There are very many apologies that I must make for doing what I have been in uploading asdjfkhdsjkh I apologize dearly that this is so late.. Tumblr RP blog and school and Color Guard, again I apologize for putting Steve in it but sorry I'm not sorry. Ehehe. Anyway, updates are slowly coming when I have the time to put them in. This story and another have to be updated as well as a new idea that's in my head. All will come in due time, however. Now, onto what I can manage to write.

There were always a lot of things on Tony Stark's mind. How to try and please his father, what he needed to make for his next class, the designs for a new electronic for the company after they had stopped manufacturing weapons after the 'accident', but what had seemed to be one his mind more and more was his friend. Well, was best friend but they had been growing apart ever since Steve had decided to join Color Guard. They used to hang out all the time, go see movies or play video games at his house, but once he joined this activity, the young genius refused to acknowledge it as a sport, their time shrank astronomically.

Steve would spend his lunch period in the gym with the captain, running through drills and dancing as if there was no tomorrow. He would complain about how strict she was, but when someone else said something about the captain, Steve was there to defend. Hanging out after school had stopped on Mondays and Thursdays, the practices running from when school ended to eight at night. Four hours of torture and no time for any freedom. And then there was the deal with Saturday practices. Eight hours in the school going over drills, work, anything that they needed to go over. And Steve had said they didn't even have their show yet!

Now, though Tony never had an actual beef with the guard and the girls on it, the captain despised him. Always dirty looks, glares, and he had no idea why they were directed at him. When Steve joined, the looks just got dirtier and nastier, even shooting sneers and grimaces as well. Tony had no clue what her name was, no clue as to who she was, but the jealousy that she was taking up Steve's time with him, or more accurately vice versa, kept boiling up and rising to the point where he would curse her out on a daily basis to the others. Sitting at lunch now, Steve missing from the group once again, today seemed to be one of those days.

"-Always trying to get him to spend more time with her, running him into the ground and exhausting him beyond belief. I can't stand how she looks at him either!" Tony fumed as he sat there at the table, leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed over his chest in a huff of rage. The rest of them had heard this enough times to last them through their entire lives, and though they would put their input in, Tony would ignore and just keep on going. It was getting annoying for him to do that, though, and they were getting pissed at him with each sentence that spilled from his mouth.

"She's looking at him like a captain is supposed to look after their teammates." Of course Clint had to try and shut Tony up for the umpteenth time that lunch period, but he was only brushed off once more, everyone else just not bothering anymore.

"She looks at him like a predator to prey! It's as if she's going to eat him up any moment!"

"I'm sure she won't. I don't think she's the type to hit one someone that quickly," Natasha said as she looked to Tony, only for the male to huff and roll his eyes to her.

"Don't judge a book by its cover."

"Like you're not doing that right now? I don't know why you two hate each other so much, but you're judging her more than you think we are."

"And why does that bother you if he manages to get a girlfriend in that sport?" That particular question shut Tony up, his lips pursing as he glared to Clint before looking down at the table. Why was he so upset if Steve was seeing other people and moving onto another group of friends? He had to think about that for a while, but when he did think about it, the answer never pleased him. There was always a nagging sensation at the back of his head that continued saying 'Mine. He's mine and I don't want anyone else to be near him'. And though that was a big part in why he was upset, he refused to dive deeper into his thoughts just to find out what the problem was.

"Because he deserves better than that bitch," Tony muttered as he kept his head down, arms still crossed over his chest as he seemed to be curling into himself. If his head was up and he was looking around to the rest of the people sitting at the table, he would have noticed they were looking to something behind him. The only thing that had brought Tony out to reality was a slam of a book on the table right near him. Jolting back and raising his eyes, the teen looked up to see Steve standing there, a frown on his face as he looked to him.

"I'd rather you not call her a bitch," he said sternly, then looking to Bruce and handing the book he slammed down over to him. "Thank you for letting me borrow this. It was great." That was all Steve said before he walked out and back towards the gym, shoulders tense as he made his way out of the lunchroom. Watching Steve walk out, the frown that he was given and the look in his eyes when he looked down to him, the disappointment that showed as clear as day made his heart sink, his chest clench, and his teeth grit.

The table fell into silence not long after, and when the silence was starting to become deafening, when Tony couldn't stand to sit there anymore, he got up and left, hands stuffed into his pockets as he headed towards his locker. Steve just had to come in at that moment, when he was at his weakest as he tried to make himself feel better about his friend joining something without him. It hurt to have the other look at him like that, to be talked to like he was. Another pain drove through his heart and he ground his teeth together once more, shaking his head as he walked through the halls. Something had to be done about their relationship. It needed to get back to what it was. How that was going to happen, Tony didn't know. But he needed to do something quickly. Christmas was coming up and people were expecting him to throw the usual party that the always held. Maybe Steve could come and he could try to patch things up? He could only hope.

Leah, Steve had learned the captain's name not long after joining and was finally able to remember it, had let the guard go early from lunch so they could go wherever they needed to. Because of this, Steve had thought that he could stop by the table, apologize to them and see how Tony was doing. The two of them were spending less time with each other every week, but he always made sure to try and see him whenever he could. Though Guard was fun, he still missed his friends, and only being able to see Tony in class, not even as much anymore with seat changes in their science class and their gym becoming more quiet, it wasn't enough.

These thoughts were on his mind as he entered the lunch room and started making way to their usual table, but the conversation being held there caught his ears and made him stop for a moment, brows furrowing as he listened in.

"-She's looking at him like a captain is supposed to look after their teammates."

"She looks at him like a predator to prey! It's as if she's going to eat him up any moment!"

"I'm sure she won't. I don't think she's the type to hit one someone that quickly,"

"Don't judge a book by its cover."

"Like you're not doing that right now? I don't know why you two hate each other so much, but you're judging her more than you think we are."

"And why does that bother you if he manages to get a girlfriend in that sport?" Steve's heart clenched as he waited for Tony to answer that question as he was asked, his mind swimming as to why the other would even care about who he was seeing. Maybe Tony cared for him the same way he cared for the other. Maybe they could have a chance together if it was anything more. But the answer that was given, what was said, made him stop in his tracks with that thought and frown, his mood turning south with the language and the shooting down of his hopes as he went over to give the book back.

"Because he deserves better than that bitch."