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"No."
Steve groaned. "Come on Tony. Just have the damn soup, it'll make you feel better."
"Ugh, 'm not sick," Tony whined from underneath the covers.
"Yeah, see, I would totally believe that, but your nose and voice tells me otherwise. Seriously, you’ll feel better after you drink it. It’s your favorite - leek and potato."
Tony’s head pops out from under the cover, and Steve nearly coos at the sight. Tony is like a puppy at the best of times, but when he’s sick, which is unfortunately more often than he cares to admit, he resembles a puppy even more; with his mussed up brunet hair.
Steve had been in love with Tony for as long as he can remember, or since the start of college at least. They were studying completely different majors - Steve was doing Graphic Design and Tony was studying Mechanical Engineering, but they were in the same course for computing, and that's how they met.
It turns out they had mutual friends, Pepper, Rhodey and Happy on Tony's side, and Sam, Bucky and Natasha on Steve's side, so they'd be seeing a lot of each other over the next few months. Their friendship group combined, forming a strong bond between them, and it made the whole college experience a lot better.
Honestly, Tony wishes the first couple of months could have gone differently. He's just a naturally antagonising person, even more so if he really likes someone. Like the idiot he is, he immediately made comments that raised Steve's hackles. They made it work when they were with the others, but when they were on their own, they were at each other's throats. With every jab and barbed comment, Tony fell harder, until he was too deep to stop. Of course he had to fall for someone who genuinely hates him.
But then the situation changes. It's movie night with the whole squad, just like every Thursday, and Tony and Steve find themselves sitting next to each other. They moan about it for a while; Steve's bony elbows ribbing into Tony, Tony's feet in Steve's face. But after one movie, they quieten down, relax, and just enjoy the night.
They end up falling asleep on each other, a tangle of limbs. They were the last to fall asleep, wanting to watch the ending of Passengers, and they're the first to wake up too, so no one is awake to witness the change in dynamic between the two.
They don't talk about it, just quickly untangle themselves and start going about their day. Steve starts on breakfast for everyone, whilst Tony went to shower, since he had a lecture in half an hour on mechanical materials.
Tony was out of the shower in record time, where he was met with Steve, who just silently handed him a slice of toast and a coffee in a thermos. All of them knew Tony basically couldn't function without coffee in his system.
Tony just smiled brightly, thanked Steve and rushed out the door, not looking back. Maybe if he did, he would have seen Steve sporting a blush, realise that Steve has fallen for him too. But alas, he didn't, and they remain pining idiots, much to the dismay of their friends, who are seriously considering hatching a plan to get their oblivious heads out of their asses.
But that brings us back to the present. It’s flu season, and just like every year, Tony is out for the count, having caught it. He’s over the worst of it, having not thrown up since yesterday, but he now has to battle a sore throat and runny nose, which is why Steve made him his favourite soup.
“Did you make it?” Tony asks, almost coughing.
“Of course I did, do you think Natasha made it? Oh lord, I hope she never goes near a kitchen again.” Steve says, jokingly offended.
They both laugh, recalling the events from their first year. No one could be bothered to cook, so Natasha volunteered, and everyone agreed, not knowing the disaster she is in the kitchen. They ended up with a broken toaster, the fire alarm going off and some burnt-beyond-recognition food. They still don’t know what Natasha was trying to make, and she refuses to tell them. But ever since then, Natasha is banned from the kitchen. Because there’s three of them that can actually cook really well, namely Sam, Bucky and Happy, they will usually cook. But if none of them can be bothered, they’ll order take out. However, Natasha is under no circumstances allowed to cook.
Tony makes grabby hands for the bowl, and Steve hands it to him, chuckling. He goes to sit down, but Tony shakes his head.
“Please don’t sit too close, I don’t want you to get sick too,” he says around a mouthful of soup.
“It’s fine, I’m not even that close. Besides, you’ll be asleep in ten minutes, and I’ll be stuck tryna make 4 different versions of a poster for my portfolio.”
Tony blushes, and Steve feels pride that he did that. He was bang on the money though. Tony finishes his soup and is asleep in ten minutes flat. Steve doesn’t mind anyhow. He just takes out his laptop and starts working. It’s kinda nice.
Two days later, Tony is completely fine again, over this year’s flu variant. He’s been overthinking the soup incident a lot. Rhodey said Steve doesn’t cook for anyone, despite being pretty decent at it. Something about his dad saying guys don’t cook? Does that mean he possibly does like Tony back? Plus, Steve was still there when he woke up from his nap. It was night, judging by the darkness, and Steve’s face was illuminated by his laptop’s brightness. He looked amazing, and Tony was once again reminded of the promise he made to himself a few months ago - he was going to ask Steve out by the end of the year. The fact that he stayed has to mean something too right?
But then they’re swept away with college life, and it’s a few weeks before everything calms down again. By this point, Tony is absolutely determined to ask Steve out, no matter what. What he doesn’t know is that Steve is thinking along the same lines, and they’ll end up asking each other out at the same time.
They have a thing, just for the two of them. Neither of them have lectures or anything college related on Tuesday afternoons, so they both go to one of the quieter libraries and just study together in each other’s company. Technically, this could be classed as a date, so they’ve been dating for months, but they are both oblivious, so they’re not.
But anyway, Steve and Tony both plan to ask each other out at their library hang out session, and you could say it goes pretty well.
Tony was basically vibrating with excitement, today was the day he was going to ask out Steve. If it doesn't go well, he’ll probably cry and hibernate for a thousand years, but he’s hoping it doesn’t come to that.
He isn’t kept waiting long in the library; Steve arrives just five minutes after him and gives him a big smile.
“Hey Steve!”
“Hi Tony!”
He sits down opposite Tony, and Tony takes a deep breath. It’s now or never.
“I have to ask you something,” Tony says, and Steve’s eyebrows shoot up.
“Really? So do I!”
“Why don’t you go first then?”
“No, it’s fine, you go first.”
“Seriously, it’s no big deal you go first.”
“You said it first though.”
“Fine, we can both say it at the same time. Ready? 3,2,1.”
“Will you go out with me?”
“Will you go out with me?”
Both of their eyes widen, and Tony laughs incredulously.
“Seriously, you want to go out with me?” Tony asks.
“I thought I made it pretty obvious. I mean, I did make soup for you, and I don’t cook for anyone,” Steve points out.
“And you don’t mind that I get sick a lot? And I’m not as into creative stuff as you? And-”
“Tony!” Steve interrupts. “I will happily make soup every time you get sick if it means I get to date you. And you think you're not as creative as me, but you are, just in a different way. Do you mind that I’m not as into sciencey stuff as you?”
“Of course not!”
“Exactly! So does that mean you’ll do me the honour of being my boyfriend?”
Tony nods fervently, and Steve leans across the table to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, which leaves them both beaming.
They actually do study after that, the only real difference compared to before is that their legs are intertwined. After a while, Steve checks the time, and realises it’s past seven.
“We should get back. Sam’s making Chinese and I really don’t want to miss that.”
Tony nods, and they pack up quickly, basically just throwing everything into their backpacks. Steve and Tony walk back to their apartment block hand-in-hand, occasionally stealing kisses.
They walk into the dorm, and Natasha immediately spots them holding hands, and she smirks.
“Sam, Bucky, Rhodey, pay up! I told you they’d get together before the end of the month!”
“You guys bet on us?!”
“Seriously, you guys couldn’t have waited another week?”