AU where Steve and Tony fall in love one summer in Italy, inspired by this beautiful fan art made by @vindemiatrix-moonpies on Tumblr
Tony had been left at the altar. The wedding was organised down to the very last detail, everything already paid for by Tony. Everything was perfect, everyone was there. Everyone except the bride. Mary didn't show up. Nor called, or texted. She just disappeared. Tony found out later that night that she had ran away and eloped with her lover. She could have had a perfect life with no one less than the Tony Stark, but in the end she had chosen love.
'Plenty of fish in the sea' Tony had told himself, because it was true, every single lady, and some single lads, was willing to marry Tony. Who wasn't? Mary apparently.
The problem was that Tony loved Mary. He really wanted to marry her, she was not just another strategic economic move. He really thought she was the love of his life. But he wasn't hers.
This was not going to stop Tony from enjoying his 3-month-long honeymoon in the sweet Italy.
Tony laid on his bed the tuxedo, hoping that it wouldn't be there once he came back, he probably had to leave a note to Pepper or Happy. He definitely didn't want to see that suit ever again.
He jumped into the first sweatsuit he found in his closet and, without even bothering to take his suitcase, drove to the airport.
Steve was 18 when he decided that America was not his home. As soon as he was out of High School, he took the first plane for Barcelona and went backpacking through Europe. He had always known that, eventually, he had to come back, but then he found the perfect little fishermen's town in the south of Italy, a place that he could finally call home. It was true, what the stereotypes were all about. Italian were indeed nice and friendly and welcoming and when Steve was offered to work for the son of the nice old lady who was kind enough to give him a roof over his head when he got lost in a storm, he felt like he had found his place in the world.
Steve hated bad weather, after all he didn't know any fisherman that didn't hate bad weather. But that storm, that storm was a miracle, it might have put him on the wrong road, but it sure showed him the right path. Little did Steve know that he would have to thank bad weather once again.
It took Tony three days to realize that staying in his luxurious hotel room,drinking scotch and snuggling with self loathing wasn't going to take him anywhere. Eventually, he had to get back on his feet.
"Stark men are made of iron" his father would say.
One morning, he set the alarm way earlier than his usual. It was a nice day outside, although he could feel in his bones that a storm was arriving. The Tony of just one day before would have taken that as a sign to stay in bed, but not the new Tony. He only had 3 months to spend in what in his opinion was the most beautiful country in the world.
He had his fancy breakfast, got into a nice linen shirt and drove out of the parking lot of the hotel with the beautiful red Ferrari he had rented for Maria.
He drove to a nice little private beach, bought a straw hat because why not, and started walking on the shore, in search of a boat to rent.
Tony eventually found one that he could rent and take out without any particular licence.
Tony had never sailed a boat before, but he did drive some expensive cars, so he figured it wouldn't be that different, nor much more difficult. Also, he was a fast learner.
Indeed, after listening to the renter explain how the boat worked, it wasn't that big of a deal for Tony. At least not until the big storm arrived.
It started with the sky turning darker and the wind blowing harder. At that point, the waves were way too high and violent for Tony to come back. If he had had any experience sailing, he probably wouldn't have had any problem going back to the shore. But he didn't know how to face an angry sea and he panicked, which is something that every fisherman would tell you not to do.
The storm was finally over and Steve was walking on the shore, looking for possible damage caused by the storm. It was nothing out of the ordinary, storms happened in summer and that one wasn't any different.
No boats were damaged, but he liked walking on the beach after the rain, the sand was humid and fresh and there was a nice breeze. He was collecting nice little seashells for his collection, he already had a handful, but he let them go as soon as he saw something laying on the sand, something that should not have been there.
That something was Tony's unconscious body, dragged here by the waves. Steve needled by Tony's side trying to wake him up. He checked his vitals and looked for injuries that luckily were not present. He picked him up in bridal style and took him to his house. From there, he would decide whether he needed to go to the hospital or not.
Tony woke up in Steve's bed. He was feeling exhausted. There was a little ray of sunlight coming in from the window that was hitting him right on his face. Tony rolled over, trying to hide from the light, but fell on the floor with a loud thud. As he loudly growled, more from the frustration than for the pain, Steve ran in the room, as if he was standing right out of the door, which he was, kind of.
"Hey, hey, do you hear me?" Steve asked in Italian.
Tony was not sure if he understood him, but he could hear a thick American accent in his voice. Truth was, that, no matter how long Steve had been living in Italy, he could not produce an authentic Italian accent, although he knew the language like his own.
"Water" Tony mumbled, closing his eyes.
Steve ran away and came back with a glass of water.
"Here"
Tony took the glass with both hands, eagerly drinking it.
"Do you know where you are?"
Tony shook his head.
"Do you know who you are?"
Tony nodded
"Anthony...Tony"
Steve held out his hand.
"Very nice to meet you Tony. I'm Steve"
Tony shook his hand.
"How are you feeling?" Tony nodded.
"Do you need to go to the hospital?"
"N-no I'm fine" Tony replied nodding.
"Ok, let's get you something to eat, ok?"
Steve got up, holding his hand out for Tony, waiting for him to take it.
Tony looked around while walking to the kitchen. Steve's house was extremely small, it was all on one floor and it consisted of the bedroom, a small kitchen and what Tony could only assume was the bathroom. Tony sat at the rather small table while Steve fixed him a plate of pasta salad and sat next to him.
Once he finished eating, Tony got up and reached for the door.
"I-I have to go"
But before Steve could reply, Tony collapsed on the floor.
"It's late and dark, I think it's best if you spend the night here"
Despite wanting to leave the very first second he was conscious again, he soon realised that the quiet little fishermen's town and Steve's company were all he needed.
Steve would go to work in the morning, before sunrise and would be back just in time to have breakfast with Tony and they would spend the rest of the day together.
It was nice for Tony not to think about Mary for a while.
But the dream had to come to an end, eventually. Tony had obligations and a multi billion dollar company to run waiting for him in New York.
It was the beginning of September, the days were shorter and the nights were chiller. But it also meant that the town was quieter. Almost every last remaining tourist was leaving. In town there were only the fishermen and their families. Even they were starting to go back to their winter houses because the kids were going to start school in a few days. Soon Steve would be among the last remaining people in the town, with some old ladies. To them, Steve was a saviour, taking care of their groceries and their errands.
That could only mean that it was the end of summer and, despite being the saddest time of the year for the residents, it also meant that the happiest days of the summer vacation were coming up.
Every single free moment there was, was used to organise a more memorable feast than the year before. And Tony helped. Well, he mostly founded the feast, anonymously. He hadn't told Steve, nor anybody else, who he really was, he figured that, if no one recognised him, he would be nice to live like any other normal person for once.
What he didn't take into consideration was the possibility that he could become attached to a certain muscular blond man.
The last night of the feast was also Tony's last night in Italy. He had already begged Pepper for more time, but she couldn't give him any more.
There was live music and fresh seafood for everyone. Everyone was smiling, singing and dancing, celebrating the great summer they had.
Tony was sitting at a table, a kid had just come to say goodbye. He was running out of time, and that little time he had, he wanted to spend it with Steve.
"Steve"
"Heeey Tony"
He sounded slightly drunk.
"I need to talk to you"
Steve nodded and took his hand, walking him to the brickwork in front of the sea.
"So, tell me"
Steve was sitting facing the sea while Tony was facing the other way.
"I'm leaving tomorrow"
"I know"
"I'm...not sure you know who I am"
Steve looked at Tony.
"You're Tony"
"I am Tony Stark"
"As in..."
"Yes, as in Stark Industries"
Steve sighed and looked back at the sea.
"Ok"
"Just ok?"
Steve shook his shoulders.
"Yeah, I don't care. It just explains how you could pay for everything"
Tony giggled.
"I don't want you to go, Tony"
"Yeah, I don't want to go neither"
Tony put his hand on Steve's.
"Steve?"
Steve hummed and slightly turned his head towards Tony.
"Ithinkimfallingforyou"
Steve giggled.
"What?"
Tony inhaled deeply.
"I think I'm falling for you. Deep, like really deep"
Steve smiled and caressed his hand.
"I fell for you a long time ago, Tony"
Steve turned to Tony, sitting astride the brick wall. He put a hand on Tony's cheek.
"Can I kiss you?"
Tony nodded, biting his lip. Steve put their lips together, pushing Tony back, making him lay on the wall and standing over him, while Tony threw his hands around Steve's neck.
Tony mumbled.
"What are we going to do?"
Steve rolled his eyes
"I don't know. We'll think about that tomorrow, now shut up and kiss me"
Tony smiled, biting his lip again. Steve smiled and kissed Tony, trying to gain access to his mouth, that Tony kept denying. Steve bit Tony's lip and Tony gasped and Steve, catching the opportunity, slid his tongue into Tony's mouth, feeling Tony's body relax under his touch.
Everything was going to be fine, the end of the summer meant the beginning of a life together.