lost boy (stony college au) [✔]

Chapter Two

The first time Tony met him inside the library at his usual table, Steve looked him over quickly, checking his eyes and his hands for any trembling or dilation, before finally smiling and sitting down.

Tony just rolled those dark eyes and pulled an equally thick textbook from the shelves and slouched in a seat to read. "Am I going to have to do a pee test before you let me sit with you each time?"

"Are you planning on sitting with me often?" Steve asked, reaching for his glasses and glancing up in time to see Tony's smirk.

"Oh as often as I can, lawyer man. Not gonna get tired of those baby blues anytime soon."

Steve smiled and shook his head, trying to concentrate on his reading. But Tony was shifting in his seat, rubbing his hands down his thighs, clicking that tongue ring and Steve couldn't handle it after a few minutes and finally asked,
"Really? 'Special Relativity and It's Experimental Foundations'? That's what you're reading?"

Tony grinned at finally having gotten Steve's attention, but then frowned a little. "What, you've never re-read a book?"

"Re-read." Steve pulled his glasses off and rubbed at his eyes. "You're telling me you've already read this."

"A few times." Tony flipped a page casually. "My thesis for my masters pulled quite a few ideas from this."

Steve just stared. "Thesis. You're twenty."

"I didn't say it was finished." Tony flipped another page. "I went to college at sixteen. Well started college. Tested out of most of the first few years. Got my bachelors basically online. But I've slowed down these last several months. Life has kind of..." his voice trailed off, and he leaned back in his chair, balancing a scuffed show on the library table.

His bony knee was showing through his torn black jeans, and the hand not holding the book moved restlessly against his thigh. Steve was having a hard time not staring, watching Tony's hand, even in those ridiculous black gloves, stroke up and down, over his thigh.

"Honestly? Sixteen?" He dragged himself back to the conversation, kicking himself for letting his mind wander.

"Yeah."

"So why are you–" Steve flicked a hand over Tony's outfit.

"What, living with my Aunt, dressing like I'm homeless and hanging out with kids who just get high all the time?"

"Sure. I didn't know about the Aunt part, but sure."

"Why not?" Tony shrugged and Steve didn't have an answer that wouldn't sound condescending, so he just went back to reading.

Tony did as well, and for a long time the only sound was the turning of pages.
"You don't like how I dress?" He asked quietly and Steve forced himself not to look up.

"No, I like it. I mean, I don't mind it. Not my usual style but-"

"But you're willing to walk on the wild side?" Tony's voice dropped into something low and dark and Steve nearly snapped his pencil.

"Oh my god." The boy laughed soft and slow. "You are fucking adorable."

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Steve didn't know when or why it became a 'thing', but suddenly Tony was at the library all the time, slouching in his chair and speed reading his way through different physics textbook every few days.

He started ordering lunch in, after licking his lips and declaring that a big boy like Steve needed to keep his strength up for more fun activities. Steve always paid for the food, and Tony always made a comment about 'making it up' in one way or another.