ironstrange oneshots

high school AU (3/?)

It's Friday. Finally. Tony's been waiting for this day all week. He's been getting suit designs holograms ready while his dad sleeps, and he's made sure everything is right. Jarvis has helped him do it all secretly too, telling Tony his dads night routine. Tony thought he was all set. Then Peter told him something that threw him off.

"Oh, I invited Stephen to come over today too." Peter told Tony at lunch, and Tony choked on the sandwich that Pepper had so kindly brought him.

"You're kidding. Oh god, I wasn't ready for Stephen to be there. You to be there, not Stephen." He groaned loudly, throwing his head back and Nat lightly slaps his arm. "You're being a dramatic dumbass as usual. We all know you have the biggest crush on Stephen so why aren't you glad-" "I do not have a crush on Stephen!" Tony said, probably a little too loudly.

"Mmm yeah, you do." Peter shrugs and Tony glares at him. "Shut it kiddo and drink your chocolate milk." Peter glares back and throws the carton directly at Tony's head. "I told you don't call me kiddo! And- uh- you absolutely have a crush on Stephen." Tony rubbed his head where the chocolate milk hit him. "But the chocolate milk was unnecessary." "I was trying to knock some sense into you."

Nat interrupted their bickering by taking the chocolate milk, poking the straw through it and drinking from it.

"That was my chocolate milk, Nat!" "Shh." She holds up a finger to Peter's face, and when he slaps it out the way the redhead glares. "Sorry, Nat." Natasha nodded and kept drinking.

"So anyway, why is Peter going over anyway? Is there some kind of party I'm not invited to?" "Course it's not that, you are the party, Nat. It's uh..."

Now, this is where Tony has to come up with a lie that Nat will believe, which is just about as hard as finding a needle in a haystack.

"My parents are out of town, so I just wanted some company that wouldn't demolish my microwave." "That was one time Tony!" "One time too many!"

Tony goes back to eating his sandwich and Peter picks at his food. "So she breaks microwaves and steals chocolate milk?" This time Peter is the one to get a carton thrown at his head, and Stephen is the one who comes and interrupts it.

"If one of you throws anything at me- including a milk carton- I will stop being friends with you." The tallest of the lot sits down and gives Tony a kind of smile.

It can't be described as a full-on smile because...it's not. It's like he's trying to smile but then also he kind of doesn't really want to.

This is what Tony means when he says Stephen is confusing. I mean, why can't the guy just smile without it being so damn complicated and make Tony overthink it? And why does everyone think he has a crush on him? Sure Stephen's attractive but...He doesn't have a crush on him.

"Hi, Stephen. So you're coming over tonight?" Stephen looks up at Tony again and nods. "Well, I assumed I was since Peter invited
me. Am I?" Tony coughed and sat up straighter. "If you want, feel free to." Then it hits Tony.

How are they gonna work on the suit if Stephen is there? Does Stephen already know? Does anyone else already know? Tony is sure he remembers him and Peter making a deal that they wouldn't tell anyone else.

Tony had zoned out while everyone at the table started a conversation. He just needs to talk to Peter now. "Hey, Pete!" The kid looks over and expects a milk carton to get thrown at him, but Tony pulls him up and walks somewhere with just him and out of earshot from the other guys.

"Does Stephen know?" Peter looks confused. "Know what?" "The whole spider-man thing! I know he knows about the powers but about the suit thing." Peter makes an "Ooooh" sound as he gets what Tony means. "Uh. Maybe? Maybe I told him about it? Maybe? Perhaps?" Tony sighs and blinks slowly. "I thought...I thought we said we weren't gonna tell anyone else?" Peters mouth just opens and closes this time before he forms words. "W-well I figured Stephen could know because...you and Stephen are different than the rest of the group." "What does that mean?" Then Tony realises.

"Ooh. You still think I have a crush on Stephen- I don't! Now let's forget about that. Please."

Peter smirked a little and nodded. "Sure, okay." and sat back down. That was the end of that conversation.

•—•

The bell for the end of school rolled around, and Tony pulled his bag over his shoulder and left the classroom before anyone else. He won't deny it, he's excited. It's gonna be fun I mean, they can order pizza, Tony will finally be able to do something he's kind of good at, he can make sure Peter's not gonna die, and he also gets to spend time with Stephen.

He said that he'd wait outside of school at the gate for them, so that's what he does, saying bye to varying friends that were leaving, and shooting finger guns as Rhodey as he walked away after their handshake.

Then he feels a shove on his shoulder and almost steadies himself before he falls on the floor.

Almost.

He hits the floor with a thud and doesn't need to look around to find out who did it. He knows it was Steve. But he doesn't care much anymore.

Before most people can notice and laugh, Peter runs over and holds out his hand to Tony up.

"Hey man, you okay?" Tony nods and grabs Peters hand to pull him up. When he's on his feet again that's luckily when Stephen comes over.

Tony lets go of his hand and fold his arms over the other.

"I'm okay...thank you." Peter nods and when he sees Stephen there too he smiles. "Okay, I have so much stuff to tell you. And I have loads of designs put down that I've wanted to do for ages but didn't have the materials too. That cool?"

Tony snapped back into the conversation. He had been looking at Stephen the whole time, who he hoped hadn't noticed.

"Uh. Yeah kid, sure. No problem." He wasn't entirely sure what he'd just agreed to, but it was Peter, so it couldn't be that bad. He's not gonna destroy his dad's lab or anything...

He hopes.

—•—

"-And I couldn't believe it, I mean. She always calls me and Ned losers, so why did she stick up for us when Flash called me one?" Tony held his hand out for a pencil and Peter handed it to him.

"Well, to me, it sounds like this MJ girl likes you, and-"
"As a friend?"
Tony shook his head as he sketched out a spider design to put on the actual suit, which was already made.
"No, kid. As in like. Crush like."
Peter goes red and starts stammering. He's saying something but it's all nonsense to Tony.

He obviously likes this girl. "You should ask her out."
"I don't like her!"
Tony turns around and sees Peter is basically a shade of crimson.
"Yeah, you do. You reeeallly like her."
Peter glares even harder and Stephen comes down the stairs, putting his phone in his pocket after ordering pizza.
"From what I heard, you have a huge crush on her."
"Okay, why are we even talking about it?"