[From Boxed In]

...

"Ok first of all, this is not my fault. Second of all, I like dark, tight spaces" I mused, standing behind her. Strangely enough it brought back memories of my bedroom when I was a kid…..among other things like that one time in college with Claire. That for sure takes top 5 reasons for my like of dark spaces.

Flashback:

Tony had brought Claire along with him to one of the many parties that he had been invited to. This time however, Claire was Tony's plus one and no one at the party knew her. Usually they would be invited as a package deal except for this time. As the night wore on the crowd got tipsy with the alcohol raging throughout it. The few who were still sober enough to function decided to get a game going. Chuck, one of the hosts eyed Claire over by the bar talking with Tony when a thought struck him.

"Hey lets get a game going." He suggested, already plopping himself down on one of the sofas. A chorus of agreement was heard as other students gathered around the circle. The instigator looked up to spot Tony and Claire eyeing the group thoughtfully but not making a move.

"Hey Tony why don't you and your friend come join us." Chuck insisted. Tony eyed him warily, not trusting what the man's intentions where by how he was eyeing Claire but finally agreed when Claire started tugging him along. He found a spot right next to her, close enough where she wouldn't notice his protective stance but the other boys in the circle would.

"What kind of game?" He inquired once they were all settled. Chuck chuckled deviously.

"7 minutes in heaven." He announced, getting a mixture of responses.

"What are we 15?" Claire asked incredulously, amused that he would actually be suggesting it. Chuck grinned at her.

"No but I just thought will all this alcohol and sexual tension going on here it would make things interesting. And you're friends with Tony, I'm surprised you aren't used to him doing this stuff all the time." He joked. Tony chuckled obnoxiously, shooting Chuck an unamused glare. With that he started handing out pieces of paper for them to write their names on. Once everyone's names were sorted the drawing began. A couple rounds went by and neither Tony or Claire had been picked yet. For this next round Chuck came back from his turn, a bit put out that it wasn't Claire as he had hoped for. When the bowl came to Tony he eagerly put his hand in and shuffled the papers around dramatically, shooting winks at the other girls in the circle. As he finally drew one out and looked down at the handwriting his heart jumped. Frowning at his frozen expression Claire leaned over to peer down at the paper and her brows shot up. It was her name. She was supposed to be going into a dark and….well used…..closet with Tony. The boy beside Tony decided to find out what was going on since the two were speechless.

"Alright Tony and Claire, you lucky dog!" he shouted drunkenly, tapping Tony on the shoulder in appreciation. A round of shouts and cheers was heard as the two dazed friends were practically dragged over and shoved into the closet. Once the door was shut and they were plunged into darkness they finally broke out of their panicked trances. Tony coughed awkwardly as he could feel the heat from the other couple's previous romp in the room. That paired with how close Claire was to him was driving him insane. He still hadn't been able to get over his crush just yet and this situation was not helping anything. Claire was in a similar situation as she was just as attracted to him as he was to her. Claire shifted on her feet, creating a friction between their bodies and Tony's eyes widened in alarm. He clenched his eyes shut tightly, hoping that she couldn't feel anything stiffening up. That would be an awkward conversation.

"So…" She began, desperately wanting him to say something…anything.

"So…..we should probably do something." Tony started off awkwardly.

"What? Are you suggesting we…" she asked him in alarm. Was this really how he wanted it to go? Tony stuttered.

"W…Not necessarily. I just meant I have a reputation to uphold and you know…" he chuckled nervously. Claire nodded. This made more sense.

"So you're proposing that we fake it…..to make it look like something actually happened. Cause god forbid you tarnish your womanizing reputation." She snorted, hoping he didn't pick up on her disheartened tone. Tony smiled as he scratched the back of his neck.

"No I can't have that. And this could be fun. I mean you have to admit I'm much better than Chuck or some other knucklehead out there." He pointed out. Claire grinned to herself.

"Yes I can admit that." She told him quietly, not able to see the proud grin that graced his face. They stood there in silence for a moment longer, unsure of how to begin.

"You need some help getting started there Romeo?" Claire jeered, easing the tension growing between them. Tony chuckled and grabbed her face, bringing it closer to his own. Her eyes widened and she swallowed thickly.

"What are you doing?" she asked him breathlessly. Tony paused at the feeling of her so close to him.

"Just getting your hair all messed up. This is normally what I would do anyway if we were actually going through with this." He whispered, trying to keep his emotions in check. Claire nodded.

"Good idea." she agreed quickly. She began reaching for his shirt, pulling it out and unbuttoning a couple buttons. Playing along Tony ran his hands along her body, getting her clothes all mused up. They both went at it, making noises which caused them to giggle at how silly they were acting. All the while they enjoyed taking advantage of the situation to have their hands on one another in a more romantic sense. Finally after a few moments of activity they slowed to a stop, still breathing heavily from the fun they were having goofing off with one another. Tony sighed and held her by the shoulders. He could finally make her out in the darkness and he gulped at how sexy she looked. He had done this for real with so many girls but this time it felt more….real….intense….blissful. He watched her intently as Claire leaned in to hover over his lips, glancing down at them. Taking the plunge she leaned in and pressed a good soft kiss to his lips. Tony's eyes fluttered shut as he took in their first and possibly only kiss. Breaking away he stared down at her, taking in everything he could before this moment would come to an abrupt end.

"What was that for?" he asked quietly. Claire cleared her throat, pulling back as far as she could in the space.

"I just thought you should have some of my lipstick on you." She explained tensely. That was part of the reason.

"Good idea." he muttered lowly, not as pleased with her reasoning as he wanted to be. Tony opened his mouth to say something but he was cut off by the door flying open, instantly blinding the two of them. Chuck groaned.

"Aw come on I wanted to catch you naked!" he pouted, obviously having more to drink than before. Tony glared and shoved past him, tugging Claire along behind him. The rest of the night, Tony couldn't help but think back to their time in the small dark closet.