Happy New Year! Just a little fun.
Isn't it lovely that there are multiple time-lines? Makes room for a lot of things.
All around Stark mansion people are kissing, cheering, singing. It's lovely to ring in the new year surrounded by friends. It feels good to have so many friends that you could be surrounded. So much hugging and kissing and general celebration.
After the flurry of countdown activity, Steve Rogers has one of the few un-kissed faces at the party, leaning on the balcony, watching the last of the fireworks.
Peter Parker comes up to him, face a little flushed from alcohol. Still as dexterous as ever, just a little less jumpy.
"Happy New Year." Steve salutes Peter with his beer.
"Aw Cap. Happy New Year man." Peter gives him a side hug. "Wait. You don't look quite in the spirit." He gestures at Captain Roger's clean face.
"I didn't want to kiss a lady I'd just met, seemed too forward." Steve shrugs.
"But the photos man. Here, let me find lipstick." Peter claps Cap's shoulder and ducks off.
Before the bemused Steve can stop him or even ask what exactly he means, Peter is off asking a female party goer if he can borrow her lipstick. Smiling and thanking her, he takes the lipstick, and using the reflective window to help guide him, he applies a generous coat, touching up a messy edge with relative ease, then handing the lipstick back with thanks.
"You've done that before." Steve says to him, surprised, as he returns.
"Yeah. Cosplay pays off." Peter shrugs.
"Cosplay." Thanks to being a super hero, Rogers is actually aware of this strange new word.
"Yeah. I like dressing as nerdy things. Be nice. You wear a costume too."
"Mine is for protection, the design is symbolic." Steve says, smiling.
"Ok. Anyway. You ready?" Peter asks, gesturing Steve to come closer.
"Hmm?" Steve leans over as indicated. Peter plants a kiss on Steve 'Captain America' Rogers' cheek, then leans back and smiles at his handiwork.
"See. Now you look properly celebratory, take a selfie. Good times." Peter holds a peace sign up next to his own face, grinning cutely, still covered in lipstick.
Steve looks more pink faced about the joke than Peter was expecting.
"You ok? I didn't think it would be a big deal." He makes an oops face. "Sorry."
"No, it's ok. I just don't remember being kissed by a boy like that before." Rogers touches the lipstick hesitantly.
"Hey, I'm 20 now, please don't call me a boy, I'm not even a teen any more. Also, you've never tried the home side? It's 2020, you should totally get bi-curious with me and find out whether it's a thing." Peter offers Steve a napkin to wipe the lipstick off.
"I... what?" Steve looks confused. The culture gap between him and Peter is even larger than the one between himself and Tony.
"I mean we could make-out a little, to see if you like it. If you're not into it, that's cool. But hey, you might just expand your horizons. You know? So I thought I'd offer." Steve's face is mostly clean by now.
"You want me to clean off the last bit?" Peter asks.
Rogers hands over the napkin. Peter starts on the remaining smudges. Modern lipstick has staying power.
"I'm afraid I'm still a little old fashioned." Steve glances at Peter, then looks down at his drink.
"Yeah, I know. Sorry. You're like mega-old old-fashioned. I should've known. But, you've caught up on a bunch of stuff. So I just thought I'd see if you wanted to." Peter Parker shrugs. "You know... It's ok though, isn't it? I mean, it's not a problem if I find you sexy or anything is it?" He asks slightly nervously, wondering if he's about to find out that Captain America is sorta homophobic.
"No, that's fine?" Steve looks like he hadn't considered that possibility before.
"Cool. It's not like I'm mega experienced in this department, but life's too short to be repressed, you know?" Peter holds up his drink, then takes another sip.
"So. How did you find out, about your own.. preferences." Steve Rogers is not fluent with the terminology.
"Cosplay again. I was dressed as Princess Leia. The white dress outfit? Diplomatic-mission-spy-vibe. And this guy was dressed as Han Solo, and we took a photo together. He asked whether he could do princess carry with me for a photo, and he smelled really good up close, which is unusual at a convention." Peter isn't sure where to go with the story from there, as it had been rather awkward and shy on both sides.
"Anyway. Later that night we ended up making out in his hotel room." Peter gives a thumbs up. "Highlight of the convention, and I got to meet Captain Picard at that convention."
"It was after that close encounter that I realised the way I looked at guys wasn't quite the way most my classmates did... and well, it was closer to the way most the girls did. When I thought guys looked cool, or strong or danced the business and stuff, it wasn't just that I wanted to be like them, I kinda wanted to be with them. I mean, I've only had really had a real actual relationship with girls, but I'm not going to deny there's this other part of me." Peter stops talking, and wonders how he managed to get the sweet spot between drunken info flood and anxious babble-fest.
"Hearing you talk, I can't tell if I'm bisexual." Rogers looks off into the distance, shaking his head. "Hard to tell, there's a lot of internalised hetero normalising...?"
"Heteronormativity." Peter supplies.
"That." Steve agrees. "I'm not sure I could tell unless I actually kissed a man."
"Oh really?" Peter tries to look casual. "Oh glad I could help you think it through.. always happy to help." He stops himself talking just before he says something really embarrassing. They stand in silence for a dozen heartbeats.
"Would you like to step out somewhere more private with me?" Steve asks, facing Peter directly.
"Yes." Peter squeaks. "I mean.. Yes, I'd like to do that." He says, somewhat more calmly.
They both walk off. Out beyond the patio is cool night air and darkness. Their shoes crunch in gravel. They pass a couple who are still engrossed in their own 'midnight kiss'.
Soon they're surrounded only by moonlight and stillness, the party sounds distant and echoing.
"Nice night." Steve Rogers says, as though this was a perfectly average stroll.
"Yeah..." Peter says, not able to come up with anything more coherent to say.
Steve stops walking. Silence for a long moment. Then -
"So. You want to take the lead or should I?" He says without preamble.
Peter fails to make a sound for two full seconds due to his combined astonishment and excitement. "Well, I'm wearing the lipstick? Want to go old fashioned style?"
Steve Rogers smiles. "Yes, Ma'am."
Steve leans down, leans in, closes his eyes, touches lips. Peter isn't sure where to put his hands. After a few awkward and fortunately unseen gestures, he grabs one of Steve's biceps, muscles rolling under his touch as Steve reaches out for him in response, deepening the kiss.
In his mind Peter is thinking 'I'm kissing Captain America.. I'm kissing Captain America! I'm kissing Captain America? I'm freaking kissing Captain America?!'
Then Peter's focus collapses into a series of sensations. Steve Rogers is a very good kisser. His mouth is hot, strong, and tastes clean. Somehow wholesome and yet slightly of beer.
A hand stroking the side of his neck. Another holding him at the small of his back, a slight dip backwards for a deeper kiss. Oh... . And then Peter Parker is put back on his feet.
"Wow." He says, blinking to help clear his head.
Steve comes in for a second kiss, shorter, less deep, more sure. He breaks it off, and they both look into one another's eyes for a moment, catching their breath.
"So. How do we keep this from getting awkward?" Steve asks, swallowing hard.
"I.. I don't know? Depends on the person? Generally communication helps?" Peter says. He feels vastly under-qualified to give Captain America advice on dating stuff.
Steve nods, apparently realising again Peter's relative youth.
"Then we shall do our best not to let this interfere professionally." He says.
Steve Rogers sticks out his hand. Peter shakes it automatically.
"Thank you. You kiss well." Steve says.
"So do you."
"Do you mind keeping this private between us?" Rogers asks.
"No, not at all." Peter replies sincerely. In the superhero business, keeping private life private is mega important for keeping life sane.
"So. Did it.. do anything for you?" Peter asks, somewhat hopefully.
"Yes." He replies simply. Honestly.
"Though I think I'm too old fashioned for this type of thing." Rogers jokes. "Perhaps I should have taken you on a date first." He starts walking back to the party.
Peter stays behind a moment to collect himself, mentally and physically.
"That was an option?" he asks the night air, regretting missing out on dinner and a movie with Captain America. .. On the other hand, knowing him, an actual date would just as likely end with awkwardness rather than frankly what was a very hot kiss, plus the admission that Captain Rogers found him sexy.
He jogs to catch up, grinning.
Best midnight kiss ever.