I've had this idea for a while, and I finally got it typed out. Hope you enjoy - there will be a sequel of sorts later on, so watch for that!

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Tony Stark talks a lot.

It's the first thing people notice about him – Tony is always talking, waving his hands expressively with what he says. Most of the time, at parties and social functions, he talks about everything while saying nothing at all – it is, after all, something he's learned growing up in the spotlight. He doesn't really care what he says then, because there's a purpose to his talking. He's holding attention on him, or he's trying to get them to donate for something or other, or he's trying to get someone into bed with him.

(Well. He doesn't do that anymore. 'Playboy' has been removed from his list of titles, thank you, so he doesn't need to worry about talking to get someone into bed with him. Other people have tried, not believing that he's really faithful to Captain America, but it doesn't work, and he doesn't worry about it.)

But, when he's making conversation – a conversation he actually cares about, that is – he can talk about something that interests him for hours. It comes with being a genius – there's just so much that he can talk about, because he knows more than most people.

The problem comes when people begin to lose interest, because whatever he's talking about goes right over their heads. Most people don't understand particle physics or aeronautical engineering, so having nothing to relate to and therefore nothing to contribute in a conversation has most people either telling him "Hm, that's nice" or just flat out ignoring him.

It doesn't deter Tony, though. He knows he's a genius. He takes people not understanding what he's talking about as a compliment. Sure, it's nice to have someone to understand him and bounce ideas off of with Bruce, but they're also geniuses in their different respective fields, and he can't help feeling smug when it becomes very obvious that he's the smartest person in the room all the time.

He would protest that he doesn't talk about these things just to make himself feel smarter, but Steve knows the truth. He can see that gleam in Tony's eye that says he's enjoying others' confusion. He doesn't treat the other Avengers like that so much – only when he's really in a mood – but he doesn't stop himself when he gets bored enough at a high society charity event and feels like bragging in a way that won't be recognized as such to anyone who doesn't know him.

And Steve will stare at him from across the room, or even from right next to him, with a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. He plays along to Tony's whims, looking politely interested in a way that makes the others in the group around him feel obligated to pay just as much attention to the genius. He pretends he understands what Tony is talking about, making connections in his brain – and sometimes something he says will make sense – and he knows it will only inflate Tony's ego, but he doesn't care.

Because he knows just how to shut up the words spilling from his mouth – words designed to confuse even relatively simple concepts. He knows that as soon as they get back to the Tower, Steve will take him to bed, and use his own form of acumen to take away all trace of Tony's prided genius attributes. Under Steve's eye and skilled hands, he would turn Tony into a shuddering, quivering mess of need and arousal – and if Steve was careful enough in his ministrations, Tony would be so consumed with pleasure that he could only get out gasps and groans of Steve's own name.

And this was just the way Steve liked it. Knowing that he alone could bring Tony to that point where all of his IQ points would fly out the window gave him a heady rush. He didn't mind Tony's bored antics in public, his chattering away at rich socialites and the words and explanations that went over most everyone's heads. He didn't mind it because he knew that these moments, where Tony knew nothing outside of his need for his lover – they were all solely for him.

...

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you thought! :)