#tsbr6

Tony: Hey I really need help on this stupid assignment I have no idea what I’m doing for Bishop’s classes xxxx-xxx-xxx: Um I think you have the wrong number? I don’t know a Bishop Tony: Are you not my project member for Rhodes's class? Tony: We have to do that film analysis and understand the make way of generational discussion in media xxxx-xxx-xxx: Sorry no, I’m a med student Tony: Oooh fancy, and does the med student have a name? Stephen: Uh Stephen Strange, what do you do? Tony: Tony, engineering specifically in med tech Stephen: What are you doing in a film class? Tony: My friend's mum teaches the class, it’s just some fun. Tony: Sorry by the way. 

It is weird to Tony that this random man whom he shouldn’t even know has more impact on his life than his actual film class partner who he actually talks to on a daily basis. Despite how sorry Tony might say he is to Stephen he doesn’t really mean it because Stephen is the first breath of fresh air Tony feels like he has had since meeting Rhodey.

The college hasn’t been what he thought it would be, he thought he’d meet new people, especially being at MIT there are people everywhere, maybe even meet his soulmate for the first time, and maybe his stupid tattoo would go away, but college hasn’t been that for him. 

“Hey, you doing okay?” Rhodey asks walking into their shared dorm room and watching as Tony spins around continuously on his wheely desk chair. It’s not an unusual sight, it’s what Tony does when he’s thinking up a big idea, normally for a test or paper. This is somehow different though, maybe the look on his face, or the fact that he’s hiding his arm. Rhodey squints at his best friend, “you lost your soul mark?” He questions staring at Tony’s forearm. 

Turning around to Rhodey he nods, “no idea how I lost it, don’t know who I’ve interacted with today that I don’t normally interact with because even the barista I talked to today is the same guy.” He sounds annoyed because he is annoyed, soulmates have always annoyed Tony with the idea that some connection could pull two people together, some universal connection. There is absolutely no science behind soulmates, there’s no idea of how they ever existed. 

Rhodey feels bad for Tony sure but yet he can’t figure out what to say, so instead he apologises, “I’m sorry.”

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He has messaged Steohen every day for the last 2 months, and Stephen is here in Masshecutes. He has been right here since the first message. Tony is staring at him across the convention hall and he has no idea how he knows it’s him but he does.

So he messages the man.

Tony: Are you in Massachusetts? Stephen: Yeah, that’s where I go to med school Stephen: Why? Tony: I think you are my soulmate

Tony walks towards Stephen and he has no idea how he knows but the man he is walking to is frowning at his phone, eyebrows creased as if a man just confessed to him that they were soulmates. A man he doesn’t even know.

Tony: Look up.

Stephen’s mark disappears, and Tony watches saying the same words he just messaged out loud, “look up.” He never believed any of the ridiculousness that once you know, you know, the universe will tell you and sparks will fly. As Stephen looks into his eyes for the first time Tony believes it all, that it is possible. Maybe soulmates aren’t such a bad thing. 

Cards:

The attic is very attic-like it’s dusty, other than that it is not really an attic but more of an abandoned floor in a tower and Peter is unsure how he ended up here. He was with his tour group but then he needed to go to the bathroom and the nice tour guide directed him towards a door which turned out to be an elevator, which is how he ended up here. After turning up in the elevator he didn’t touch any buttons and yet it moved and now he’s in what he can assume is the attic, up very high. 

The same elevator doors open and Peter’s eyes go wide, he’s not supposed to be here and he knows that but he’s also not quite sure how to get back down. He doesn’t want to be told up and his feet feel like leads stuck to the floor. “Hello?” The man asks walking out of the elevator, the man is Tony Stark followed by loud high heels that are hurting Peter’s ears.

Tony Stark is in the same room as Peter Parker, the same Peter Parker that has this man picture on his wall and has read his scientific articles from the age of 5 as bedtime stories. Pepper Potts is also there and Peter knows that MJ would be so jealous right now, “hi kid, how did you get up here?” Tony asks getting down to Peter’s level. 

Peter, who assumes he’s in trouble, takes off the lanyard they had given them at the beginning and puts it into Tony’s hand. This makes Tony ‘I don’t like being handed things’ Stark eyes go wide but then he realises this kid is terrified “you still kept this?” Tony jokes trying to put a smile on his face for the kid, “Pepper here has been trying to get me a lanyard for years, but I just don’t think it’s my look, you know?” Tony questions trying to bring lightness to the conversation. 

Pepper, who doesn’t take much nonsense, is in love with this kid who may be 10 maybe 11 if she can remember the only tour group in the tower at the moment, “does your tour group know you’re here? Did somebody send you?” Peter shakes his head which doesn’t give Pepper much to go on.

Instead, Tony ignored his partner’s concern and brushes it off, “he wanted to be the top man Pepper, come up to the penthouse and see the views!” Tony smiles at his work and as much as it may not seem like it, Tony likes kids loves kids even, probably the reason why there is s tour group happening in the first place. 

“This is the penthouse?” Peter whispers looking around at the clothed furniture and dusty feel. It seems wrong to Peter that this could possibly be Tony Stark’s penthouse, it’s nothing like what he imagined. There’s limited to no tech and it seems abandoned Peter thought it was the attic with spare furniture.

Tony nods smiling sadly at the state of the place because he's sure that the kid wouldn't expect this packed-up mess as a state-of-the-art penthouse that Architecture Direct wrote about. “We’re packing up to move at the moment so I know it’s not exactly what you might have imagined. Sorry kid,” Tony doesn’t really know why he apologising or what he may be apologising for but he feels sorry and some kind of pity.

Picking up on the way that Tony is feeling Pepper takes Peter’s hand in her own, “why don’t we get you back to your tour group-” she stops because they don’t even know this kid's name, “uh?” She looks to Tony for any help that he may be able to give in this rare situation.

Peter smiles putting his hand out to Tony introducing himself, “Peter Parker, and I’m sorry,” he whispers the last bit sorry about the inconvenience he’s causing. 

Knowing the kid feels bad about the situation Tony knows the sympathy that he feels is also extended to Pepper, “hey FRIDAY? Where’s Mr Parker’s tour group?” Tony asks the AI excited for this very intelligent kid's reaction, hopefully, a good one. 

“My Parker’s tour group left 2 hours ago,” FRIDAY responds and Tony recognises the slight sympathy in her tone and Peter’s reaction to the AI is not the one he expected, “they left without me?” The kid says quietly and it only makes Tony and Pepper feel worse. 

Tony does what Tony does best and instead puts a big smile and finds charm in a bad situation, “well we don’t need them, I’ll get Pepper to call whoever is on your emergency contact and I can give you a private tour instead.” Tony gives Pepper a pleading look but Pepper already has her phone out emailing Happy for paperwork, for some reason this kid is changing them both.

“How would you like to see my private lab?” and the excitement that Peter has on his face makes everything worth the whole situation.

.

Later that night Pepper and Tony sit on one of the many covered couches, covered in white fabric ready to be shipped to malibu, “I don’t want to leave,” Tony sighs leaning his head on Pepper’s shoulder, “we shouldn’t sell the tower.”

Smiling Pepper nods, “I think that’s a good idea.” 

Who knew a kid could save a whole tower and relationship, a whole world? 

Cards:

“And we are live!” The lady smiles into the camera lens, she’s bright and bubbly just the way female sports news anchors are supposed to be. Her smile only widens as she continues to talk “hello today we are live at the Superbowl LIX, and people are calling this the game of the century as we watch married man Sam Wilson play for New Orleans Saints against his very own husband Steve Rogers playing for the New York Giants. We can't wait to see how this game plays out.” 

As the camera cuts to show the excitement from the fans Natasha Romanoff finds herself back in her normal state away from the bubbly blonde mess that she pretends to be on camera. Nodding her head towards the changerooms her cameraman Clint understands just what she's saying and packs up his camera away and walks with her. 

This isn’t either of their first Superbowl and hopefully won’t be either of their last, “it really is a different atmosphere this year,” clint produces taking  a gulp of water before continuing, “I mean the teams are basically rivals and yet they’re like married to each other, how crazy is that?” Clint is not wrong it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event that they have a married couple playing against each other at the Superbowl.

Natasha laughs along, “Sam and Steve are best friends but I know for a fact that they not letting either of them get in the way of a victory.” Having known Steve for as long as Natasha has she knows the competitive spirit that he has doesn’t extend to just Sam it goes way past that, they’re wedding was a whole competition, their whole life together has always been a competition. She smiles thinking about college, and how much easier it once was, “the only time they’ve been on the same team in college, since joining the NFL for some reason people are too scared to put together a power couple, something to do with an unfair advantage,” she shrugs, showing off her prior knowledge and the reason why she has her job in the first place. 

In the change rooms, it’s a mess of players half dressed and loud crowds of screaming and excitement about the upcoming match they are about to play, it’s brilliant footage that Clint is capturing. For the first time in history, the two opposing teams are in connected change rooms, all together and mingling. Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson can be seen on a bench with arms around each other. Steve screams above all the others over at Natasha, “well if it isn’t my favourite journalist,” he yells departing from Sam and making his way to hug the female in question. 

Laughing they hold onto each other before having to get back to their own respective jobs in the field. Steve pulls Sam along to join their interview, “hello we are back and we are talking with the famous couple on everyone’s mind tonight, how are you both feeling? Is there some competitive love in the air tonight?” 

Sam knows where Natasha is going with this and so he responds for the both of them, “I feel like there would be if this teddy bear would let go of me to actually be with my team,” he smiles jokingly. Knowing that this moment will be in youtube compilations of them together for centuries on, they really did make a rift in the NFL culture when both came out as boyfriends and then Steve engaged with his Superbowl ring in the middle of training one day, they made history with ever walking step. 

“It’s a tactic,” Steve shrugs holding onto Sam tighter this time, “we are on opposing sides and all that.” Sam rolls his eyes at his husband's insufferable tendencies. He loves him anyway.

Natasha on the other hand knows that she’ll be commentating on next year’s Super Bowl from this interaction alone. If only it was like college instead. 

Cards: @flufftober @samstevebingo2022 @tonystarkbingo

“Are you looking on Pinterest?” Sam raises an eyebrow questioning Tony, who is certainly scrolling through the Pinterest app on his StarkPad. Tony chooses to ignore Sam and instead looks back to his StarkPad with a large smile on his face, looking at anything from Halloween decorations to the nursery interiors. Sam tries again, “what are you looking for?” Because he certainly hopes it’s not the nursery interior, Peter has only just moved out of his own toddler bed.

Continuing to scroll Tony smiles upward ignoring the pad, “I want to decorate the house for halloween, something cute, but not scary, like Disney Halloween, you know?” Sam does not know but he leaves Tony to do it anyway.

.

Carrying Peter into the house after a long day of work Sam drops both of their school bags and makes his way to the kitchen where he knows Tony would be waiting. Except for the ghosts in the hallway, stairs are stopping him from doing so. He puts Peter on the ground, “hey Pete why don't you go find daddy so we can talk about the pumpkins on the front porch.” Peter runs off happily towards the kitchen his shows lighting up as he goes, a Tony purchase.

He comes back quickly after with Peter pulling Tony’s arm as he laughs, the noise travelling throughout the house. Peter smiled brightly yelling way too loud for an inside voice, “Daddy! Look at the mickey ghosts!”

Tony follows after the same wide smile on his face as he picks up Peter, similar to how Sam had earlier in the day, “I thought you’d like them, how about we make some pumpkin hot chocolate so we can really get into the spooky mood?” Peter combats Tony with a small ‘roar’ to show how scary the small child really is.

.

The next day Sam finds a note next to his now spider soap dispenser, “I hope you don’t think I’ve gone too over the top, this is nothing compared to my Christmas board!” He finished it with a pumpkin face and it makes Sam’s day.

Cards: @flufftober @tonystarkbingo