Blackmailing
STEVE HAD GROWN ACCUSTOMED TO Bucky’s terrible sleep schedule. His roommate was up during the day just for enough time to attend his classes, but as soon as he got back to their dorm -- he was out like a light. It only resulted in the brown haired boy staying up at night, repeating the same process from the day before.
He and Sam both had made many attempts to try and get him to function on normal hours, like everyone else. But it just… didn’t work. It was almost like Bucky was born to be a nightowl.
“A pink tie?” Bucky mumbled, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands. The blond had just woken him up (from probably the second nap of the day) to show him his new suit from Tony.
“Nice, right?”
Steve scanned his eyes up and down the outfit, admiring what Tony had done for him.
“Mhm, nice,” the brown hair boy agreed, laying his head down on the surface closest to him. Bucky closed his eyes, about to fall asleep. Again.
“Bucky.” Steve shook his shoulders, “Wake up.”
“ No .”
“Yes.”
Bucky groaned, opening his eyes. “I’m listening.”
“What-- what am I going to do?” Steve asked him, putting his hands on top of his hand, pacing around their small dorm space. “When I asked first, you were like, tell Tony. But how? Am I just supposed to say that I like him a lot, like a lot a lot? Or would that be weird?”
“Please stop waking around, you’re making me dizzy,” Bucky pleaded, running his hands through his hair. Steve then resorted to sitting down on the very edge of his bed, bouncing his foot up and down. “But look, Stevie, someday and somehow you have to tell him. Even if you were to say that you like him a lot, like a lot a lot, it gets the point across.”
“And if he rejects me?”
“Why would he?”
Steve furrowed his eyebrows, narrowing his gaze at Bucky. “We don’t even know if he likes guys!”
The brown haired boy rolled his eyes. “The cuffed jeans. His daddy issues. Him being an absolute mess. Those three ingredients call for a bisexual.”
Bucky was a bisexual himself, of course he would know.
“Just because he might be bisexual doesn’t mean he’s into me,” the blond defended.
“Ask him if he likes Sweater Weather by the Neighbourhood.”
“ Buck , I’m being serious.”
“Fine, okay, you’re right. But there’s only one way to find out.”
“I have to tell him?”
“Yes, you have to tell him.” Bucky plopped his head back down, closing his eyes. “Now let me sleep, I have to facetime Sam later.”
☆
“I think that these matching ties are quite the hit,” Steve whispered into Tony’s ear, glancing around at all the people around them. Judgement filled their eyes as they whispered to others, pointing to the two discreetly -- or at least, their way of being discreet. Which wasn’t subtle at all. “Aren’t you glad that I said something about it?”
“Very,” Tony agreed with a short laugh.
Steve knew that he couldn’t trust his own conscience at times. He didn’t even have any regard for his own safety. But he had a sudden suspicion, that hey, maybe he should tell Tony now. In the middle of all this. Better now than later, right?
“Tony…” Steve trailed off, looking down at the floor, “Could I talk to you about something?”
“What is it?” The smaller boy questioned him, looking up into the blonds eyes with furrowed eyebrows.
“I am very sorry to interrupt,” Jarvis disrupted the two. “Mr. Stark, your father requires your immediate presence,” the man explained, throwing an apologetic glance Steve’s way. Steve nodded to him, lips in a tight line. It was his way of saying that it was alright.
“I-- okay, okay. Steve, I’ll be right back. Obie will be here in a second, then we’ll go back to your place.” Tony started to walk off, looking seemingly upset.
“And we can talk?”
“Yeah, of course.”
Tony left, walking away with Jarvis at his side. Which only left Steve alone in a mostly crowded room, filled with mindless chatter. He grabbed a water from a table nearby, chugging it down.
Tony had mentioned Obadiah Stane on the ride here. He was one of his father’s old friends, who had helped with Stark Industries on its rise to fame. Steve had heard Howard talk about Obadiah before, but at the time he just didn’t know the man’s name. Was that the man that Howard was so intent on meeting Steve?
One thing was for sure: Steve didn’t want to meet him.
While the brunet had said many good things, there was one thing about Obadiah that stuck out. He was a snake, slithering into everybody's business and threatening to ruin their lives to get his way. The blond wondered if that's how he was friends with Howard Stark now.
What secrets could Howard Stark possibly be hiding? Nothing that important, Steve assumed. But it must be important enough to the point where Obadiah has a hold of it.
Instead of pondering over it, Steve decided to over his lines for later instead. “Tony, I really like… no, not that. Ugh, Bucky made this sound way too easy.”
“Mr. Rogers!” A man called out from across the room, approaching the blond. Howard had probably mentioned Steve to Obadiah already, there was no need to be paranoid.
“Hello, Mr. Stane,” Steve greeted with a tight lip smile, “Did you have a nice evening?”
“Yeah! Sure! Lots of eye candy here, of course, but I’m sure a young man like you noticed that?” Steve gulped. He sure had a way of getting straight to the point.
“I… can’t say that I did. Someone special, as you know, already has my eye.”
Tony, ever since they had first met each other in that hallway, had always had Steve’s eye. Always in his thoughts, in his words.
“Smart answer. But… I gotta admit, Rogers, something was bothering me. Something has been for the last two galas.”
“Oh? Have you told Mr. Stark--”
“Actually I thought I should take it up with you.”
The blond stayed quiet for a minute, tilting his head in confusion. Before he suddenly got it. “Am… am I the problem, Mr. Stane?”
“ Bingo !” He snapped his fingers, smiling. “Smarter than I thought an art education major would be.”
It hurt Steve to hear those words coming out of his mouth. Art education majors were just as smart as anybody else. Just as capable as anybody else. The only difference was that they chose to teach in a subject that they loved to do, not go out and chase money for their entire lives.
“Well. To Tony, to Mrs. and Mr. Stark, and to Mr. Jarvis, I’m fine. I’m not sure what to tell you since who Tony dates doesn't concern you or your work for the family--”
“See, it kinda does. Maria was a smart choice for Howard -- good family, good looking, knew how all of this worked, and already had connections. Plus, I like her.”
“And you don’t like me,” the blond finished off for him.
“An arrogant, idealistic, football player firmly set in the liberal agenda? Gotta admit it, kid, I don’t think we can coexist with the Starks,” Obadiah explained, concealing his hate with a fake face of innocence.
“Are you trying to… blackmail me?” He knew that somehow, he should’ve been expecting this. Should’ve been expecting Obadiah to do something . Steve was trying to see a way that this wasn’t his fault. What kind of psychopath would blackmail a college student?
“I’m expecting you to do what's best for Tony. I see how you look at him. I know you care for him. And Tony deserves someone who does. But not you. He needs someone who is adapted to this. He needs someone… what's the word?”
“Impressive.”
“That’s it! See, you keep surprising me. I don’t really like that, either.”
“So you just expect me to leave him?” His heart burned at the thought of it. “You’re not threatening me?”
“Oh, I definitely am,” Obadiah corrected. “All I have to do is pull some strings and you’re off the football team and out of school.”
The blond stayed silent, looking at the man in confusion.
Obadiah leaned closer, running his fingers over the pink tie that Steve wore. He wanted to back away, but found himself frozen in place. “I hope you do what's right, Rogers. No hard feelings.”