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There is no reason to be as shaky and sweaty as Steve is in the moment, but Professor Stark is right here and that wasn't supposed to happen. There's no reason why the man Steve's been pining over from the other side of the teachers' lounge for months should be here, tonight.
None.
Nothing.
Shit, he's seen me.
Steve gets busy staring at the clumsily painted Alliance Night sign, the rainbow words taunting him, but not enough to keep him from glancing up — sure enough, Stark is still moving in his direction, slowly because of all the kids between them but there is no mistaking the way he smiles and waves. Damn. Steve waves too. Only being polite. Nothing to worry about. He can't read the big bold 'I love you' in a simple wave. Nopes.
"If it isn't Professor Pencils!" Tony Stark finally gets to him, the same megawatts smile he always gives Steve — and plenty of others, Steve can almost admit, even if it means stopping the illusion for a moment — "Didn't know you'd be here!"
The man's eyes are studying Steve's face so closely that even in the relative darkness, Steve knows he can see him blushing.
"I… yes, I come to every party. For the kids." Steve says — lies — "You?"
"Didn't used to," Stark tells him, "but then… I, hm…"
Steve blinks, it isn't like the other man to stutter. It's oddly sweet. The world knows, Steve Rogers stutters enough himself.
"I came out." The man bites his lip right after he tells him, and Steve feels his eyes widen, and widen further when Tony pushes the lapel of his jacket to the side so Steve can see the pin there.
The pin and its unmistakably purple, gray, and black stripes.
The same pin Steve shows Tony as if on instinct, before he can even think it through and before he has any sort of words ready to go — "I— Same— you're ace ?"
He knows he sounds like an ass, for just a second, before he coughs and apologizes, "Sorry, I'm so… it's just… Professor Stark, I—"
"— I get that a lot." The man interrupts him, and then again, raises a hand for Steve to shut up before he can further dig his own embarrassing hole, "First things first, ok?"
Steve nods. His mouth is clamped shut now and he will keep it that way as long as possible.
"My name is Tony. Not Professor. It makes you sound like one of the kids and that's just weirding me out."
"Tony, I—"
"—Not finished." Tony gives him a dark look that's only half joking. "I came out late because… because I knew I'd get this reaction. I had… have a reputation on campus. But I'm done pretending. I'm done taking people home only to feel like shit every step of the way. I'm d—"
"—I wasn't surprised because of your reputation." Steve is the one to interrupt this time. If Tony can be brave and tell him all this, Steve can be too, and stop hiding like a teenager.
"You weren't?"
"No. I was surprised. Because. I… Like you?" Steve gulps in some dreadfully needed air before barrelling on, "AndIthoughtcouldneverhaveyoubecauseyouweren'tace."
Tony's head cocks to the side, frowning as he tries to make sense of the jumbled mess of Steve's words — he didn't make it easy but damn, it wasn't easy for him either!
"You what?" Tony gives up after a while, and Steve gets to choose, either he disappears into the night, and never comes back and stays home and gets Bucky to deliver him some food every once in a while— or he gets brave.
"I know that both being ace doesn't mean you like me more than you did before this conversation started, and before I made a fool of myself but, wanna date? Me?" Steve asks, proud of himself for managing to speak relatively clearly.
Everything around them, the music and the students and even their fellow teachers, the too-strong lights and the slippery floor, it all disappears. Suspended in this moment between Steve's question and Tony's answer.
Which comes in a happy, bubbly chuckle that Steve instantly loves.
"You are… something, Rogers." Tony laughs again.
"That would be Steve, please."
"Yes."
"Yes?"
"Yes, I'll date you." Tony says, and Steve's smile might be getting too big for his face.
"Wanna get out of here? Do it now? Grab dinner somewhere? I didn't eat before I came here."
"Well then, Steve, we can't have that, can we?"