Huzzah! After a long two-and-a-half year wait, I'm pleased to announce the sequel to Verboten is finally here! I've procrastinated this damn thing for over a year, so it feels like a glorious weight has been lifted. This story doesn't function well as a stand-alone, so I recommend you read Verboten first, as it supplies background context. I hope you enjoy this story as much as its prequel!

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own any of these characters or anything Marvel-related. Oh, if only I did... ;)

UPDATE: This story underwent major revision on 9/5/2017. For those of you who have read this before, I deleted several lines of unnecessary exposition, reworded some of the dialogue, and corrected spelling/grammar errors.

RING! RING! RING!

Nineteen-year-old Steve Rogers jumps awake at the obnoxious sound. His heart hammering in his chest, he grabs his Samsung Galaxy S6 (upgrade!) off the cluttered nightstand and shuts off the alarm. Breathing a sigh of relief, he rolls onto his back and stares up at the bland, white ceiling. He briefly wonders where his glow-in-the-dark stars are. They were always a strange comfort during those intense moments of teen angst. But he's an adult now…er, at least, he's supposed to be. Childish star stickers won't ease the college blues.

College. He's in college. The realization hits him as the feeling of disorientation subsides.

Over the weekend, his parents helped him move into his dorm room. Although his house is only a twenty-minute drive away, his parents still had a hard time letting him go. They kept telling him to "be safe," "stay in touch," and "study hard."

"Yeah, yeah, I will," Steve responded dismissively.

He heard that typical parental tune all throughout high school. They are a big part of why he moved out. He grew tired of living under their watchful eye and wanted a delicious spoonful of freedom.

He's not the only one. Believe it or not, the glorious Tony Stark gave up his luxurious, high-tech bedroom for a simple dorm room. He made the switch not only to be closer to Steve, but also as rebellion against his dad. The guy is determined to prove that he is his own man rather than "Howard Stark's son." Steve fully supports him in the struggle.

The pair successfully hid their budding romance from their friends. In order to accomplish this feat, they fell into a strict, unhealthy routine of lying and avoidance. At school, they were complete strangers, not even casting a glance at one another. On Wednesday nights, they were much cozier. Wednesday was their assigned meeting day, since it was their least busiest day of the week. If any of Steve's friends wanted to hang on Wednesday, he said he got hung-up on homework. Luckily, it worked every time.

Grad night is a night Steve will never forget. Sure, it's already a memorable night, but Tony added the icing on the cake by popping the question. Still dressed in their caps and gowns, he pulled Steve into the most romantic place possible: the high school bathroom.

"Alright, Steve, we've been dating for, what, three months now? Wow, it's gone by fast. Anyways, we've had some good times, and I…don't want them to stop. I want us to have more good times. You get what I'm saying?"

"…are you asking me to be your boyfriend?" Steve ventured.

Tony shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, that."

Steve grinned in delight. "Of course!" He pulled Tony into a quick hug before looking around. "No offense, but you had to do this in a bathroom?"

"I couldn't wait," was Tony's excuse.

Steve smiles at the fond memory. Due to Tony's impressive academic ability, he received several offers from prestigious schools across the nation. He declined each one because he loathed the idea of a long-distance relationship. It warmed Steve's heart like a cheesy rom-com that Tony chose him over his dream school.

Tony's dear friend, Bruce, didn't have a love interest holding him back, so he went to Harvard. He and Tony used to daydream about attending Harvard when they were kids. Tony misses him dearly, but he's proud of him for fulfilling their childhood dream. Steve heard somewhere that Tony's deranged ex-girlfriend, Pepper, wants to pursue a business career. Right. Steve will believe that when he sees it. Thor, aka footballs-for-brains, dropped out of high school two weeks before graduation, so Steve doesn't know or care where he ended up.

He doesn't know what's been going on with Thor's twin brother, Loki, either. The last time they spoke was at graduation. They tried getting together a few times over the summer, but their busy jobs didn't allow it. Steve wasn't upset. When he thought about it, he didn't have time for Loki's drama.

As for Clint and Natasha, they both went off to some military academy. They developed an interest in the military toward the end of the year. During that time, rumors began swirling that they were involved with each other. Natasha firmly denied it. Either way, better the rumors were about them than Steve and Tony.

Steve sighs at the onslaught of precious high school memories. Don't get him wrong, high school was a bitch, but he and his friends made it tolerable. He hopes this college thing will be just as enjoyable, if not more so.

His phone dings with a message, which releases him from his thoughts. He picks up the device and catches a lovely glimpse of the time: 8:50 AM. Steve literally jumps out of bed. He's going to be late for his first class!

He throws on a t-shirt and jeans before grabbing his heavy backpack. Thank God he got everything prepared last night. He runs a quick hand through his ruffly bed-head and rushes out of the room.

"I was wonderin' when you were gonna get up," a cheeky voice comments from the living room.

Steve just huffs at the man reclining on the couch. Although there's room for a third person, it's just him and Sam Wilson at the moment. He's a pretty chill guy, and Steve knows they'll get along just fine when he isn't in such a rush.

"Why are you still here?" he asks from the small kitchen.

"I don't start until 11."

Steve can hear the grin in his voice and scoffs, "Lucky."

"Well, you should've taken later classes, too."

"Yeah, I should've," he agrees while tearing open a brand-new box of protein bars.

He shoves two bars into his pocket and slings his backpack over his shoulder. After exchanging good-byes, he rushes out the door, his mind scurrying with anticipation over the unknown.

That's it for chapter one! A short and sweet recap of the old within the environment of the new. :) I'll be updating this soon, so hang tight!