Sam wasn’t on the football team – he was on the trackteam, actually – but that didn’t seem to affect his popularity. Bucky said itwas because Sam was friendly and legitimately nice. Steve said it was becauseSam was hot and smart, so all the different cliques had something to like abouthim. (That usually led to Peggy making a muffled laugh type of noise, and Steveturning a bright grin on her and adding, “Not as hot and smart as Peg, though.”Then Bucky and Sam would both roll their eyes as the two made googly-eyes ateach other.)
Point was, Sam was pretty popular in high school,which was a big change from middle school where he’d been the too sensitive,too smart, too different. An outcast. So he liked to think he used said powersof popularity for good when the chances arose.
Such as Brock Rumlow picking on one of the kids inScience Club.
Bruce Banner was timid, and whip-smart, and quietlyasking Brock for his glasses back. Brock laughed and held them farther out of reach.
Walking up behind him, Sam plucked the glasses out ofhis hand, and came around to hand them to Bruce. Brock glared at him, butscoffed and walked away instead of picking a fight. Bruce watched him leavewith a hard look that made Sam wonder if the guy couldn’t have handled ithimself just fine, then smiled wryly at Sam.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.” Sam shoved his hands deep in the pocketsof his jacket. “Uh, Science Club let out already?” He glanced around the halls,but didn’t see any other students from the club.
An uncomfortably knowing smirk curled Bruce’s lips.“No. We’re having a late start today. Was on my way there when I bumped intoRumlow.”
Sam nodded, swallowing.
Bruce’s smirk widened. “If you wanted to walk with methere to make sure he didn’t bother me again, you could.” He paused, thenadded, “Maybe you’d actually say something to Tones this time.”
Sam flushed, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. “Um… I’m that obvious?”
Bruce shrugged. “To be fair, I think most people don’tnotice. But, you know, we quiet nerdy types tend to pay attention to people.”
“Ah,” Sam said simply. He licked his lips. “So does…?”
“Tony know you’ve got the hugest crush on him?” Bruceraised a brow. “No,” he sighed. “Or if he has noticed, he’s working hard topretend he hasn’t.”
“Oh,” Sam said, heart sinking, shoulders slumping.That was not very… encouraging. At all. “I’ll just… go, if you’re okay withthat.” He didn’t feel much up to facing Tony Stark after hearing that.
For a long moment, Bruce stared at him, then said, “Ican handle walking to the Science lab by myself, Sam. It’s okay.” He patted Sam’sarm comfortingly, pushed his glasses up his nose, and smiled.
“Bye Bruce,” Sam said, and turned to walk away.
~*~*~
Someone stood hovering over Sam’s desk the next day,while he was digging out a pen from his backpack. No one around him saidanything, so he didn’t worry too much about it. Maybe he should have, becausehe nearly choked when he did finally straighten and looked right up into TonyStark’s narrowed eyes.
“So is it a joke or not, Wilson?”
“…Huh?”
Tony rolled his eyes, waving a hand generally aroundthem. There were small black stains around his knuckles, under his fingernails,and Sam wondered if he’d been building another of those cool robots that hadwon at last year’s science fair. “Bruce seems to think you have some kind ofgenuine feelings of like and affection for me, odd as that’d be.”
Sam’s eyes widened, just a bit. His mouth went dry.Bruce Banner had ratted him out.
Tony, strangely, nodded. “I know. I told him that wasridiculous, but he somehow tricked me into a bet that I lost – I’m sure he rigged that experiment in hisfavor, he was far too smug about winning – and the deal was I actually talkedto you about it, so.”
“I…” Sam glanced around, for help, but Peggy and Buckywere both just grinning at him widely, enjoying themselves probably. Sam hatedhis friends, they were the worst.
“Just,” Tony said, looking frustrated. “Are youfucking around or-“
“I would never pretend to like someone as some kind of– of joke,” Sam snapped, looking backat Tony. And he knew his anger was a bit misplaced – it wasn’t Tony’s fault, hedidn’t know it was a sore spot forSam, brought back that hurt that never quite fully healed from middle school –but it didn’t stop him from glaring right back at Tony. “You can fuck off ifthat’s what you think of me.”
Tony didn’t move, and didn’t stop glaring, for atleast a full ten seconds.
Then he blinked, arms falling, looking confused of allthings. “You… you mean you actually…like me?”
“Not very much right now,” Sam grumbled, turning hisglare to his desk, yanking open his notebook roughly to find the homeworkquestions he’d done the other night.
Tony didn’t leave. He shifted on his feet a bit, thensaid quietly, “I thought it was just… it wouldn’t be the first time,” hefinished, even quieter.
Sam slowed his rough movements, paused, and took adeep breath. He let it out slowly, calming a bit. Not Tony’s fault for makingthat assumption – or, at least, Sam couldn’t precisely blame Tony for jumpingto the worst conclusion first.
“Yeah, well, I know how much that sucks,” he muttered.“I wouldn’t do that.” He glanced up, meeting Tony’s eyes, and Tony noddedslightly.
Licking his lips, Tony’s head ducked down for a momentbefore he looked up at Sam again, shy. “So… if I asked you to go to the movieswith me, would you say yes?”
“Depends,” Sam finally said.
“On?”
“The movie.” He couldn’t help grinning, and it widenedgiddily when Tony beamed right back at him.
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