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University was hard.
Not because of the content and study material, Tony picked that up with ease. The first two years hadn’t taught him a single thing he didn’t already know. Year three finally offered him some gritty work to sink in to, and year four had finally started to challenge him.
Still, it wasn’t hard. What was hard was the time. The every single day for hours on end in a classroom or workshop with these people who asked stupid questions, or worked too slow, or obviously hadn’t studied and slowed the entire lecture down.
Before college, Tony had always been a people person. Now, everyone can fuck off as far as he’s concerned.
He was counting the days on the wall with chalk before he was finally free to break out into the real world, with a college degree that deemed him worthy of business- like his brain hadn’t already been doing that since he turned 13. If he put the effort in, he could run rings around these lecturers, but at his mothers request, he’d learnt to bite his tongue and not cause trouble- too much trouble. He hadn’t been expelled yet.
There was two pro’s to ‘college life’ he was thankful for though, regardless of the countless con’s. The first, was the distance between himself and his father. Not that Howard had ever been present most of his childhood anyway, they weren’t the dinner together at the table type, but his father, despite his absence, managed to criticise every decision Tony made. He felt guilty, leaving his Mum there alone, but he had to get as far away as he could.
The second pro, was the result of a bit of luck and chance. It was a right place, right time moment, where one of the colleges top professors spotted him in the hall, and called him over to meet another student she’d been engaged in conversation with. Tony really wasn’t in the mood to meet anymore mediocre idiots that day, but he obliged the woman anyway- she had after all given him keys to a private lab he could tinker in.
It wasn’t until Tony was stood in front of the pair, that he really took a good look at the student. The boy was a little taller than himself, pale skin, high cheekbones, pretty eyes and god was he beautiful. Tony didn’t catch all of his professors words, only the important things- Stephen, med school, top student, neurosurgeon, collaboration.
“Huh?” Tony managed after some time, finally peeling his eyes away from the boy, Stephen, to glance quickly at his professor,
The woman rolled her eyes, “be nice,” she directed at Tony, then left the pair.
Tony had watched her go a moment, and then glanced back to Stephen. His arms were full of textbooks, and lips were quirked in a soft smile as he stared back to Tony. Oh god, Stephen had asked him something. What the hell did he say? Where the hell had all Tony’s game gone?
“Uh, I’m Tony Stark,” he introduced himself stupidly,
“I know…” the med student smiled, “Stephen Strange… so, you gonna show me these inventions Miss is so impressed by?”
“Uh, yeah, I guess,”
“They’re not weapons like your Dad’s, right? ‘Cause you know I’m a med student, I don’t think that’s a very ethical collaboration for me,”
“No, they’re uh… they’re my own work, actually… I want to work more in the tech industry than weaponry,”
“You think you’d ever get into medical tech?”
And that was where it started. A simple conversation about tech and AI in the medical field, and suddenly it were 3am, and they were huddled over one of the tables in Tony’s borrowed lab. Drawn up concepts and designs scattered everywhere. They were discussing ideas that hadn’t even been invented yet, and Tony knew already he was absolutely in love with the boy sat across the table.
They’d set off the security alarm in the hall that night, and ran half way across campus to escape the crime scene. Tony made the split second decision to kiss Stephen, as they panted on the nature strip of the road out front, laughing while their adrenaline wore off. Lucky for him, Stephen was just as eager, and maybe their professor knew more than she’d let on that afternoon when she introduced them.
They became inseparable after that. After class, they’d meet, debate, plan, build, pause for a quick make out break and then repeat. Stephen was smart, and funny, affectionate in a way Tony had never known. They were joined at the hip, or hand, arms around each other every chance they got. Stephen was his ray of sunshine among crapy days like this one.
Tony sighed as he finally arrived home, jacket hung on the hook by the door. He made his way through the small apartment, thanks Mum, for sparing his sanity and not forcing him to share a room with one of the idiots he already had to spend 8 hours a day with.
He lost more layers the deeper he made his way through the home. Textbooks thrown on the kitchen bench, shoes abandoned behind the couch, glasses left on a shelf. He cracked his neck as he made his way for the bedroom, muscles stiff and a headache in the making.
Stephen didn’t have any other classes that day, and when Tony had text him earlier, he’d been at home studying in bed. All Tony could think about all afternoon was joining him, in both innocent, and more distracting ways. There was still many hours left in the day, he was sure he could manage to take both- so long as Stephen hadn’t passed out on him.
“Hey, Baby.”
God, he could cry to know Stephen were awake.
“How was lab?” Stephen asked.
He’d put aside his own textbook, to Tony’s pillow at his left, because oh he knew Tony so well.
The Stark heir crawled his way up the edge of the bed, careful over Stephens legs, hidden under the covers, and collapsed in his boyfriends chest with a huff.
“You know when the stupidest kid in the room asks a question, and then just goes on and on,” Tony grumbled into Stephen shirt, “and then the teacher decides the top of the class should buddy with them for the extra help,”
“Ahh,” Stephen hummed understandingly.
Of course, he knew. Stephen too was smarter than his peers, top of his class by miles. His lecturers were giving him readings six months advanced of where his course recommended, in Stephen’s first year. One of his teachers had taken him to watch a few surgeries early on in his studies, and Stephen were the first to get behind the tools in his own operation theatre. With a year of study left to go, top hospitals were already making their bids for his talent.
As they should be.
“You wanna vent about it?” Stephen offered,
“No.”
He would.
They both knew it. Tony had plenty more complaining to do before he was finished. For now though, he was content to snuggle into the warm comfort of his favourite person in the world.
He wriggled his arms through the nonexistent gap between Stephen and the mattress, circling his boyfriends torso in a proper hug. He snuggled deeper into the excess fabric of Stephen’s sweater, well over worn, soft and smelling deliciously of Stephen. Tony didn’t care that it was harder to breathe with his face buried in the fabric, he’d happily die curled up in his boyfriends arms, there was far worse ways to go.
“I’m sorry you had a shit day,” Stephen wound his fingers in Tony’s unruly hair, “is there something I can do to make it better?”
Tony peeked up at the boy through his eyelashes, “you already have.”
Stephen smiled softly, and pushed forward to press a gentle kiss to Tony’s lips. He relaxed into the touch, muscles finally let go of their pent up tension. He melted into a puddle in Stephen’s arms, soaking up the lazy kisses and attention his boyfriend was showering him in.
Stephen pulled back after a few moments, and Tony shamelessly whined and pushed in closer. Stephen smiled as he kissed him again, warm hands moved to Tony’s cheeks, thumbs gentle as they caressed over Tony’s cheeks, then up the back of his neck and to his hair.
Tony only broke the kiss when he was too relaxed to think straight. Stephen’s fingers massaged over his scalp, and Tony fought the drowsiness for as long as he could before he gave in, snuggled in Stephen’s chest, face buried in his boyfriends neck as he lulled off.
The sun had almost set when Tony woke once more, swaddled by softness and warmth. He wasn’t in any hurry to move, squeezing in tighter to Stephen, and nuzzling into the side of Stephen’s neck. He expected to be rewarded with a kiss, that was usually how Stephen reacted when Tony got needy, and he frowned when the touch never came.
Tony lifted his head, nose brushing by Stephen’s cheek to find the boy fast asleep beneath him. He looked so peaceful and cute, Tony couldn’t help but press a kiss to Stephen’s cheek, before he took in the bed around them.
At some point, the Doctor-to-be must’ve gone back to his reading, textbook open in a flap to Stephen’s left. Tony recovered the dropped text, out of respect for the pages, and tossed it further away where it was safe. Tony may not have had money troubles, but he still knew those books were expensive, it shouldn’t be half crushed amongst two twenty-something year old boys and some bedsheets.
He didn’t mean to wake Stephen, but the boy stirred regardless, and Tony’s attention was glued back to the man beneath him. He hushed his boyfriend, combing a hand through the front of his soft hair.
Tony often got lost just staring at the perfection that was future Doctor Stephen Strange. His long eyelashes fluttered on his cheeks in his sleep. His high cheek bones just begged to be caressed. He was so pretty. Tony still didn’t understand how he could be this lucky. Stephen was smart, and attractive, snarky, and kind, he made Tony better. He loved Stephen more than anything in the world.
When he knew the boy was waking properly, Tony spoiled him with little kisses, up the edge of his jaw, over his cheek to the tip of his nose. When Stephen smiled, Tony relented, and went back to nose at Stephen’s jaw.
“I love you,” he whispered against Stephen’s bare skin.
Tony felt it, but he didn’t often say it. He knew he didn’t, in the way Stephen smiled at the words, pulled him closer and pressed a kiss somewhere that was beyond innocent. That afternoon, it was Tony’s forehead. He soaked up the reaction he got every time. One day, Tony wanted to be able to say it whenever he wanted, without hesitation, he just had to learn how to. Stephen would teach him how.
“You stealing my one liners again,” Stephen teased in a mumble,
“Always,” Tony played along,
“Lucky for you, it sounds better when you say it… I love you, too,”
“I know. You tell me every day,” Tony grinned,
“Hm, then it must be true…” Stephen rolled them to the side, where he could tangle them together, kicking the blanket out of the way, “you feeling better?” Stephen wondered as he combed a hand through Tony’s hair,
“With you- always.”
Finally, Stephen’s beautiful eyes fluttered open, and Tony couldn’t help but smile as he came face to face with the man.
Why was he having a bad day, again? He couldn’t remember.
“You’re being particularly sappy today,”
“I guess you just have that effect on me,” Tony shrugged, “I want to get better at telling you I love you… because I do… you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me,”
“I know,” Stephen said, then grinned, “there’s no one else in the world I’d rather be here with… only you… I’d do anything to make you happy,”
“I know,” Tony nodded, “and you do. So, so happy.”
It was softer, and more sentimental than they usually were with each other. Still, Tony liked to hear it, and he wanted Stephen to be reassured that Tony reciprocated all of it, and that he was trying to be a better boyfriend, to hopefully make him a better husband and father some day. Tony just wanted to be everything that Stephen deserved and more.
“Why don’t we do cheeseburgers for dinner?” Stephen suggested after some time,
“My guardian angel sent you, I swear,” Tony sighed, completely taken by the man in front of him. He crawled back closer to crush his boyfriend again, a leg straddled either side of Stephen’s waist, settled in his lap,
Stephen chuckled, looking up at him and wrapping him up, “is that a yes?”
“Yes,” Tony nodded, “Take out- then I’m gonna show you just how much I love you,” Tony rolled his hips against Stephen’s and they both gasped, clutching at one another.
They didn’t quite resist until after dinner to make love to each other that night.