To say that things are weird between Steve and Tony would be an understatement. Steve hasn't been to the diner in days. While they usually talk frequently, they haven't spoken since the party. Tony hasn't even really seen him since then, other than a few glimpses in a crowd of other students. Steve is clearly avoiding him, and Tony can't blame him.
Eventually, he gets tired of this. He misses his boyfriend. So, when he sees him in the library that afternoon, he can't help himself. He slides into the seat across from him.
"Um… hi." Tony tells Steve, starting their first conversation in a couple days.
Steve looks up and his eyes widen when he sees Tony sitting across from him. "Hi."
He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. "So, Friday night was weird."
"You remember it?" Steve sounded both shocked and exasperated.
"Yeah, I don't like to drink that much."
Steve stuffs his hands in his pockets and avoids his eyes. "I'm sorry I ran out. I got nervous."
"You have nothing to be sorry for." Tony is quick to dismiss that idea. "I said some pretty serious stuff and I scared you off. That's entirely my fault. If you want to breakup or whatever, I'll understand."
"Is that what you want?"
Tony scoffs. "Did you even listen to me the other night?"
He takes a deep breath before saying, "I want you to meet my mom."
"What?"
"I got home Friday night and told her everything. She wants to have you over for dinner. I just didn't really know how to talk to you about it."
All the breath leaves his lungs and a grin spreads across his whole face. He can't believe that, not only are they staying together, but Steve wants him to meet his mom. "That sounds amazing. When?"
"Wednesday?"
"Okay."
That Wednesday, Tony is extremely nervous and rightfully so. He has dressed up in a collared shirt with a new pair of jeans. He knows that he doesn't need to be so freaked out, but he has an intense desire to be liked by Sarah Rodgers because he knows that this could make or break their relationship.
Right now, they are standing outside of Steve's apartment, waiting for Tony to be ready to go in. Tony taps his foot on the ground anxiously and fidgets with the hem of his shirt.
"How do I look?" Tony asks him, pulling at his collar.
Steve laughs at him good naturedly. "You didn't need to dress up! This is a casual thing."
"I know, but I really want her to like me." Tony looks down at what he's wearing. "Plus, I'm not really that dressed up."
"You aren't wearing a t shirt, which is pretty dressed up for you." Tony grins halfheartedly and Steve's joke, too preoccupied to appreciate the insult.
"I'm wearing my vans though."
"Good. If you wore anything else, I'd be convinced you were a clone." That makes Tony feel a little better, so he takes a deep breath.
"Is everything good? I think I'm ready."
"Hold on, your collar is a little crooked." Tony hurriedly reaches up to fix it, but Steve quickly stops him. "No, you just made it worse. Here let me help you."
He walks over and stands in front of Tony, reaching up to fix his collar. They are so close that Tony can feel the heat from Steve's breath on his face. He feels a blush rise to his cheeks as Steve puts his hands on his shirt. He folds over the back and smooths it out.
"Thanks." He breaths.
They part and Steve turns and unlocks the door. When they walk in, they are met by a woman in her early fifties, with blonde hair that is peppered with grey. She immediately gives them the biggest smile when she sees them. She pulls Steve into a hug and he returns it, before she turns and gives Tony a hug as well. He is floored for a moment before hugging her back.
''Hello, you must be Tony. It's so lovely to meet you." She tells him, ushering him into the kitchen.
"It's so good to meet you too, Ms. Rodgers." He greets her.
"Please, call me Sarah."
"Okay." He takes off his brown bomber jacket and folds it gently over one of the chairs in their dining room. "I've heard lots of good things about you."
"I could say the same to you." She tells him with a knowing smile. "I made a lasagna; I hope that's okay."
"Yeah, that sounds amazing." He tells her, surprised. He was not expecting an actual sit-down meal, even if that would be typical.
She puts out plates and they all sit down at the table. Sarah in the middle, with Steve and Tony sitting across from each other. They begin to eat, and Tony is pleasantly surprised at how good this tastes.
"What brand is this?" He asks her, between bites.
"Pardon me?" She asks him, tilting her head in confusion.
"This lasagna, what brand is it?"
"Oh, it's homemade."
His eyes widen and he points at the dish. "Wait, you made this? From scratch?"
"Yes, is that a problem?"
"Quite the opposite! This is incredible!" He gushes.
"Oh, thank you! You're too kind." She blushes at the compliment.
"How long did this take to make?"
"A little over an hour."
"Wow."
"Are you used to having store bought meals?" She asks.
He looks away nervously and stutters out, "Uh… yeah."
"Well, you are welcome here any time for a nice homecooked meal."
"Thank you. That means a lot."
They all talk for a while longer as they eat. Tony learns many embarrassing stories about Steve, much to Steve's dismay. Sarah listens intently as Tony talks about school, which made him both embarrassed and happy. Eventually, they finish their meals and bring their plates into the small kitchen.
"Do you need help with dishes?" Tony asks shyly.
"No, I've got it."
"I insist." He tells her, heading towards where she is standing by the sink. "What would you like me to do?"
"Here, I'll wash, you dry, and Steve can put them away."
They work in a rhythm, cleaning all the dishes. Despite the fact that Tony hates chores and has never really had to do them, he finds himself enjoying his time with the Rodgers'.
They work in silence until Sarah asks, "What do your parents do?"
Tony tenses ever so slightly but manages to carry on the conversation normally. "My dad works in the movie industry and my mom is a lawyer."
"Oh, that's wonderful! What movie industry?"
He debates how much to reveal and settles on saying, "Um… Stark Industries."
"Wow, that's impressive." She lets out a low whistle. "What does he do?"
Knowing Tony's aversion to talking about his fame, Steve tries to step in and say, "Mom, maybe we should-"
Tony takes a deep breath and decides ultimately that he wants to come clean and be liked by her instead of trying to keep a big secret. "He runs it?"
"Oh. So, you're…" Realization dawns on her face and she almost drops the plate she is holding.
"Yeah." He says, only slightly above a whisper, looking away.
"You poor dear." She says sympathetically.
"It's fine." She comes and wraps him in a tight hug. "Oh."
They break away and she checks her watch. "Well, I have to leave for my shift. Please, come back soon."
"Oh, I will. Thank you for having me, Ms. Rodgers." He corrects himself at her joking frown. "Sarah."
She leaves, leaving Tony and Steve standing in the kitchen.
"So, what did you think of her?" He asks hopefully.
"She's amazing. I can see a lot of similarities between you two." He teases.
"Thank you."
Steve walks into their living room and sits on the floral printed couch. Tony follows along behind him and takes a seat on the couch as well.
He begins to ramble nervously, "You don't want to meet my parents. I know you want to, and I know I should, but I can't. What we have is amazing and I don't want it to be touched. I hope you understand."
"I do." Tony meets his eyes and he seems genuine. "And you introduced me to Pepper, who is basically your family, so I think we're even."
"I don't deserve you." He smiles.
"I disagree." Steve stares at him so intently Tony thinks he can see straight into his soul. "I think you finally deserve something good."
"I love you." Tony tells him, honestly and sincerely for the first time, and that made him nervous.
Tony's breath catches in his throat when Steve looks into his eyes and tells him "I love you, too."
When he returns home, things are not as great as at the Rodgers.' He isn't surprised about that though, as their house is warm and comforting and his house is empty and cold. It doesn't help that Howard Stark doesn't look pleased to see him.
"Anthony." His father greets him, standing in the living room with his arms crossed.
"Father." He greets in return, confused.
"Where have you been?"
He panicked for a split second before casually replying, "Dinner with Pepper's family?"
"Do you know what today is?"
"Wednesday?"
"November 15th."
It hit him like a smack in the face. "I was supposed to go to your meeting."
"Yes, you were."
He felt like he was about to throw up. "I'm sorry, sir."
"I'm so furious with you I don't even know what to do."
He quickly began stuttering out apologies. "I'll make it up to you. I'll go to as many meetings as you want."
"I have another on Sunday." Howard proposes.
"I'll be sure to clear my schedule."
His father doesn't say anything, so he takes that as his cue to head upstairs. He lays down on his bed and just lets out a long sigh. He is so tired of this war with his dad. He is tired of not being able to do anything he wants and having to stick to his dad's life plan for him. He is tired of being up nineteen hours a day to afford things. He wishes he could just fall asleep and wake up in a year or so when everything is easier. But he has to get up and go to work.
The next day, Steve is too perky for Tony. Which isn't saying much, considering Tony is so physically and mentally exhausted that even a small smile is too perky for him.
"Hey!" Steve tells him cheerfully as Tony approaches his lunch table.
"Hi." Tony grumbles.
He knows he shouldn't blame Steve for his situation, and he doesn't, but he is more than a little bitter about the prospect of having to spend time working with his dad for the company. Especially because that company is at the root of many of his personal and familial issues. He just doesn't have the energy to pretend like everything is good though, so he brushes off Steve.
Steve catches onto his foul mood pretty quick. "Are you doing okay? You seem a bit weird."
"No, I'm good." He plasters on a fake smile which seems to fool Steve, at least momentarily.
"Do you want to go to the movies this weekend? Maybe Sunday?"
"Sorry, I can't this Sunday."
"Oh, why not?"
He rolls his eyes. "I have to go to a meeting with my dad."
"Oh, that sounds fun." Steve tells him jokingly, knowing Tony's hatred for all things Stark Industries and meetings.
"Yeah, sure." He stands up and grabs his lunch. "I'm gonna go, I have to talk to Fury about a chem grade."
"Okay, bye! Have a good day!"
His face softens and he gives Steve a small smile. "Thanks. You too."
Unfortunately for Tony, the rest of the days passed that week very quickly and before he knew it, it was Sunday and he is getting ready to leave with his father. He has to squeeze himself into an old pair of black slacks, a white button-down shirt with a blazer, and actually style his hair.
"Anthony! Are you ready to go!" His father calls up to him.
"Hold on! I'm coming!"
When he goes downstairs, the first thing his father tells him is "Your collar is crooked."
He reaches up and tries to fix his collar, but only ends up making it worse, so he has to run to the bathroom, exasperating his father, so he can see.
"Where are we going?" He asks as they walk out to the car.
"To dinner in the city."
The car ride is silent, not that Tony is surprised. Howard is driving their new Cadillac, mostly used to impress potential clients, while Tony stares out the window at the passing buildings. His dad had told him nothing about the purpose of this dinner. He doesn't know who he is meeting or why, but he's hoping it's nothing too bad. He can honestly think of nothing worse than a business dinner, though.
They drop their car off with the valet and head into the elegant restaurant. Tony is immediately overwhelmed by the luxury displayed. With the pricey menu items and the overdressed patrons, Tony is not confused as to why his father picks this place for meetings.
"Hello, Mr. Stark!" A burly man in a navy-blue suit saunters up to them with a skinny man with a thin chevron mustache skitters along behind him.
Both of these men were a couple inches taller than his father, meaning Tony was at least six inches shorter than them. He can't help but feel intimidated and subconsciously takes a step behind his father. Howard notices this, however, and claps a hand on his shoulder and guides him towards the businessmen in front of him.
"Obadiah! William! It's good to see you both." Howard says with a charming smile, shaking their hands.
"I could say the same to you." The bigger man, Obadiah, tells him.
"Who is this young lad?" William asks, giving Tony a toothy grin.
"This is my son, Anthony. I brought him so he could train to take over the company right out of college. Isn't that right, son?"
"Yes, sir." He shakes their hands and puts on his best winning smile. "It is very nice to meet you both."
"Is that okay?" Howard asks, eyeing his colleagues from over the top of his sunglasses.
"Of course. Shall we sit down?"
They are guided over to a table in the center of the room. They all sit down, and his father wastes no time before roping them into a conversation about the development of a new studio. Tony tries to listen and pitch into the conversation, but in all honesty, he has no idea what is happening, and he doesn't understand how his father expects him to. They use terms that he has never heard of and discuss capacity and finances and other things he lacks the background knowledge for. Instead, he stares down at his food and lets his mind wander.
He is brought back to reality when he feels a pinch on his arm and sees his father glaring at him. "Pay attention."
He nods curtly and does his best to contribute. He uses a skill he learned during group discussions at school – just agree with what the person before you has said, throw in a fancy term, and tie it all back to the purpose of the meeting. Each time he does it, everyone at the table seems even more impressed and he can't help but grin.
After another hour, they all are finally ready to leave. Tony is drained, so he can't say he's sad to see them go.
"Goodbye. It was nice to meet you both." He shakes hands with the men and gives them another one of his practiced smiles.
"He's doing great, Howard. He'll be perfect for the company." William tells his father, enthusiastically shaking his hand.
"That's what I'm telling him!" Howard jokes.
They all disperse and head to their respective cars. Tony climbs into the passenger's side and buckles up, while Howard does the same. They pull out and drive in silence for a few minutes. Tony waits expectantly for Howard to address how the meeting went.
"You'll do better next time." Howard tells him and he can tell by the tone of his father's voice that it isn't a suggestion.
"Yes, sir."
"You hardly seemed engaged."
As much as it hurts him, Tony decides not to pick a fight. "I'll do better next time, sir."
"Have you decided to be a business major yet?"
"No."
"Anthony." His father warns.
"Give it time, maybe I'll change my mind spending more time around the company." He tells him, making it vague enough that he isn't locked into anything but also appeasing his dad.
"Hmph."
Tony decides to push even further by asking, "If I'm working with the company, can I have my spending money back?"
"Fine."
He almost cheers, but he knows that will cause his father to immediately take it back, which would not be appreciated. As much as he will miss his late nights with Steve, he knows he can do that whenever and now he can have free time and a solid sleep schedule. Plus, having money isn't too bad either.