Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.

Challenges listed at the bottom.

Word Count - 1464

Fic Detail - TonySteve Fluff

Love At First Sight

Tony didn't believe in love at first sight. He thought it was a romantic ideal that couldn't actually be possible. Sure, he'd felt lust at first sight, many times in fact, but he didn't believe that you could instantly fall in love with someone the moment you met them.

That was until he met Steve Rogers.

Steve was perfect, in the most infuriating ways. Or he was until you got to know the man behind the shield. That he was imperfect in the best ways possible. If Tony hadn't believed he was in love on their first meeting, he knew it shortly after that.

There was just something about him that drew Tony in, hook line and sinker.

He thought that was why he invited the team to move into the mansion without much thought for the implications. Living with other people was an unknown that he wasn't quite prepared for, and yet… he didn't hate it.

…

"Will you please stop leaving your undergarments on my front lawn?" Tony complained, dropping his briefcase at the door. "Pepper is horrified by the fact that I'm basically running a frat house."

Clint and Thor both had the grace to look sheepish at least, and Tony rolled his eyes, accepting the mug of coffee that Steve handed over as soon as Tony reached the breakfast bar.

Instead of taking a seat like a normal person, Tony boosted himself up onto the bar and pulled his legs up, crossing them in front of him. Steve stared at him for a moment before he shrugged, turning his attention back to the meal he was cooking.

He snagged an apple from the nearby fruit bowl, his busy day catching up with his appetite. Besides, he always ate everything when Steve cooked, so it wasn't like he was ruining himself for his dinner.

Tuesday night was always Steve's night to cook, villains notwithstanding. He'd insisted on a schedule, so that there were at least a few nights a week that they ate semi-healthily. If it was left to Tony and Clint, they'd be living on takeaway food almost constantly.

"How was your day?" Steve asked, glancing up at Tony once more.

The sheer domesticity of it was almost enough to take Tony's breath away. He shrugged, eyes on the plum sweater Steve was wearing. "Eh. Meetings. Boring. Pepper tried to kill me with her louboutins. All in a day's work, I guess."

"Pepper did not try and kill you."

"How do you know that?" Tony asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Because if she'd tried, she'd have succeeded. Pepper is terrifying."

There was a long pause before Tony nodded. "Smart man."

...

"Wrong Lever!" Tony called into the comms, wincing when the lights went out. "Lift that one back up and hit the other one."

There was a momententary pause, and then Steve must have done as Tony asked, because the lights came on and the computer Tony had been trying to hack lit up.

Except, the screen wasn't at all enticing, given the countdown it was suddenly displaying.

"Shit," he muttered. "Everyone out, the place is rigged to blow."

He got various replies of assent, and focused on trying to pull what he could from the computer before he had to follow his own advice. Unfortunately, it was slow going, and with only seconds to spare, he burst out of the building and shot up, just as it exploded in a mess of fire.

When he landed, Steve was waiting for him, face like thunder. Tony knew it was the way Steve hid his worry, and he flipped the faceplate to show him that Tony was okay.

"Dammit, Tony," Steve muttered, the tension slowly leaving his shoulders. "You need to stop being so goddamn reckless! You're not limitless, you know?"

"I am majestic," Tony replied cheekily. "And slightly offended that you think there are limits I wouldn't cross."

"You know what I mean. You're human inside that tin can… and I'd like you to continue to be alive, okay?"

Softening, Tony reached out and squeezed Steve's shoulder with his gauntleted hand. "Sure thing, Cap."

…

Natasha said it was stealing. Tony said it was borrowing. Tomato, Tomahto.

It was only a jumper anyway, so it was fine, right?

The thing was, Tony hadn't actually meant to steal—or borrow—it. It just… happened. But he was ill, and crabby, and he wanted comfort, so he tugged Steve's jumper on over his pajamas and threw himself down on the sofa with a blanket.

That was where Steve found him. "Tony? Are you okay? You look awful."

"Peachy," Tony grumbled. "You sure know how to make a guy feel good about himself."

Steve blushed slightly, but sat down on the sofa beside Tony, feeling his head for a temperature. "You're burning up. Think you can take some of these layers off?"

Tony shook his head, gripping the sleeves of the jumper tightly, though he did allow Steve to tug away the blanket.

"I wondered where that jumper had gone," Steve said lightly, smiling. "Looks good on you though."

Tony wrinkled his nose slightly, because at that moment, he knew he couldn't possibly look good.

"You're just making this up as you go along," he accused. "You told me I looked awful a few minutes ago."

Steve shrugged and his blush intensified. "You look good in my clothes."

…

Steve was frowning at whatever movie Natasha had made him watch. Tony shuffled over to the sofa and kind of face-planted against Thor's leg.

Thor chuckled and immediately raised his hand to run his fingers through Tony's hair. Thor was the best sofa buddy when Tony was tired—he was more affectionate than most people and was always happy to shower Tony with cuddles when he wanted them.

"What's with the frown?" he asked, turning his head to look at Steve.

Steve shrugged slightly and nodded to the screen. "I just can't imagine loving in secret like that."

"It's a popular media trope," Natasha said, with a sigh. "Doesn't tend to happen often in real life, really. Unless someone is either still in the closet, or having an affair, I suppose."

"Why are people having relationships in closets?" Thor asked.

Clint spat his drink out while Tony chuckled.

"Being 'in the closet' means that you're not ready to be open about your sexuality," Tony explained. "It's a common term, Thor. They're not literally sitting in the closet."

"Still though," Steve said, shaking his head. "If I was lucky enough to be in a relationship with the person I love… I'd want the world to know."

Tony swallowed hard when he realised Steve's eyes were on him.

…

Steve had charcoal stains on his fingers. Tony didn't know why he'd noticed that, but he had and he couldn't tear his eyes away.

Perhaps it was because Steve was waxing lyrical about asking someone out on a date and Tony really didn't want to hear about it.

"Tony? Are you even listening to me?"

Tony looked up, caught out, and felt his cheeks head. He tried to cover it, but he didn't think it was any use. "Uh, sure Cap. You should… do… the thing. Ask the person. The thing."

Steve stared at him for a long moment, and then he softened and reached out, gently wrapping his hand around Tony's wrist and tugged him up off the stool he was perched on, and towards Steve until he was standing between Steve's legs.

"For a genius, you can be entirely blind to someone's interest in you," Steve murmured.

Tony blinked. "You… you were talking about me?"

"Tony… you're the only person who's had my attention since the very first time I met you. How could I have been talking about anyone else?"

"Um."

Steve stroked a hand across Tony's cheek. "Do you… have I been reading this wrong? Do you not feel the same? I swear, if you don't, I'll let it drop. Nothing has to change. I just… I had to know."

Shifting forwards, Tony pressed his face against Steve's jumper and sighed. "I fell in love with you the moment I met you."

Steve's arms wrapped around him, and he relaxed slightly, dropping a tension Tony hadn't even realised he was carrying. "I'm glad it wasn't just me. Makes me feel like less of a sap."

"Steve Rogers, did you just call me a sap?" Tony asked, pulling back to glare at the super soldier.

Steve smirked impishly. "Did I say that? Must be true then, huh?"

"Ugh, why did I think that you were ever anything but a troll?"

Laughing, Steve shook his head and then pressed a kiss to Tony's temple. "Come on, Genius. Let's go and get dinner, huh?"

"Like a date?"

"Yeah. Like a date."

Written for:

HPFC - Trick or Treat - Malfoy Family, 15. Apple

Assorted Appreciation - 2. "You're just making this up as you go along."

Book Club - 7. Lukas - "I can't imagine loving in secret like that." / Charcoal / Love at first sight / Stealing

Showtime - 5. Romance

Angel's Archives - 28. "Will you stop leaving your undergarments on my front lawn?"

Film Festival - 22. "Wrong Lever!"

Wacky Wandmaker - Tamarack (Unknown) / Unicorn Hair (Majestic)

Sci-Fi - Apocalypse - Collecting Supplies - Homewares - Cooking a meal

Game Night - Plum

365. 359. Limitless