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Steve pulled his cowboy hat deeper as he moved through the crowd. He was also wearing a rainbow-coloured feather boa a guy had given him when he had entered the bar. Steve had never felt more out of place yet so part of a group as he looked around the room.
It was Pride Month and it was his first one since he was thawed. Pride hadn’t even existed back in the 40’s, but he had heard about it on the news the other day and was immediately intrigued. Without the shield and suit, he was just a guy anyway. A gay guy.
Steve had learnt not everything was rainbows and flowers for people like him now, but at least you wouldn’t have to deal with terrible consequences if someone saw you kissing a guy on the street. Especially in New York.
Steve was sitting at the bar, sipping a beer, and just took the whole – beautiful yet strange – situation in. People were drinking, playing pool or darts, and some were even dancing. Steve noticed how close everyone seemed with whoever they were spending their time with. How ordinary touches seemed.
“I saw you looking all hot and lonely over here. Wanna dance?” someone suddenly asked Steve and when he looked to the right he saw a black man in a rainbow-coloured tank top that hardly covered his chest next to him. He smiled brightly and offered his hand to Steve, not to shake it, but to take him to the dance floor.
With a quick glance around, Steve made a decision. He took the man’s hand, turned it around and gave it a quick kiss. The man laughed in surprise and Steve hoped he wouldn’t take his words personally when he finally said, “I don’t dance and I quite like my solitude right now, but I do appreciate the sentiment.”
“That’s alright, cowboy. I hope you’ll find whoever you’re looking for.”
“I’m not looking–“
“It’s Pride. Nobody should go home alone,” he said with a smile and patted Steve’s shoulder as he left.
Steve sighed and turned back to see the bartender sliding a clear drink towards him.
“I didn’t order that,” he said in confusion.
“It’s on the house. You look like you need something stronger than a beer,” the bartender said and winked at him.
“Thanks,” Steve said and held up his glass in salute before emptying it in one go. Vodka, his mind provided. It was sharp and minty and would not get him drunk like anything else he could order here.
“Can you give me another one of these, please?” he asked.
“Anything you want,” the bartender said and handed Steve another vodka.
He left it on the counter for later and watched the bartender for a while. It was mesmerizing seeing him mix cocktails while he talked to people.
“Hey handsome, would you mind company?” a man asked Steve from behind and then sat down next to him without waiting for an answer.
Then the man turned to him and while Steve couldn’t see his eyes through the colourful sunglasses, he could see how his eyebrows shot up in an instant.
“Steve?!”
“Hey Tony,” Steve said with a smile. “Surprised to see me here?”
“More surprised I didn’t recognize you from behind.”
“Have you been checking out my ass?” Steve asked and wanted to bite his tongue after. Did he really want to know the answer to that?
“All the time,” Tony said with a grin.
Steve rolled his eyes in amusement and then slid his vodka to Tony as a peace offering. Or maybe he just wanted Tony to stop talking about his butt. Tony took the vodka without a word and drank it.
Tony was sitting close to him and it made Steve feel more comfortable. He didn’t want them to be distanced from each other. He watched Tony move his sunglasses up into his hair and Steve was glad he could see his eyes. It was a lot easier for him to understand people like that. He also knew Tony liked to shield himself with his glasses.
“Happy Pride, by the way. How’s your first one going?” Tony asked and Steve could tell he was actually concerned about Steve not having a good time.
“It’s… nice. Really nice. Overwhelming and confusing, but yeah. Everyone seems so at ease with themselves, it helps me to keep calm.”
“I’m glad,” Tony said. “Would be a shame if your first impression was a bad one.”
“And yet your friend refused the offer to dance from a really handsome guy,” the bartender suddenly chimed in.
Steve glared at him and Tony laughed, “Yeah, he’s not the biggest fan of dancing.”
There was a gleam in his eyes Steve couldn’t place until Tony leaned so close to him, Steve could almost feel his breath on his cheek. He swallowed.
Then Tony asked, “Would you… not dance with me, but sway a little to the music? Very low pressure and commitment.”
And all Steve could do was nod.
“Perfect,” Tony said and it almost sounded like a purr.
He offered Steve his hand and this time, he took it and let Tony lead him to the middle of the room where a few other people were dancing already.
Steve and Tony didn’t dance. They simply swayed to the slow music, stayed close to each other and let their hands travel a little. Steve felt the sudden urge to kiss him, but held back. Not because he thought somebody would judge them, but because he didn’t want to share it with others. It was supposed to be a private moment.
Tony also seemed comfortable with the way they moved and what they were doing. Steve briefly wondered if Tony would care if someone recognized him. The answer was probably no, because he was a celebrity and used to that. As long as people still minded their own business, it was probably fine.
After a while, they went back to the bar and ordered a cocktail. They sat next to each other and one of Tony’s hands landed on Steve’s thigh. It was just a solid presence for a bit, but then Tony started stroking his hand slowly up and down, and Steve sighed, content. He truly enjoyed this.
They talked while drinking and Steve couldn’t imagine a better way to spend this night. Tony was a genius, superhero, and billionaire, but in this moment he was just a guy in a gay bar – Like everyone else in the room.
“Is there anything else you want from tonight?” Tony asked at some point and Steve swallowed. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to voice his wishes, but Tony made it very easy for him when he said, “I can only speak for myself, but I would love to take you home tonight.”
There was a foolish part of Steve that wanted to say We live together, but obviously that wasn’t what Tony had just put on the table. It was new and exciting and Steve wanted to keep this feeling for as long as he could.
“I want to kiss you,” Steve finally confessed and Tony immediately leaned in until Steve touched his chest and gently pushed him away. “But not here. Somewhere private. I don’t wanna share this with a bunch of random people.”
“Fine with me,” Tony said with a smile. “Then how about we go home now?”
“Sounds perfect,” Steve said and put a few bills on the counter to pay for the drinks. Tony did the same and Steve knew he was tipping the bartender really well, probably for telling him about Steve’s night without being asked.
On the way out, Steve spotted the guy from earlier who had asked him for a dance. The man winked at Steve and gave him an approving thumbs-up. Steve smiled at him and nodded, and noticed that the man had his arm slung around someone’s waist in a more than casual way. Nobody should go home alone, he remembered the man’s words.
They got into a cab and Tony gave the driver the address. Then he handed him a bunch of bills and said, “I’ll pay you again when we arrive if you leave us alone during the drive”. A nod was all Tony got before the driver started typing in the address.
A moment later, Steve had Tony’s entire attention again and the smile on his face made Steve’s heart beat a lot faster.
“I think you owe me a kiss,” Tony said, grinning.
“I think you’re right,” Steve grinned back.
Then Tony grabbed Steve by the feather boa around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. He didn’t hesitate a single second before licking at Steve’s lips, coaxing him to open up for him. Steve happily complied and knew it would be a great ride home. Pride was truly a special occasion.