Alrighty guys, here's the fixed version of chapter 2. I don't know why it posted in HTML because that's not what it looked like when I uploaded to my Doc Manager. Oh well. Thank you to JenJo for telling me about the problem with the chapter. That's what I get for posting at 3AM and not checking it after. You rock!
Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed, I'm really glad you like the story! And here's the fixed second chapter for you!
Steve didn't talk to Tony for another two weeks.
At first he thought maybe it was because Tony was busy, he was a popular guy, his dad ran a prestigious company, and he was a smart person in smart people classes and the only class Steve had with Tony was AP Psych. But after the first couple of days he would see Tony in the hall, wave, and get nothing in return. He could stare at Tony for extended periods of time (in a not creepy was because Steve wasn't creepy or obsessed or anything, honest) in the cafeteria during lunch and not get so much as a glance. Even on days when Tony did come to AP Psych, he would always sit on the opposite side of the room from Steve, almost like he was trying to get away from him. Which was ridiculous, because they had only spoken to each other all of one time.
"Maybe he's only interested in bad boys," his friend, Clint Barton, said to him and he flung green beans into Bucky's mouth with a spoon one day at lunch. His aim was spectacular, Bucky didn't even have to try. "And you are hardly a 'bad kid.'"
"Make sense," Bucky said, catching another bean in his mouth. He didn't bother swallowing before continuing, "Bad boy wouldn't be attracted to a goody-two shoes. And Steve, better than that, dude, you're a fucking saint."
"Language," Steve said absently, again staring over at Tony's table where he was laughing with a couple of his football friends and some pretty girls.
Bucky rolled his eyes. "This is my point, man," he picked up his fork and starting flinging pieces of corn at Clint with nowhere near the accuracy Clint had. "You don't even like to say the word 'damn', and have you heard Tony Stark talk? I don't think he's ever uttered a sentence that didn't have the words 'fuck,' 'bitch,' or 'shit' in it."
Steve shrugged and went back to moodily stabbing at his mashed potatoes. It wasn't his fault that he was such a nice guy, he couldn't help it. It was the way he was raised. His single widowed mother had tried her hardest to instill good morals into Steve all his life. She was always there for him even if she had to work double or triple shifts at the hospital to pay the bills and feed their little family. He always felt that if he did anything against those morals he would be letting his mother down, and the last thing he wanted to do was disappoint her. Plus, having your mouth washed out with soap every time you curse tends to condition you not to use "such vulgar language."
"Steve, your Salisbury Steak is already dead, you don't have to kill it again," his other friend, Sam Wilson, said as he sat down with his tray. "Why is Steve stabbing innocent lunch meats?"
"He's upset because his pretty boy crush won't acknowledge his existence," Clint said around a mouthful of food. Bucky reached across to smack him across the head, but Clint ducked away before he could hit him.
"He's getting frustrated because Tony doesn't seem interested in talking to him anymore, so he's taking it out on his food while simultaneously eating copious amounts of it."
"I'm an emotional eater," Steve grumbled through a mouthful of mashed potatoes and gravy covered steak, waving his forkful of green beans around dangerously.
"Wait, why isn't he talking to you?" Sam looked confused. "I thought you said he seemed pretty interested in you? You guys even said you would hang out sometime."
"Well, that was when Steve was the misunderstood freshman hero in detention with Stark," Buck said. "Me and Barton think that maybe he's not interested anymore because Steve doesn't seem like a bad boy any more."
"Steve as a bad boy? That's the most-" Sam started, sounding completely incredulous, but cut off at the look on Steve's face. "-that's like a weird thing to think, why would he think that?"
"Because he got detention the first day of school for breaking some dickbags nose," Clint explained. "It's been two weeks and I know for a fact Stark has had detention every one of those days, and he hasn't seen Steve in there again."
"Well, this seems like an easy solution," Sam said, picking up his fork and scraping all his green-beans on to Steve's plate before digging in with vigor. "Just get detention again. There, problem solved."
Steve sighed. "Sam, if I get detention again my mom will kill me. She already took away my PlayStation for getting the one last time, even if she did understand why I did it. I just got it back, dude, I can't lose my COD again. I need it, Sam. I neeeeeed it."
"No, that's a good idea!" Bucky said, jumping into the conversation.
"I don't know," Clint said smiling, "getting detention on purpose? Seem's like a pretty stupid idea, actually."
"No, no, this is good," Bucky looked so genuinely excited. "Just do something stupid, make it look like an accident. Then your mom can't get mad, you can see Tony in detention and get him to fall in love with you, everyone wins!"
"No, that is ridiculous," Steve said gathering his trash and standing to throw it away. "Getting detention just to talk to a guy I like when I can just go over to him and say hi like a normal person?"
"Well if that's how you feel about it, why don't you just go over there and say hi now?" Clint smiled.
"Are you kidding, that's terrifying," Steve said, shouldering his backpack and starting to walk away. "I'll just suffer in si-"
He should've seen it coming. He really should've.
Looking back on it now he should've known that one of his dick friends would set him up like this, but he didn't even notice Sam casually stick his foot out when he was walking toward the trashcan, causing him to trip and stumble right into Mr. Killian, the biology teacher, causing him to spill hot tomato soup down the front of his bright white shirt. Steve was horrified. It was a total accident and he felt terrible that it happened, Sam was a literal asshole he was gonna kick him in the sack for that. But if he knew anything about Mr. Killian, he knew he wasn't about to let this go very easily.
"ROGERS!" He screamed at Steve, spit flying from his mouth and landing on Steve's face. He had to keep from flinching and wiping it off his face.
"I am so sorry sir, it was an accident, I really didn't mean to-"
"Detention, Rogers," Killian snarled at him. "Today after school, one hour with Coulson. Now go get me some napkins."
"Y-yes, sir." Steve jumped and ran towards the cafeteria lady to grab a handful on paper towels.
Meanwhile, Bucky, Clint, and Sam all high fived while still eating their food, acting like nothing had even happened.
"That was fan-fucking-tastic, Rogers! Didn't know you had it in you!" Steve nearly groaned and dropped his head to his desk in embarrassment. All day today, no matter who he tried to explain it to, it was an accident, I swear, I tripped, no one would listen. Instead they congratulated him on pissing off and embarrassing one of the hardest and meanest teachers in Shield High School.
"Gosh, not you too," Steve groaned. "It was an accident, why does no one believe me!?"
"Oh, I know it was an accident, I saw that Wilson kid trip the shit out of you, that was totally intentional of him, he wanted trouble." However, no matter how much Tony believed that Steve hadn't meant to do it, he still couldn't stop smiling and cracking up when he saw the frustration on Steve's face. "Why would he trip you anyway?" Tony asked. "You piss him off or something?"
"No," Steve grumbled, moodily dropping his backpack onto his desk. "He did it because he's an ass, that's why he did it."
"Well," Tony laughed, " I'm glad he did. It was worth it to see the look on Killian's face, and now I get to spend some time with my new detention buddy, so double win."
Steve felt his face heat up at being called Tony's 'detention buddy' and tried his hardest to push the blush down. He blush way too easily and he always felt so betrayed by his body when it did it. Tony had made his way up to his seat at Coulson's desk, again reaching into the bottom drawer to pull out his big bag of candy bars.
"Want one?" Tony asked, holding the bag up.
"Uh.. sure. Yeah." Tony tossed a couple of Butterfingers his way and they sat in companionable silence for a bit before Tony spoke up again.
"Haven't seen you in here the past couple weeks," Tony said carefully. "Thought maybe you were bailing out on me. Ever since Rhodey joined the ROTC I haven't had anyone to go to Club: Detention with."
"I bailed on you?" Steve couldn't help but blurting. "You're the one who said we should hang out again sometime and then didn't talk to me for two weeks."
"Yeah," Tony rubbed his neck sheepishly, "that is totally my fault. I'm always busy outside of school and I'm always late to AP Psych so all the seats in the front near you are taken already. Plus, whenever I see you in the hall you're always with one of your friends and I... I guess I was just to nervous to interrupt you. I figured I catch you eventually." Tony laughed. "I guess detention is the only time I can really get you to myself."
Steve was definitely blushing now, and nothing he told his body to do would happen. "It's okay," Steve said quietly. "It's not entirely your fault. I could've found ways to talk to you too, I guess."
"Nah, it's chill," Tony said. They sat in awkward silence for a moment before speaking again. "You beat up any more bullies lately? I haven't heard any tales of woe from the freshmen lately."
"No," Steve laughed. "I haven't seen Hodge and his cronies around lately, so I guess they learned their lesson for now."
"Yeah, I saw him a couple days after!" Tony said excitedly, pointing enthusiastically at Steve. "Yeah, he's in my computer science class! Came in with two black eyes, a splint on his nose, and a split lip. That is one mean left hook you've got there."
"Yeah, well... I work out." Oh gosh, Steve, really? 'I work out,' what the hell is wrong with you!?
Fortunately Tony didn't say anything, instead giving Steve an up-and-down look that made Steve all tingly inside before saying, "Yeah, I bet you do."
And of course that was the moment Mr. Coulson decided to walk into the room and interrupt their awkward flirting. Steve had never been so irritated with a teacher in his life. Being in here and talking with Tony all this time and suddenly detention didn't seem like such a bad thing.
"Mr. Stark. Feet. Off. Now." Tony lifted his feet off the desk and instead rested them on the filing cabinet next to said desk, smirking the whole time.
"Phil, you're late. That's so uncharacteristic of you."
Coulson snorted. "Yeah, well, I had to listen to a teacher complain about an annoying, snarky, dark-haried kid in his class that won't stop talking."
"Phil, your words wound me!"
"Good." Coulson finally turned around and noticed Steve again sitting at one of the student desks.
"Mr. Rogers,"Coulson smiled, "didn't expect to see you in here again." But before Steve could offer up any kind of defense for himself, Tony started talking animatedly for him.
"You should've seen it, Phil! Totally knocked Killian's lunch all over himself! Man, I haven't seen him that mad since I passed out spitball straws in his class last year and stapled an "AIM HERE" sign to the back of his jacket."
"I was there, Mr. Stark."
"Come on, you know it was great."
"No talking, Mr. Stark." They sat again in surprisingly companionable silence for about five minutes before Coulson spoke up again. "I will admit, he does kinda look like an Oompa Loompa when he's angry." Steve and Tony both burst out laughing.
"See Phil, I knew you had a sense of humor."
"Don't call me Phil."
