in he couldn’t really stop with all the chores. The family didn’t mind and just let him do as he liked, even though they had a maid.
The family had two kids, both adopted when they were babies, that were a little older than Steve, named Natasha and Clint. One moment they were the best of friends and the next they were fighting. That seemed to be what they liked most. Fighting. It was exactly what Steve didn’t like. He hated fighting, but it was interesting to see the two of them practice. He never joined them though.
He preferred reading or drawing. Books had always intrigued him and now he could finally understand the words inside. Soon he had finished every single book in the house, so Mr Fury got him new ones. He also loved cooking. The maid always left before dinner and Ms Maria wasn’t very good at cooking. So Steve prepared them food three times a day. Clint often teased him that he would make a perfect wife, but Steve would just shrug. He liked taking care of other people.
He grew up as fine and handsome young man, even though he still thought of himself as the small orphan boy. So he was surprised every time girls winked at him in town or when older women gave him something extra for free at the market. The smile he gave them was all the ladies were asking for. It drove Clint crazy whenever they went out together, because he got no attention at all and wasn’t he super good looking as well?
Steve didn’t really like the attention. He wasn’t very interested in women. He liked his life the way it was and he hoped that finally he was a little lucky and that things wouldn’t change anytime soon.
Life wasn’t that lucky for Natasha. She was twenty-something and normally girls were married at her age. She didn’t want to and Mr Fury let her make her own decisions. But there were times she didn’t have a choice. This was one of these times.
‘Why do I have to go?’ Natasha asked angrily. She sat on the couch with her arms and legs crossed and she wasn’t going to move anytime soon.
‘King Howard, the motherfucker, is organising a party for his son,’ sighed Mr Fury. ‘All the sons and daughters of important people like me have to go, so you have to go as well. Anthony will chose a partner that he might eventually marry, but if you keep scowling like that you don’t have to worry he will pick you. And even if the idiot does like you, you can still decline.’
‘Oh come on Tash, it will be fun!’ laughed Clint who was trying on all different kind of outfits. ‘We get to party and if you don’t dress too skimpy the prince won’t even look at you! You know what kind of girls he likes and you dress way too decent to ever attract his attention.’
‘I don’t see how that’s a party. And I thought this thing was only so he would finally meet a decent person,’ said Natasha. ‘So why doesn’t Steve have to go? Nobody is more decent than Steve.’
‘Because only kids of people like me can go,’ said Mr Fury. ‘And Steve isn’t officially adopted. If he wanted to go, he could. But he doesn’t want to, so he doesn’t have to. There is a special party for the parents too, so I have to go as well and damn, I would rather not. Now stop complaining and get ready.’
Steve sat a few meters away with a book. He smiled apologetic to Natasha. Clint tried to change his mind and make him join them, but Steve refused.
‘I don’t like parties and I’m not interested in the prince,’ he said. ‘I’m not good in such situations and I don’t know how to act in places like that. I would only end up embarrassing myself.’
‘I’m sure you wouldn’t,’ said Clint. ‘But stay here, I will get more attention from the ladies if you stay here!’
An hour later they were all gone and Steve was curled up on the couch reading his book, a blanket over his legs. He wish he had more time for himself like this, but he wouldn’t want to miss his new family either. When he got up to get himself a cup of tea he saw a flash of green light coming from the kitchen. Quickly he got up and slowly he walked to the kitchen. There was a man with dark hair standing in his kitchen.
Steve slowly approached him, but before he reached him the man turned around and looked him straight in the eyes.
‘So I was right!’ he laughed. ‘I wasn’t the only one uninvited! This is brilliant! Steve Rogers, right?’
‘Eh…yes,’ said Steve, not understanding anything of the situation.
‘Loki Laufeyson,’ introduced the other himself. ‘You and I are both adopted into an important family, but only because we don’t carry the name of our parents we are not invited to that party. Your entire family is there and you’re here on your own! Just like me!’
‘I don’t care,’ answered Steve. ‘What are you doing in my kitchen?’
‘I was searching for others who weren’t allowed to go. Simple magic trick. That is how I ended up here and I’m going to make sure you can go to the party! You can thank me later, I’ll be there too. Let’s show them that commoners like us can seduce Prince Tony too. May that best of us win!’
‘I’m not really interested in going there anyway,’ said Steve. ‘I prefer a relaxing night at home. So could you please leave?’
‘You’re not interested?’ asked Loki almost shocked. ‘This is the party of this year. You could become the partner of the king! Think of all the power you would have! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.’
‘I’m not interested in power,’ sighed Steve as he rolled his eyes.
Loki looked at him for a moment, trying to see if Steve was lying to him. ‘Not possible!’ he said. ‘We are alike. Both taken in by a family, but not officially adopted. We don’t carry the family name, so we weren’t allowed to come!’
‘I had the opportunity to go,’ explained Steve. ‘But I chose not to go, because I couldn’t care less.’
‘Too bad!’
With one snap of his fingers there was another bright green light. Steve shielded his eyes to protect them from the light. When he opened them again and lowered his arms he stumbled backwards. He was outside, in front of the castle. Not only had he moved, he was also wearing a beautiful tuxedo. He looked around, but Loki was nowhere in sight.
‘Shit,’ muttered Steve. The castle wasn’t that far away from his home, but walking back would still take him about two hours. Why did this have to happen to him? He was having such a relaxing night! He started walking, but a hand grabbed his arm and stopped him.
‘The entrance is that way!’ said Loki cheerfully and he pulled Steve to the castle. Within a minute they were inside.
The party was pretty relaxed, not at all what Steve had though it would be. There was soft music playing. Some people were dancing, others were chatting and laughing. He noticed Clint following the ladies around and Natasha was having a serious chat with a guy Steve recognized as one of the strongest knights of the country. He didn’t know his name. Other than that he didn’t recognize anyone.
Loki didn’t let go of his arm yet. Steve was pulled towards a large table with drinks and Loki picked something colourful. He finished it in one gulp. He let go of Steve’s arm to get another. With the second glass in his hand he walked away, like he had completely forgotten about the guy he dragged along with him.
Steve sighed and grabbed a glass of wine. Now that he was here he could drink a glass and then leave again. He would still have enough time to make the two hour trip home. If only Loki would snap his fingers again and get him back home. He took a sip and sighed again.
'You don't like these kind of parties much either?' asked someone who grabbed a glass himself.
‘No, I don’t really like parties. And I’m only here by accident, I shouldn’t be here, and I don’t want to be here, so I will leave soon,’ said Steve. He didn’t know why he was telling this to the other guy. Maybe it was his the kind way he spoke or the open smile. Probably just because he looked really good in his white tuxedo and with his dark hair and goatee. Steve didn’t know what type of guys he liked, but he decided he liked this guy.
‘What’s your name?’ asked the man.
‘Steve Rogers,’ he introduced himself.
‘Anthony Stark,’ said the other. ‘But you can just call me Tony.’
Steve eyes widened and he almost dropped his wine. He had thought that prince Anthony Stark was his type! He started to ramble apologies and his cheeks coloured until the prince started laughing.
‘No need to be so formal!’ he assured. ‘This party is all so people like us can have some casual conversations with each other. So relax! Want to go to the balcony? You look hot.’
Those last words made Steve only feel warmer, so he did follow the prince to the balcony. He wished he could take of his jacket or his bowtie, but that would be rude. He leaned against the balustrade and took another sip of wine.
‘So this entire party is only to find you a partner?’ he asked. Now that nobody else could see them he felt a little more confident. Only the prince could see him screw up here and he would never see him again anyway.
‘My old man wanted me to find someone ages ago,’ sighed Tony. ‘But I couldn’t be bothered. I’m not interested in finding someone to spend the rest of my life with. If I meet someone I like, I will try, but if it doesn’t work out, fine with me as well. So to annoy our almighty king I brought home the most annoying and stupid people you can imagine. He was so pissed every time I came back with another slutty girl. It drove him insane!’
‘You did that just to annoy your father?’ Steve asked surprised.
‘Yeah, I’m more into guys anyway. If he had known that he would have known I wasn’t serious about any of those girls. He never bothered to ask.’
‘He must be really busy with work and all,’ said Steve.
‘Yeah,’ sighed the prince and he rolled his eyes. ‘Too busy. I’ll definitely won’t act like that when I’m the damn king. But what the hell are we talking about. I’m on the balcony, alone with a hot guy! In any other situation we would be touching.’
Steve blushed so heavily that Tony started laughing again. ‘Just kidding, just kidding, but you do look good. So, do you want to dance?’
‘I can’t dance,’ answered Steve as he emptied his drink. ‘I never danced before.’
‘You’re a commoner,’ said Tony surprised. When Steve nodded Tony grinned at him. ‘I don’t care that you’re not supposed to be here or that you don’t want to be here. You gotta tell me the story behind that one day, but for now, we are going inside to dance. Come on, I’ll teach you!’
He grabbed Steve’s hand and pulled him inside. Steve didn’t protest. He just followed the prince to the dance floor and tried not to have eye contact with anybody else. He doubted anyone would recognize him, but he didn’t want to risk it.
Tony grabbed his hand and his waist and swayed over the dance floor. He told Steve to follow his lead and it went pretty well. His toes came out of it unharmed. They talked a little and laughed together. When they were thirsty they went to get another drink. The prince wasn’t what Steve had expected him to be at all. He loved to tease and joke around, but he could be serious when he wanted to. The more wine they drank the more fun he became. Steve had been enjoying himself. He enjoyed himself so much that he had completely forgotten about the time. Only when the clock hit twelve he looked up.
‘Oh no,’ he whispered. ‘I have to go! I must go!’ He knew the party would end in an hour. Before his family would get back in their coach and drive home it would be at least another half an hour. But walking home was two hours. He had to get home before they arrived. Where was Loki? Why didn’t he just snap his fingers again to teleport him back?
Without another word he ran out of the door. The prince hurried after him, but he wasn’t quick enough. When he stood on top of the stairs he didn’t see Steve anywhere anymore. Steve was running through the woods. The road would lead around the woods and this short cut had to help him to get home back in time. He ran and ran and ran and didn’t stop until he arrived home. It was still dark inside, so his family wasn’t home yet. There was no time to catch his breath. He ran to his room, quickly got out of the tuxedo and pushed the garment somewhere in the back of his closet. Nobody could ever find these clothes, he wasn’t supposed to have them. He would have to bury them sometime or burn them, but not now. There was no time to do it now. Quickly he lay down in his bed. When he finally caught his breath he heard the front door open.
His family members all went to bed quietly and soon there was only the sound of the ticking clock left. Steve was still wide awake. By now the adrenaline had stopped running through his body, so why was his heart still beating so fast?
He didn’t sleep much, but the next morning he was brimming with energy. He felt happy and silly and he hoped it wouldn’t show on his face. He met Natasha and Clint in the kitchen waiting for breakfast. Steve grabbed the things he needed and started to prepare the food.
‘Was the party fun last night?’ he asked. He knew it would be suspicious if he wouldn’t ask about it. They hadn’t said anything about seeing him last night, so he hoped they hadn’t noticed.
‘It sucked,’ said Natasha.
‘It was awesome!’ laughed Clint and he started to tell animatedly about the many things that had happened the night before and with how many girls he had danced.
‘So, will you see any of those girls ever again?’ asked Steve as he handed them their plates. He took a plate himself and he sat down as well.
Clint smirked. ‘I’m sure I’ll see a few of them again!’ he bragged. Natasha laughed at those words.
‘They were all trying their best to get away from him without hurting his feelings!’ she stated. ‘Don’t expect any of them to turn up at our front door.’
‘How would you know!’ Clint asked a little angry. ‘You were talking to that Banner guy the entire evening.’
‘He was the only interesting guy in the room!’ Natasha argued. ‘Probably the only one with brains as well. He didn’t want to be there either. We just stayed together so we wouldn’t die of boredom.’
Clint protested and Steve laughed. They were always bickering like this and it was probably never going to change, but secretly they were the best of friends and they had both enjoyed the party in their own way.
When the doorbell rang Natasha quickly got up, ending her discussion with Clint at the same time. She disappeared out of the kitchen and Steve started to clean up the dishes. Both he and Clint looked surprised when they heard the front door close only a few seconds after it had opened. Natasha walked back into the kitchen and sat down like nothing had happened.
‘Who was at the door?’ Clint asked.
‘Nobody,’ answered his sister. But right after she said that the doorbell rang again.
‘A persistent nobody,’ grinned Clint, but he didn’t move to open the door. So Steve dried his hands and went to open the door. The moment he opened it he understood why Natasha had closed it again. On the other side of the door stood Tony Stark, crown prince of their country. As if on reflex he closed the door again and he ran back to the kitchen.
‘What the hell?’ asked Clint. ‘What kind of monster stand in front of our door that makes the two of you like this?!’
He stood up and went to open the door. Steve and Natasha sat in silence at the table. Natasha was biting her nails and Steve couldn’t stop his shaking legs. For a moment their eyes met and they both looked extremely nervous.
‘I’m not going to marry him!’ said Natasha. ‘I greeted him, that is all. He can’t possibly want me because of the way I greeted him, right? I’m not going to marry him!’
‘You can say no,’ piped Steve. His chest felt tight and he had a hard time breathing. He tried to swallow, but his throat was dry. A thousand questions ran through his head. Why was Tony here. Had he recognized Steve. Did he come here for Steve in the first place? Did he want Natasha instead? Why did it hurt thinking about that? There were no answers.
The two of them listened intently to how Clint apologised and asked what he could do for the prince. They couldn’t hear his reply, but not much later there were footsteps and the front door closed. Natasha’s eyes grow wide when the footsteps came closer to the kitchen. The door opened and Clint and Tony entered.
Natasha stood up. ‘I’m not ever going to marry you!’ he stated before she walked out of the kitchen.
Tony blinked at the door where she disappeared. ‘And I thought the welcome couldn’t get any warmer,’ he muttered.
Clint laughed. ‘She fears nothing, but a cage, if you know what I mean.’
Tony grinned and nodded. ‘The castle is one hell of a cage. But I’m not here for her.’
Steve held his breath as the prince turned to look at him. He could see Clint’s confused expression and it would have been funny if he wouldn’t be so scared.
‘Could you leave us alone for a few moments?’ Tony asked Clint. Clint left the room, but not before he gave the two men a warning look.
‘So,’ started Tony as he sat down at one of the chairs at the table. ‘Why did you run away? I followed you, but you were so quick that I couldn’t even see where you had gone. I was very lonely the rest of the evening.’ He showed Steve a very childish pout.
‘I told you, I wasn’t supposed to be there,’ said Steve. He sighed. ‘Do you believe in magic?’
‘I think it exists, but I’ve never seen it,’ answered the prince.
‘I was here at home and out of nowhere appeared this guy named Loki. He started rambling that he and I were the same and I protested, but before I knew it he zapped me to the castle and I was wearing a tuxedo.’
‘He does have good taste,’ grinned Tony. ‘So now I know how you got there, but why did you run? I was having fun and I thought you were too. You’re one of Fury’s boys, even if you’re not officially adopted, nobody would have minded.’
‘I had to get home before my family did,’ Steve explained. ‘They thought I was home and if I wouldn’t be there they would freak out.’
‘You got a point. But I could have brought you home. Would have been a lot quicker and a lot less sweaty. Unless you like things sweaty.’
Steve’s cheeks turned a little red, but other than that he completely ignored that last remark. ‘How did you find me?’
Tony took something out of his pocket and put it on the table. It was one of Steve’s cufflinks. ‘I found this on the stairs and I knew it was yours. Thought I could use it to find you back.’
Steve’s eyes widened. ‘You….just with that?’
Tony started laughing. ‘You told me your name last night, Steve Rogers. And I saw you looking at Natasha a few times, so I figured you knew her. I was planning to ask her about you, but when you opened the door I knew I found what I’d been looking for.’
‘Sorry about slamming the door in your face,’ muttered Steve.
‘I was surprised,’ said the prince. ‘Most people would love to have me, but here two people try their best to keep me out! Apology accepted, only because it was such an interesting experience.’
‘So…eh,’ stuttered Steve. ‘Why are you here?’
‘Well, you know what the party was for,’ smirked Tony. ‘I had to find myself a partner and the only interesting person I met ran away. I came to get him.’
‘Me?!’ Steve asked surprised. ‘I’m just a commoner, nothing special about me!’
‘So?’ asked Tony. ‘Maybe that is why I like you! We’re going horse riding in the woods and if we still like each other after that, who knows what will happen!’
‘But..’
That moment the door slammed open and Clint entered the room. ‘Really, Steve, are you going to even question that?! You are so going with him! Only if you had a real terrible evening last night you are allowed to stay here.’
‘You’ve been eavesdropping?!’ asked Steve shocked.
‘Of course,’ said Natasha from behind her brother. ‘We had to know what was going on. Who knows what he was up to! He could have wanted to hurt you, so we had to stay close by.’
Tony snorted. ‘Whatever, as long as you let him come with me.’ He grabbed Steve’s hand and pulled him out of the door. Clint and Natasha watched them leave and grinned at each other when they noticed Steve didn’t let go of Tony’s hand.