𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐎𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬

Lab Partners "✿!"

The light from the surrounding buildings and TV were the only things illuminating the living room. Your feet tucked under Tony's thighs while your head rested against the armrest of the sofa. He had his feet propped up on the coffee table, arm stretched out against the sofa where he twirled a piece of your hair around his finger.

Tonight was Tony's night to pick the movie, putting on some random movie he found while you made a tub of popcorn. You weren't exactly sure how these movie nights became a thing, but once they started, they never stopped. It was the only time during the week when you and Tony allowed yourselves to put your work down completely and focus on something else.

The two of you had been working together for a few years now. You started as a simple assistant in his lab, cleaning up after him, getting him coffee, whatever basic tasks he needed to be done. It wasn't until he found you fixing one of the flawed designs ‌he left out in the open; he watched how you effortlessly fixed his minor mistake. That was when he made you his lab partner, and your beautiful friendship was born.

It was also when your feelings for the genius amplified; you had a bit of a crush on him from the start. Who wouldn't? He was ridiculously handsome, with beautiful brown eyes that made you want to shrink when he stared at you for too long, and that very special personality of his was your favorite part.

But he was also the kindest soul on earth, making sure your needs were always put before his, giving you as many breaks as you needed, keeping warm coffee in the coffee machine because he knew how much you loved it, slowly sneaking in some of your favorite songs to his playlist, those were the things that made you fall in love with him. But you knew better than to pursue him. He was much older than you; he was just being a good friend, nothing more.

You were so engrossed in the movie that you didn't notice his staring; it was a common occurrence; him admiring you while you were distracted—watching how you bit your bottom lip in concentration, wanting to run his thumb over the crease between your brows, eyes following the people on the screen.

It didn't take Tony nearly as long as it did for you to realize he was in love with you. It was another late night for the two of you, working on an upgraded suit that still had some bugs, one that neither one of you could figure out. He had gone upstairs to bring down the food you ordered, finding you sleeping on the small couch when he made his way back down to the lab. Your small frame curled up to fit in the seat, arms tucked into the hoodie he lent you because he always kept the lab at a ridiculously cold temperature.

He leaned down and pushed a strand of hair out of your face, movements stilling when you unconsciously leaned into his touch, a small, sleepy smile making creeping its way to your lips. Watching how your features relaxed, admiring how peaceful you looked, raking his eyes down your body, and feeling butterflies in his stomach at how good you looked in his clothes. He knew at that moment he could no longer see you as just a friend.

He snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look at the movie, which he now realized was a romance movie. It was the part of the movie where the protagonist's partner almost dies, professing their love for one another while thinking these were their last few moments together.

The scene got Tony thinking. He knew his job wasn't necessarily the safest, and his return from a mission was never guaranteed. He fixed his gaze back on you, realizing he needed to tell you how he felt. There was no point in wasting any more time.

You turn to look over at Tony, only to see he already had his eyes on you. A chill ran up your spine as the two of you maintained eye contact, clearing your throat to ‌get his attention.

"What?" you asked, seeing him blink a few times before shaking his head. He furrowed his brows in confusion. "You're staring. Is there something on my face?"