A/N: Hello! No real warnings I can think of! Rating may change at some point though, I'm not really sure, depends on what you guys think! Enjoy!
-0.0-
Steve was never particularly good at making friends. He had been small for his entire childhood and right up before sleeping for decades on end, which made him an easy target for bullies and not exactly popular with the ladies.
Bucky was really the only friend he had growing up. The only one to help pick him up after a particularly brutal beating, and the only one to actually enjoy spending time with the asthmatic man.
Then Bucky died, and Steve was frozen for 70 years or so...
Which meant Steve was alone in an entirely different world from the one he had barely managed to survive even with Bucky.
So, Steve did what he knew best, followed orders and joined Shield.
He even became a part of the Avengers, despite not exactly getting along with any of the members in particular. However, it was a start... it was something...
So why did he feel like he still wasn't getting anywhere?
-0.0-
Steve hit into his fifth punching bag of the day with another hard blow, watching unseeingly as it fell off of the hook and landed somewhere near the other punching bags he had done the same to earlier. It was like clock work, repetitive... Work a mission, train, watch movies, train, listen to music, train, draw, train, eat something, train, try to fall asleep, wake up from a nightmare, and train.
He didn't know what else to do with his time. The world around him was just so different, he didn't understand how half of the things even worked or what they were. He was barely getting used to the touch screen.
With a heavy sigh, Steve picked up another one of his punching bags and placed it on the hook, steadying it first with his hands before giving it a hard punch.
"Is that all you got, grandpa? Frankly it's pathetic. You should at least be able to break down that wall with the momentum of the punching bag flying off it's hinges, really, don't look at me, I'm ashamed of you" Tony Stark rattled on and on as he walked into the gym, startling Steve as he focused back on reality.
"What are you doing here?" Steve asked upon noticing Tony was wearing one of his expensive suits that cost more that the entire gymnasium five times over.
"Taking a stroll, soaking up the wonderful views of the city" Tony shrugged as he stepped a little closer, his face in mock-awe as he looked around at the fantastic sightings in the sweaty enclosed space.
Steve followed Stark's line of eyesight and crinkled his eyebrows in confusion. "I don't think you're going to find any of that here"
"You know," Tony began as he flashed his hands out in front of him and then quickly up to his lips as if in contemplative thought. "I think this place smells suspiciously of old people, just how often are you here, exactly?"
"Did you need something?" Steve asked a little disgruntled, nearly convinced Tony had traveled all the way there just to pick on him.
"Well, I'm glad you asked! You see, I have two tickets to see this lovely ballet down town in about, oh, ten minutes from now? And I need a date"
Rogers placed his hands on his hips as he felt the sweat drip down his forehead and sucked in several deep breaths, momentarily remembering when exercise like this would have left him wheezing.
"Why doesn't Pepper want to go with you?"
"Wait, you actually think I'm serious?"
Steve tilts his head slightly to the side in confusion, the thought that he might have been joking having not even crossed his mind.
"Aren't you?"
"Well, yes, of course, but I didn't expect you to believe me without me first having to pull out these!" Tony announced in a not-quite-as-triumphant voice as he had been planning since he wasn't proving anything as he pulled out two tickets for the recital.
"So... what happened to Pepper?" Steve asked again, ignoring Tony's little moment having quite possibly not even noticed it was there.
"Couldn't make it- so rude, right? I buy them for her and then she cancels on me! Tsk, tsk, and she only gave me a week to find a new date" Tony sighed melodramatically as he placed the back of his hand over his forehead as if having undergone a devastating moment.
For a brief second Steve had to look around to see if he was missing anything, like maybe a hidden camera tv crew. Like in that show, what was it called, punked? Something like that... Natasha had tried to explain it last week on a mission... maybe it wasn't a tv show? He couldn't remember...
"Umm.. alright, then why haven't you found one yet?" If you had a week and all...
"Well, my good friend and terrible therapist, Banner, apparently doesn't have the temperament to sit in an inclosed space with me for hours on end and quite frankly I forgot about it until half an hour ago" Tony confessed as he arched an eyebrow at the tickets in his hand before looking back at the soldier with a smile.
"So what you're saying is, I'm your last resort?" Steve said slowly, realization dawning on him.
"Yeah, pretty much. Don't take it personally, though, I could have asked any random person on the streets but instead I chose you, my dear spandex wearing grandpop!"
"A ballet, huh?" The Captain mumbled softly to himself as he thought it through... he'd never gone to a live one...
"Yeah, I'll go" He decided with a nod of his head and small, awkward smile.
"Really?" Tony asked skeptically with furrowed eyebrows as he gave Steve a once over.
"Yeah! Why not? I've always wanted to see a ballet performance" Steve announced as he wiped off sweat from his forehead and grinned a little wider.
"Alright, let's hop to it, soldier!" Tony said in his fake commanding voice as he turned to leave while motioning Steve to follow.
"Yes, sir!" Steve played along as he ran up to Tony, only then realizing he was still wearing his sweaty workout clothes. "Oh, I forgot about apparel, I'm not exactly dressed for a show" Steve apologized as he looked from Tony's expensive suit to his white t-shirt and khaki's.
"What?" Tony feigned surprise as he turned to look Steve up and down. "I hadn't even noticed!"
"I don't even think I own a suit..." Steve added quietly, more to himself than Tony as he thought about what he had in his closet.
"Don't worry, old geezer! You can wear my spare jacket to distract everyone from the rest of you- I mean your clothes- no, that's a lie, I mean you, you're covered in sweat there, Cap." Tony said with a light tap to Steve's shoulder before walking forward again and out through the door.
Steve ran a hand through his hair as he let out slowly, realizing that maybe he was working out just a little too hard and too long... he should have thought about seeing a ballet a lot sooner...
Following, there was a small skip to his step as he sped down the stairs to catch up with the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist.
"What took you so long?" Stark asked as the elevator doors opened and he walked out and passed Steve, who had been patiently waiting for him at the main level for an unknown period of time.
"Sorry, I'll try to keep up" Steve said with a huff and a smile, already in the mood for an exciting day.
"You better! These tickets are expensive, you know, I'd hate for you to get left behind, forcing me to find a prettier, younger, date" Tony mentioned casually as he opened up the passenger door for the older, yet at the same time, younger man.
"You know Bucky used to get the door for me sometimes, it was just to tease me, though, said I wouldn't be able to reach the handle on my own" Steve mentioned causally, probably not even really realizing he said it as he slipped into the car.
"Well don't I feel like the rebound" Tony deadpanned as he closed the door and walked over to the other side of the car to get in.
"Is this the jacket?" Steve asked as he held up what he knew to be an incredibly expensive black jacket like it was the holy grail.
"Yes, and you don't have to treat it so gingerly, it's not going to fall apart like china" Tony pointed out as he started up his car and merged onto the main road.
Despite being told otherwise, Steve carefully put on the jacket one sleeve at a time, amazed at how the silk felt against his skin.
Shortly after, the two pulled up to a large building with a huge water fountain up front, that of which Steve stared at in awe until they pulled up the the front door and his attention was immediately grasped by the Roman architecture.
Steve was still gaping by the time the valet opened the doors so he practically fell out of the car having been leaning against the window so far.
"Don't mind him, he's.. Polish" Tony quipped with a shrug as Steve gave him a confused look upon getting out of the car without face planting.
"Come on, Polski~" Tony cooed while patting his lap as if it would make Steve follow him, which he did, it just wasn't necessary...
Steve slid his hands into the jacket pockets as he walked by Tony's side into the building, immediately realizing how out of place he was among some of the few attendees currently conversing among themselves in the lobby, all with champagne in hand.
"This way, Georgey! Don't wander off!" Tony shouted from the first of many stairs to Steve's left.
Steve promptly followed up the stairs, taking in all of the extravagant artwork along the way.
"This place is so beautiful..." Steve whispered in amazement, catching the genius's attention who had previously been focused on the slow pace the Captain was taking as he took in the artwork once piece at a time. Seriously, they could have gone up and down twice by now.
"Hmm? Yeah, tell you what. At intermission, you can come back to look at all of these, but right now, the performance is about to start and your turtle pace is killing me, old man"
"Sorry.." Steve quickly apologized as he hopped up the stairs, now a little too fast for Tony as he tried to keep up.
"There is just no in between for you, is there?" Tony panted upon making it up to the balcony level and handing the attendant their tickets.
"To your right, private party of two in booth four." The female attendant said with a smile as she handed half of the stub back, only to have Tony refuse to take it and simply walked away with a polite nod. He hated being handed things.
Steve, however, quickly intervened just as the attendant was about to throw the tickets in with the other halves. "Actually, if you don't mind, I'll take those" He said in a hushed voice as several instruments began to play, signaling the start of the performance.
"Thanks!" He whispered with a smile as she handed them to him, just before speeding off to find Tony at their booth.
Upon finding booth four, Steve opened the curtains slowly to discover a fantastic view of the stage and Tony already pouring out two glasses of what looked to be extremely expensive champagne.
"Sorry, I asked for the tickets..." Steve said softly as the music picked up in tempo and he slowly entered the booth, taking a seat in the empty chair to look over at the dancers.
"No, stop, you just missed the best part. You have to get out- leave, right now. Out with you- shoo!" Tony rambled on as he handed Steve the glass of champagne which he took awkwardly, unsure if it was a trap or something.
"Do you want me to leave...?" Steve asked quietly, having to lean in so that Tony could hear him over the music without disrupting others, despite being completely separate from all other attendees.
"What? No, stay! You did miss the best part though, one of the girls was murdered already" Tony explained as he also leaned in closer to the Cap, humoring the other man.
"Which one murdered her?" Steve asked, his eyes focused on the stage of dancing ballerina's all circling around the apparently deceased one in the center stage.
"Don't know, they were wearing a black cape and hood, but whoever it was the victim hadn't been afraid of them- well, until they pulled out a knife, it was kind of down hill for the poor girl after that." Tony explained, glancing at Steve only to do a double take and find his eyes glued to the other man's fascinated expression as he looked out at the stage, almost like a child in a candy shop.
"Wanna bet on who it is?" Steve asked suddenly, catching Tony off guard as he realized he was still staring.
"What's the wager?" He said quickly back as he looked down at the performance.
"Ummm..." Steve thought for a minute, trying to decide on what he was willing to gamble with his guess. "How about... loser buys ice cream afterward?" The soldier says with a sheepish grin as he turns to look at Tony, who quickly glanced at the other man and then back out at the stage.
"Ice cream, huh? You're on. Who do you think did it?"
Steve quickly shot his hand out to point at one of the girls, finding it hard to decipher between them considering they were all wearing the same outfit. "That one.." He said with a squinted eye as he focused on his murder victim.
""That one", huh? Very specific there, Spock" Tony teased as he tried to follow Steve's line of vision.
Steve furrowed his eyebrows, vaguely remembering someone mentioning the name Spock before but not quite being able to place it. References, they were so hard to keep up with."She's the one with, I don't know, dark blonde, light brown hair, maybe? Oooh! She's the one weeping next to the body right now!" Steve whisper-shouted as he pointed excitedly at his suspect, nearly spilling his long forgotten champagne currently in his other hand.
Tony quickly burst out into laughter, startling the blonde next to him as his focus shifted from the dancers to his team mate. "What's so funny?" He asked quietly as he tried to look around for something he was clearly missing.
"Do you realize the faces you make sometimes? I mean, really, you get so excited- I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh, that was rude of me, I'll bet on sexy Mulan over there"
"Mulan?" Steve asked hesitantly, not sure if he had heard right or was pronouncing her name correctly. "You know the dancers?"
"What? No, come on you've got to be joking. You haven't caught up on Disney yet?"
"Umm... no, I'll add it to the list" Steve pulled out a small notebook and pen and quickly scribbled down the word "Disney" before stuffing it back into his pocket.
"So which one is "Mulan"?" Steve asked as he peered over the balcony, using air quotation marks around the girl's name since she wasn't really whoever Mulan was.
"The adorable Asian with the long braid" Tony explained as he emptied his glass of champagne in one go before reaching out for the bottle to pour another one.
"Ah! I see her! She looks so small compared to the other dancers..." Steve noticed as he leaned back a little in his chair, the excitement, however, never leaving his eyes as he focused on the story line they were trying to portray.
Stark took a small sip as he looked out at the dancers with a small triumphant smile.
In the brochure you could easily see who the murderer was thanks to the angle the photo was taken from, so he had no doubt he'd be eating a free ice cream cone in a few hours.
-0.0-
"Awww! Noooo, it couldn't have been Mulan!" Steve groaned like a five year old as the play came to a close and the curtains fell shut.
"Apparently it could have, and it was, ice cream's on you tonight, Cap" Tony said casually as he stretched in his chair, having refused to get up at intermission because all Steve wanted to do was look at art work and get yelled at by staff for touching the brush strokes.
It was, however, entertaining when he was escorted back to the booth. Quite interesting when it's not you being escorted. Steve, on the other hand, wouldn't stop apologizing.
"Deals a deal" Steve sighed as he stood up, only then remembering the champagne he had set down somewhere in the first half of the show. Thinking it would be a waste if he had left it, Steve picked up the glass and drank it's contents, immediately cringing as it invaded his taste buds.
"I've never really liked alcohol..." He mentioned as he set the glass down next to Tony's.
"Of course you don't, you big boy scout, you" Tony teased with a little tap to the Captain's nose as he also stood up and made his way out into the hall.
Within seconds Steve was by his side as they descended the stairs with the other attendees and merged in with the large crowd now talking up a storm about how "marvelous" the performance had been. Boring.
Quickly, Tony turned out the doors, the idea of mingling with those types of people when there's nothing in it for him made him queasy.
"Stark" Tony said to the valet despite knowing that the young valet no doubt already knew who he was.
"What happened to your Polish friend, sir?" Another one of the employees asked, probably also knowing full well that his "Polish" friend was actually Captain America, or at least that he wasn't Polish. Anyone looking at Steve could tell he's a stereotypically warm hearted American.
Tony quickly did a 180 and looked around to find that he had, in fact, successfully lost Captain America. "This is why I need to put him on a leash"
Behind him, the valet pulled up with his beautiful Lamborghini.
"Oh, there he is!" Tony shouted as he spotted Steve, along with a security guard, making their way toward the front doors. "What did he do this time, officer? He's got a rep back at the station for snatching old people's purses, you should probably give him a pat down, make sure you didn't miss anything. It's not his fault, though, he's attracted to the smell, reminds him of his younger years" Tony quipped as the officer gave Steve a pat on the shoulder and a one armed hug.
"Nahh, we good. He was just apologizing for touching the painting's again is all, then we got talking bout his art work and he sketched out my little girl for me! Not every day I get to take home a one of a kind drawing from Captain America, you've got some real talent, son" The two men fist bumped and Tony instinctively raised out his fist too, only to realize what he was doing a little too late and raise it to the air and back down just a little awkwardly.
"Anytime, sir" Steve said honestly with a wide smile and salute, which the officer gladly reciprocated.
"See you around, Cap!"
"Wow. You could charm your way out of Prison if you had to" Tony pointed out as he took the car keys from the valet and got in behind the steering wheel.
Steve spun around from where he had been watching the officer leave and quickly ran to the other side where there was an employee holding the door open. "Thank you!" He said quickly as he got in and fastened his seat belt, something he had forgotten to do on the way there and had been too afraid to do as soon as the car had started moving. Tony wasn't exactly the safest driver.
"Any ice cream shop in particular, loser?" Tony asked, emphasizing the loser despite him having cheated- well, matter of opinion.
"Actually, there is this little parlor down the street from my apartment that stays open late if you want to stop down there" Steve said in a surprisingly calm voice considering he was holding onto the safety handles for dear life as Tony raced down the streets of New York.
"Works for me" Tony shrugged as he took a sharp corner that actual made Steve's life flash before his eyes. Note to self: Never get in the car with Tony driving if possible, Steve mentally told himself so as to not offend the other man. Not while he's still in the car, anyway.
-0.0-
Not long after, the two men were casually enjoying over sized ice cream cones in the dead of night at one of the tables owned by the small shop. Unsurprisingly, they were the only ones there except the owner, who apparently had nothing better to do on a Saturday night.
"Thanks for inviting me to see the show with you, Tony" Steve said over the night time traffic of New York City.
"Yeah, was it good for you? Does that mean you're going to invite me up to your place, pour some wine, turn up some tunes, and cozy up by the fire?" Tony asked with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.
There was a short moment of silence before Steve broke out into a full hearted laugh, the sound startling Tony as he looked up from his ice cream cone to give the noise and the man making it his full attention.
"I caught that one" Steve announced, a huge dorky smile still spread across his lips as he leaned back in the chair. "The joke, I mean" He clarified as Tony continued to stare at him in awe.
"Who said I was joking?" Tony finally quipped back as he got back to his ice cream and stopped staring at the Captain.
Steve didn't bother to respond as he shoved the rest of his waffle cone in his mouth and wiped his hands together, letting the crumbs fall to the floor.
After that Steve fell back into his chair and looked up at the starless night sky, simply enjoying the company of another person as Tony finished up his own ice cream cone at a much slower pace.
"Are you immune to brain freezes or something? I saw you shove that thing in your mouth, if you tell me the answer is yes, I'm not walking you up to your doorstep- that's completely unfair." Tony complained as he took another small bite of ice cream.
"You know... there was a time where even in the middle of the city you could still see thousands of stars..." Steve mentioned casually, completely veering off topic as he kept wishing for some of those stars to come back.
"Didn't take you for an astronomy type of guy" Tony piped in as he threw the rest of the cone in the trash bin and looked up at the sky.
"I'm not... not really, anyway... It's just the little things... Not even the stars are the same..." Steve looked down quickly at the table where his hand was tapping the metal and kept his gaze there unseeingly as he thought back to 70 years ago, which to him was more like a matter of months.
"I'll stand by you!" Tony barked with a snap of his fingers, snapping the Cap out of his thoughts.
"What?"
"It was- I had the melody stuck in my head, couldn't think of the name- sorry, back to your blast from the past, continue on, please. I'm captivated by the tales of an old wise man- where the stars once shone like pearls in the night sky, an assortment of colors that engulfed the darkness like flickering flames-"
"Oh shut up!" Steve said half heartedly with a harmless tap to Tony's shoulder and a smile that he didn't realize was slipping through.
"Someone help! This old man is fondling me!" Tony called out, his fake screams muffled by the cars that drove past.
Steve, however, threw his head back and clapped his hands as he laughed unashamedly, standing up as it died down to a lazy smile.
"I'm starting to see why Banner refused your offer" Steve teased as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and started walking slowly in the direction of his apartment, getting ready to part ways.
"Really? Could you explain it to me, because I can't understand why anyone wouldn't want to accompany me, I'm such a delight" Tony asked as he stood up and walked up and over to Steve.
"Car is this way, grandpa" Tony said with a nod in the direction he had parked the car.
"Uhh, yeah, about that... I think I'm going to walk back, if you don't mind" Steve explained as he scuffed his shoe on the ground and gave Tony a sheepish smile.
"Alright, but if we get mugged and shot out here, it's on you" Tony pointed out as he walked passed Steve, only to slow down and let the super soldier catch up a few steps later.
"Wait, Tony, you don't have to walk with me-"
"Well, obviously I don't have to. It's not like you have a gun pointed at my head or anything" Tony cut in as they continued to walk to Captain America's apartment.
"Strange if you did, though" He added casually as an after thought.
"Would, definitely, be among some of the stranger things I've been through" Steve agreed as he thought about it, then got distracted as he kicked a rock and it skidded in front of him again.
Absentmindedly, he continued to kick it ahead of himself until he kicked it a little too far to the side and Tony stepped on it, stopped, picked it up, and continued walking.
"Poor little rock... has the big bully Captain America been picking on you?" Tony asked the inanimate object just before placing it up by his ear and nodding.
"You hurt her feelings Steve, and her poor body, chipped off her hip a block back." Tony said with a cringe and a glance over at the other avenger, who in return frowned.
"Did not! She bumped into a smaller rock" He defended all the while looking almost apologetically at the rock.
"Say you're sorry."
"What?"
"Say you're sorry to Mrs. Rock"
Steve bit his lip as he stared at the rock now currently being shoved in his face, guilt for the poor, chipped, supposedly married, possibly widowed, rock filling his conscience.
"I'm sorry, ma'am..." He finally apologized, honestly meaning it despite the whole thing being ridiculous.
"Good" Tony muttered, briefly letting his amusement shine through in a smile before quickly bringing his expression flat again and throwing the rock over his shoulder carelessly, making the soldier wince as Mrs. Rock hit the cement.
Without another word Tony continued to walk, only to stop immediately afterward as Steve ran back to pick up the rock.
"You are not keeping that" He said in disbelief as Captain America ran back up to him, rock in hand.
"I can't just leave her like that!" Steve argued as he clutched the rock tightly in his hands, refusing to let go as Tony made a grab for it.
"This is how hording starts, Steve" Tony warned as he pointed to the rock in Steve's hands.
Ignoring Tony, Steve kept walking, unsurprised when Tony followed, still going on about the rock.
"If this keeps up, I'm not afraid to stage an intervention!"
Steve glanced over at Tony but otherwise gave no other sign of acknowledgment as he turned up to the front entrance of his apartment complex.
"Don't be surprised if one day you find the whole team crowded in your tomb of endless hording, each of us with a garbage bag in hand! We're not afraid to intervene!" Tony shouted from where he still was on the sidewalk, shouting over the sound of traffic.
"I'll keep that in mind! Good night, Tony" Steve shouted back as he opened the door and waved with his rock clutching hand.
"Good night, Steve" Tony says back with a casual wave before turning and heading back to where he had parked his car. "And just so were clear- you wanted to walk because you don't like my driving, right?" Tony shouted as he spun around only to keep slowly walking backwards.
"How could you tell?" Steve asked with an awkward smile and bashful duck of his head, embarrassed of having been caught on the real reason he wanted to walk home.
"I could smell your fear! It mixed erotically with your elderly scent!"
Laughing, Steve walked into through the apartment door, letting it fall closed behind him as he made is way up the stairs to his floor.
Better than his average day...
-0.0-
That night, however, was exactly like the rest. He awoke tossing and turning, the sound of Bucky's scream filling his ears as he sat up in bed only to realize that had been 70 years ago.
"Bucky..." He breathed as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm so sorry..."
-0.0-
A/N: Thanks for reading! Questions, comments, and concerns are all appriciated! Have a nice day~