East of Eden | Steve Rogers

01. Middle school lover boy

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ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴏɴᴇ
𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐎𝐘

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"GOING OUT SOMEWHERE?" Meredith didn't even flinch a bit, when unanticipated voice echoed in her home-office. She had heard the footsteps coming from the hall. Besides, only one person could have come unannounced, and yet manage to make a grand entrance. "Or are you really that masochistic?"

The brunette glanced swiftly over her guest, who happened to be pointing at her heels. She frowned, putting back binder on the shelf.

"They come pretty handy for announced guests," she said, before blessing the man in grey suit with her full attention. "One more time and you'll see it for yourself." she skipped on one knee.

"So feisty, and for what?" the man approached the bar cart, and poured himself a glass of whiskey without asking. "I come bearing gifts."

"Oh, please, tell me that you don't mean yourself."

He tilted his head, looking upwards, as if considering, what Meredith had said. "Yes," he nodded once "One of them, yes."

Sat on her chair, Meredith, only looked up at the man, with crossed arms and the corners of her mouth curled up. She had grown accustomed to his narcissistic tendencies over the years of them working together. Which was why she also knew, he didn't come all the way to her apartment just to drink out all of her whiskey. He messed up something. Again.

"Wow. These are very nice views," he peeked through the huge glass-window, admiring New York City skyline at night-time, nodding with approval. "And, yet I thought you couldn't get them in Upper West..."

"Let me stop you right there, Tony," she interrupted, gesturing for him to shut up, as soon as he parted his lips to say something again. "What's wrong?"

Tony Stark scoffed, as he seemed deeply offended by Meredith's question. He emptied the glass, put it back on the cart, then pulled up the sleeves of his neatly pressed suit.

"Does it always has to be something wrong when I come here?"

He slightly bent over invisible space and hid hands in his pants' pockets, avoiding eye contact, what only widened Meredith's smirk. Infamous genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist Tony Stark was avoiding eye contact. Oh, that had to be something good.

"Okay, let me put it another way. What did you do?" She raised one brow, patiently waiting for the man's answer.

With one hand he leaned against the window frame, another one was placed on his hip, but almost immediately it travelled to his chin, rubbing and scratching it suspiciously. He hesitated, leaving Meredith long enough without an answer for her to completely loose patience.

"Tony?"

"I need a patent." He bounced off the window and came closer to the desk, behind which Meredith was seated.

Her gaze shifted from Stark to the glass-window, which was now stained because of him. Had he really had to always leave the marks of his presence?

"And apparently someone's onto the similar thing, I've been currently working on. Obviously, it is not as good as mine, but there's one point, which precludes me from starting."

If anything precluded Tony Stark from doing something, it could only mean one thing. He had already started working, he just needed a legal paper for validation.