You felt the strain in your back as you pulled your dance bag over your shoulder. It had been a long, rough practice. It was one of those days where you couldn't seem to do anything right. A lot of people think tap dancing is simply clicking or stomping the bottom of your shoes against the floor, but it's so much more than that. It's physically demanding and you had dance practice nearly every day. And you loved it.

There was only one problem. You weren't a famous dancer. In fact, you had moved to New York to become a professional dancer. But starting out, you were barely able to afford rent, let alone all the other essentials you needed in order to survive in New York. You needed a little bit of help. That was where Tony came in.

You'd signed up on a sugar baby website as a joke. One of your friends had a sugar daddy and she was as happy as could be. She joked that you should try and wouldn't leave you alone until you signed up. That was how you met Tony. Why the infamous Tony Stark was looking for a sugar baby, you had no idea, but you decided to meet with him anyway after he messaged you.

From that first meeting, you felt a spark with Tony. It was no brainer to say yes when he asked you to be his sugar baby on a long-term basis. He took you on dates to all sorts of galas and charity functions. He set you up in a nice apartment and helped with bills when necessary. His only stipulation was that you be ready to go out whenever he needed as long as you weren't dancing. You readily agreed.

Tonight was one of those nights. As soon as you entered your apartment, your eyes find Tony's form. He stood up from the couch and smiled at you. "Tony! Did I miss a text or something?" He chuckled and shook his head. "Nope. Can't I just pop in and see my Sweetpea?" You grinned. You loved his little nicknames for you.

"Of course," you said, trying to sound chipper. The thing about Tony was that, when he cared for someone, he was pretty in tune with their moods. Needless to say, he saw right through you. "What's wrong, sweetheart?" You gave him a tired smile as you let your bag fall to the floor with a loud PLOP! "It's...been a rough day." Tony's lips frowned under the facial hair you had come to adore.

He motioned for you to join him on the couch, which of course you did. He wrapped his arms around you and asked you to tell him what was wrong. You sat there and poured your heart out to him. That was one thing you really liked about Tony. Yours wasn't always the typical sugar baby/sugar daddy relationship. Tony really seemed to care about how you were doing on an everyday basis. He went out of his way to text you at least once a week even if he didn't need you to join him for anything.

You had tears on your face by the time you finished. Tony listened intently and tried to offer some consoling words. As he spoke, you looked ahead. Your brows furrowed when you noticed a garment bag hanging on your door. "Oh, Tony! You wanted to go out tonight, didn't you?" He followed your gaze to the door.

"I did, but I think it might be a better idea to stay in tonight. It was just going to be dinner for the two of us. You can wear that dress any time." You began sniffling again. You felt like you were failing him today as his sugar baby. And you never wanted to disappoint Tony.

It wasn't because of who he was to you. It wasn't because he encouraged you to dance to your heart's content nor was it because he set you up in a beautiful apartment. It wasn't because of the nice dinners or fancy galas with the gorgeous dresses he purchased. No, it was deeper than that. You didn't want to disappoint Tony because he was beginning to mean more to you than just a sugar daddy.

"No, you wanted to go out. I'll put it on." You moved to get up, but Tony's arms tightened around you just enough to keep you in place."Y/N, it's fine. I would much rather stay in with you than go out. I want to make you feel better. And I don't think there's any better way to do that than to order in and watch whatever ridiculous movie you want." You beamed up at him, unaware that that was all he really wanted.

"Really?" Tony nodded. The truth was, Tony would do just about anything to see you smile. He never wanted to see you cry or see you angry. He wanted that beautiful smile he adored to stay on your face as often as possible. It made him the happiest man when you were happy.

Tony wasn't sure when your happiness became more important than your arrangement. Maybe it was the first night you'd actually stayed the night as his place. Or perhaps it was the first day he saw you handle the swarm of paparazzi. Or maybe it was the last charity event you went to when you begged him to help the orphanages of New York City. He couldn't remember, but he knew one thing. He was falling for you. Hard.

The very thought should have scared him. After all, he'd signed up to be a sugar daddy to avoid those kinds of feelings and relationships. After what had happened with Pepper, which was his own fault, Tony didn't think he was worthy or ready for any of that. Yet here he was, admitting to himself that his feelings for you ran deeper than they should but instead of being scared, it brought a smile to his face.

"Tell you what, you go get comfortable while I order food. What are you in the mood for?" You called to him that you didn't care as you made your way to your bedroom. Tony chucked and placed the order for your favorite. Then he sat back on the couch with a glass of the whiskey that you always kept in the house for him. You came back out a few minutes later, rejoining him on the couch.

As soon as you were seated, Tony's arms wrapped around you again. "There's my girl. So, what'll it be today, beautiful? Comedy? Drama? Romance? Or maybe a little adult entertainment?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. You giggled and playfully shoved him. "Perv. I think I could use a laugh, so comedy." Tony grinned and nodded, pulling up the comedies on Netflix.

The two of you got comfortable until the take out arrived. Once you finished dinner, you cuddled back into Tony. You watched the movie in silence at first. You weren't even really paying attention to it. You were too busy enjoying the feeling of Tony's arms around you. It surprised you how comfortable the two of you had become around each other.

"Y/N," Tony said softly about half way through the movie. You turned your face to look at him and were shocked when his lips met yours. Outside of the bedroom or the occasional peck at an event, Tony never kissed you. At least not on the mouth. You were so stunned you couldn't respond at first and Tony pulled back. For the first time, he wore a frown.

"Y-" he started but you cut him off. Your brain had finally managed to catch up to what had happened and you said the first thing that popped into your mind. "I love you!" Your impromptu confession was met with dead silence. He just stared at you in disbelief. "I'm sorry!" you squeaked before jumping off the couch and running to your bedroom.

The tears rolled down your face before you could stop them. You had just ruined everything you had going for you. This was supposed to be a romance free kind of thing. No feelings involved. But you had to go and fall for your sugar daddy. You felt so stupid.

"Y/N, sweetheart? Open the door." You didn't answer. Tony started to jiggle the doorknob and knock. "Please, sugar, open the door. I'm not mad." You perched on your bed hugging a pillow to your chest. "Please go away," you whimpered. You couldn't face him now. You wanted the earth to swallow you whole. Laying down, you let the tears fall. You never heard Tony picking the lock or opening the door.

"Not a chance in hell, babe," he whispered. You didn't say a thing. Tony came up and got in bed behind you. You stiffened when you felt his arm snake around your waist. He carefully removed the pillow from your grasp and pulled you close. This was different. Sure, you'd shared a bed plenty of times, but this felt odd. Much more intimate.

"Tony?" He hummed as he placed a soft kiss to your shoulder. "Can I have one last kiss? Just one before you end things?" Tony's brows furrowed. He turned you over so you were facing him. You'd never seen him look so serious before. "Why would I end things, Y/N?" You sniffled again.

"Because I broke our one rule. I let myself feel something for you." Tony chuckled. He brushed a strand of hair out of your face. "I broke that rule a long time ago, sweetheart. If you hadn't run off I could have told you that, in spite of our rule, I love you too." You blinked rapidly in confusion.

"You do?" Tony leaned in a kissed you again. "I do. Very much. I love spending time with you. I love spoiling you because you always get all flustered and adorable even with our arrangement. I love talking with you especially when it's something you're passionate about. I love watching you dance. You know I haven't missed a single performance since we met. And I love the jealous looks I get when we go out together." You giggled at that.

"There she is. I was wondering where you'd gone." You wiped your cheeks and smiled a bit. "Do you mean that, Tony?" He nodded. You snuggled closer to him and gave him another soft kiss. "I love you so much, Y/N." Your (e/c) met his brown ones as you whispered, "I love you too."