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Challenges listed at the bottom.

Word Count: 853

Not Even Mad

Tony stepped into the classroom, wincing when he saw the only empty seat was beside Barnes.

He'd heard about Barnes over the first few days of his new school, been told to stay away from him because he was the worst.

Tony usually didn't mind assholes, but apparently Barnes was in a league of his own, and it made Tony a little nervous.

He really didn't need any trouble here; he'd only barely convinced his father to let him transfer for his last year at school and the last thing he needed was to prove Howard right that it was a mistake.

He took the seat, staying as close to the edge as he could, and opened his book to the page noted on the board.

The teacher began talking, and Tony already knew he was going to hate this class. The teacher's voice was monotonous, and he was managing to make History even drier than the textbooks if that was at all possible.

He couldn't help but glance in Barnes' direction, and then down at the paper he was doodling on.

He snorted when he realised it was a rough sketch of the teacher, with 'blah blah blah' written around him, and Barnes looked at him and his lips tilted up.

"He could make the most interesting thing in the world duller than dishwater," Barnes muttered under his breath so only Tony could hear him. "And history ain't that interesting to begin with."

Tony could only nod, because hadn't he just been thinking the same thing?

But… Barnes didn't seem like much of an asshole. Not yet at least.

…

Weeks passed, and Tony still didn't see the side of Barnes that he'd been warned about. He'd been pleasant, even, and their 'under-their-breath' conversations were becoming the highlight of Tony's week.

"You want to ask me about it, don't you?" Barnes asked out of the blue one day, when he joined Tony under the tree he sat by at lunch. "Why people don't like me, I mean?"

Tony shrugged. "I didn't say that."

"You said it with your eyes. You've been looking at me curiously for weeks."

Tony smirked. "I figured you were an anarchist or something. I don't let other people judge people for me. I can do it just fine by myself."

"I want to come clean," Barnes—James—said, slouching into the grass. "I was a bad guy, you know? I was an asshole for my first year or two here, because of… home stuff. And… Yeah, I was the worst. But… the last year or so, I've been trying to be better, you know? I don't want to be the bad guy."

"Just because you've been a bad guy, doesn't mean you have to stay one," Tony replied, shrugging his shoulders. "And you've been fine with me. Call me stubborn, but I'm not going to be scared away by rumours, Barnes. Looks like you're stuck with me."

James smiled and Tony fell a little bit in love. "I'm not even mad at that."

…

So… Tony was a little bit in love but it was fine. He selfishly held his silence because he'd much rather have Barnes in his life as a friend than as nothing, and he was like, 82 percent sure that it was unrequited.

He'd get over it, he was sure.

It wasn't like he was going to start dressing in all black and moping around like an emo on a grief-high.

Besides, there was a freedom to accepting his feelings and moving right along.

And Barnes was fun to be around.

"Is there a reason you ignore the girls coming onto you?" Barnes asked out of nowhere. They were lounging in the park, night well past fallen.

Tony glanced at him. "They don't have the anatomy I'm interested in. Besides, it's always hard to know if someone actually likes me, or if they like the bank balance attached to me."

Barnes nodded thoughtfully. "That's probably a fair point."

"What about you? You've got the whole bad boy schtick, I've seen them glancing at you across the field longingly."

Laughing, Barnes nudged his shoulder. "Let's face it: None of us are ever gonna have a happy, normal relationship. We're doomed to be bachelors forever."

Tony snorted. "Probably."

…

"I can't believe you're going to MIT," Barnes complained. "I'm never going to see you again except for on the front of magazines."

Tony rolled his eyes. "There's a wonderful invention called a phone, you ass. You can still text me daily. I'll be mortally offended if you don't."

"Yeah?"

"Duh."

Barnes grinned. "Deal then. We're still gonna be bachelors forever, right? Gonna live in a fancy tower and have robots and shit?"

"Soon as I'm done with the schooling," Tony promised. "Told you that you're not gonna get rid of me."

Barnes smiled softly. "Yeah, I'm still not mad about that."

"Good."

…

Tony still loved Barnes, and he was still a 'bachelor' but he wasn't mad at it. Call him selfish, call him an idiot, but Barnes was his—regardless of labels.

He wasn't mad at that either.

Written For:

Showtime: 12. Selfish

Amber's Attic: 23. Anarchist

Elizabeth's Empire: 15. Unrequited Love

Liza Loves: 4. You're infamous for being an asshole, and I had to sit next to you in class. Turns out you're kinda nice one on one.

Lizzy's Loft: 8. "I want to come clean."

Angel's Archive: 6. Freedom

Scamander's Case: 9. Black

Film Festival: 25. "I didn't say that." / "You said it with your eyes."

Lyric Alley: 20. Just because you've been a bad guy

TV Spree: 24. "Let's face it: none of us are ever gonna have a happy, normal relationship."

Treasure Hunting: Poison Antidote: Stubborn