Post AoU for starkingenuity

[starspangledspandex]

He's old. Old enough to have settled down. Old enough he's letting other people save the world and only stepping in from time to time. There's no 'Honey I'm home' when he steps through door. There's silence and quiet. He makes dinner for one. His bed is cold. He sits and reads the paper while he watches the world move on outside. There's laughter in the hallway. Footsteps. No one knocks on his door. He eats leaning against the counter in the kitchen. Alone. All alone. 'I got no plans tomorrow night' echos in his mind.

Suddenly, no one is on the streets. There are no numbers in his phone. Everything empty and gone and there's just Steve. Steve standing in nothingness. 'Man out of time' 'Nothing but a soldier' 'You can't live without a war' 'Go home, Steve'

He jolted awake, hand raising to rub at his face and it shouldn't have been a nightmare at all but it is anyway. How alone he felt in this century. His friends helped, they did, but they couldn't always be here. He lived and breathed his life as an Avenger. What else did he have? Nothing. He shook it off, like he always did and got dressed, laced up his boots. Most of his team was out of the picture right now. Off doing whatever they did on leave.

Steve paced his room at the New Avenger facility, paced the hallways and spoke to the Agents that were here. He took a walk outside and thought of Tony. The billionaire visited every once in awhile but it'd been awhile. He didn't even know what the man was up to now but Steve... Steve needed to connect with someone to shake off the dredges of his loneliness, someone that wasn't just working here, someone he had a connection to.

So he called Tony.

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[starkingenuity]

This time Tony was able to catch his surprise before it showed on his face. Their beers were brought out and he cracked one open on the bucket because he did not have super human strength like some people here did.

He sat the hand that evidently was so good on the neck of the bottle and slid his thumb to the rim. "You have no idea how good my hands really are. All they did was hold on this time."

He lifted the bottle to his lips and tipped his head back to drink. There was a puckered sound when skin and glass separated.

"Now, when you say flexible... Just how flexible do you think?"

[starspangledspandex]

He accepted a beer too and no, he didn't have any trouble getting the top off. Steve would forever be the one everyone asked to open jars for them.

Steve took a sip of his drink as he gave the other man an amused head shake. See, here was the problem. He couldn't tell if he was actually being flirted with or well, what were a few innuendos between friends? It wouldn't be the first time.

"You're right, I don't," Steve agreed, and there were plenty of very obvious statements he could make about Tony showing him, but this was now the point where he was awkward. He just didn't know. "It's a shame."

He raised an eyebrow as he took another drink and watched Tony, then shrugged, "You've seen me in the field. I have some gymnast training. I have to keep limber so I don't strain anything."

Everytime he turned around he was learning something new. He expanded fighting styles on a regular basis and some of them required a lot of flexibility and movement. On top of that, Natasha was showing him some things and her moves tended to use her full bodyweight.

"I'd say pretty flexible."

[starkingenuity]

"You only need to ask," Tony said with a subdued sort of smirk, voice soft and eyes, somehow, even softer. The way he looked up through his lashes was devastating. "I'm sure I can show you all sorts of things. Things you can use with or without a partner or varying degrees of technicality." He was talking about mechanics here. But hey. His hands were still in play. He took another sip of his beer.

Maybe it was the fact that he hadn't gotten laid in just over a year. Or maybe that Steve looked good in this sort of light, but Tony was getting warmer than a few sips of 6% alcohol could do.

"And you can demonstrate that flexibility. An even exchange."

[starspangledspandex]

Okay, that made it far less of a conundrum because no one looked at someone else like that unless they were flirting. This wasn't his intention in calling Tony out here but hell, what an offer.

Steve considered him a moment, blue eyes searching the older man, before he said, "Sounds like you're an expert."

He took another long drink and leaned forward on his elbows on the table. "I don't think I'll get a better deal than that."

[starkingenuity]

The point of this was to make Steve uncomfortable and flushed and maybe stammer something about it all being unholy or against god. He was looking for entertainment. Not a full on flirting. And yet..

That's what they were doing.

"Romanoff might give me a run for my money in that department but I'm a lot less cold about it," Tony said. It was a little chevanistic actually and he would apologize if it ever got back to her but she did get put into his company specially to half seduce him. So...

All's fair?

Tony exhaled slowly and set the beer down as their appetizers were brought out. He pulled apart and mozzarella stick slowly, watching Steve.

"And there's some things I'm more skilled at as I've been doing it a lot longer."

[starspangledspandex]

Well, he wouldn't get any of that sort of stammering. Little known fact about Steve Rogers was that he swung both ways.

He snorted, "Well Romanoff's moves are strictly for fighting." Steve didn't want Tony to get the wrong idea here. He wasn't sleeping with Black Widow. She was pretty well taken at this point anyway.

He picked up his own mozzarella stick and took a bite without playing with it. His eyes were still completely focused on Tony--were they really doing this?

Yes, it seemed like they were. "Oh?" He raised his eyebrows again and took a breath, just a pause of hesitation before he added, "Well in that case, how could I refuse?"

[starkingenuity]

This was going longer than he thought it would. It was getting a little more... Indepth. Tony wasn't stuck or stymied though. Talking was one thing. Getting to the rest was another.

He licked at the melting cheese between his fingers, no longer looking at the other as he tried to reevaluate as sexily as possible.

"Maybe we should think about eating fast then," he said, diving into the wings. "Eat up. You'll need your strength."

[starspangledspandex]

Steve tried not to say anything he wasn't prepared to back up with action. He lived in a world where people's word should mean something. Flirting with Tony was unexpected but well, it wasn't like he didn't look.

Tony licking his fingers wasn't helping.

"Yeah?" He grinned. "I'm not the old man here."

[starkingenuity]

"Which one of us is ninety seven and participated in World War II?" Tony shot back, more amused than usual. He wasn't really feeling his age right now. If anything, he was feeling pleasantly and particularly young, the same way he felt when flirting with younger women.

Now, he had dabbled from time to time with men, but it had never been as satisfying as it was with women. Tony was a public figure and bedding female one night stands just played better in a world where congressmen and senators shamefully hid in public restrooms for a little hanky panky with the same sex.

The last time he'd even bothered with another man was almost two decades ago. So really, what he was doing now was suppose to be just for fun.

"Unless you meant to say experienced. I'll take that one."

[starspangledspandex]

"Got me there," Steve admitted, because it was true, even if he wasn't exactly awake for most of it. His blue eyes still sparkled merrily. He wasn't thinking of his nightmares anymore.

Dabbling with men was always hard for him. He grew up in a time where that sort of thing was pretty frowned on and on top of that, well, he wasn't exactly desirable. After he was, he didn't have the time.

"Guess you'll have to convince me you can keep up," he teased.

[starkingenuity]

Well, Tony wasn't even sure what they were talking about now. Had innuendo shifted to something else? Or were they still playing that particular game? Oh, he wished he knew, because if Steve had decided that they were discussing a competition now, gay chicken just became that much more fun!

Licking his fingers from wing sauce very particularly, Tony shrugged. "Did the serum increase your stamina too? That could come in handy."

[starspangledspandex]

This would be a lot easier if they weren't talking in innuendo and euphemisms. Much more straight forward flirting if they didn't do it this way and they would both be clear on what they were actually talking about.

Tony licking his fingers was definitely not helping. Steve couldn't blame his current warmness on the beer.

"Yeah, it did. Across the board," he nodded and he shook his head. "You're the one with the hands."

[starkingenuity]

"Just to point out the obvious, we both have hands. I just use mine better," Tony grinned, though he was starting to realize that Steve probably was staring a little too much. It probably had been a long time for him too. Anyone with a little tongue action might look good.

Oh, he was going to drag him across the coals for that later when he laughed in his face at how ridiculous this all was! Tony finished up half a basket of wings, mostly watching Steve, and put in an order for an extra large pizza with pepperoni before his attention went back to the Captain.

"Where's the best place? The garage? Or do you prefer private lessons?"

[starspangledspandex]

"You think you use yours better," he corrected with a laugh. Try a ridiculously long time. He couldn't help the staring. Tony was the one being sexy. Steve was at least a little distracted by eating his own share of the wings and decided to lick his own fingers. Not something he usually did but hey, they were flirting here right?

Maybe?

Now he wasn't sure again. Tony's question wasn't entirely clear. Was he really talking about mechanics? Steve didn't have a problem with learning about it but it wasn't exactly where he thought this conversation was going.

"Private lessons," he answered. He might as well just run with it here. "It's easier to concentrate."

[starkingenuity]

This was almost too much. Steve laughed and Tony thought it was all over but-- No. It wasn't. They were still careening towards each other and the longer it went on, the harder Tony wanted to play. The harder he wanted to play, the worse it was going to end. He knew that. He had ceased to care.

"Private lessons it is." The pizza disappeared fast, along with another two beers before Tony threw some cash down on the table and grabbed his helmet. "Well Cap? Shall we?"

This would be a train wreck. Tony was weirdly excited.

[starspangledspandex]

Nobody was breaking any by-laws right? There were always complications when teammates started having relations which one another. Right now, his interest in Tony was just that, interest. He was curious and well, he liked Tony when they weren't butting heads.

Steve could probably eat the whole pizza himself so yeah, it went quick. He was dated though and way more interested to see where this was really going. He finished his own beer and stood, nodding, "Let's head back."

He headed with Tony out to his bike and pulled on his helmet again.

[starkingenuity]

There was something just slightly unsettling with all of this. The game was a dangerous one and that had Tony's blood pumping but he couldn't get his mind off of Steve's attempts to mirror the finger licking. He was so gentle about it and his thoughts were still straying to what velvety softness might lie passed those lips when he hopped onto the back of the bike after Steve situated himself.

Tony slid his arms more sensually around the Captain, hands flat to muscle definition that was seriously unfair. Curious fingers trailed up his chest and then back down again where he not so discreetly cupped Steve for a moment. Oops?

[starspangledspandex]

He waited patiently for Tony to join him on the bike. Steve was reviewing their conversation to try and piece together which direction this was going to go. His mind strayed to wondering how talented Tony might be with his tongue if he was so willing to tease him with it.

His head tilted back toward Tony slightly as the man started to run his hands over him, silently assessing a response. Steve inhaled when the older man's hand wandered lower than he expected and yeah, that threw any doubts out the window.

"Might want to keep your hands to yourself while we're driving," he told him as he started the bike. He added, in a teasing tone, "I'll be too distracted to drive if they're as good as you say."

[starkingenuity]

There was definitely a few danger warning lights going off in his head but hey. Since when did he listen to those types of things? Never! To have Steve's weight suddenly in his arms like that was driving him to new and uncharted territories.

He liked it.

But why? Because he was lonely? Because Steve was being a good sort and teasing right back? Because Tony had made a new and brash move in gay chicken with touching like that?

He locked his arms around Steve's waist as they drove, breathing a little harder than usual in his own confusion.

[starspangledspandex]

There were so many ways for this to go wrong but what if it went right? Steve just wanted some kind of connection. After a week of nightmares about how lonely he was, it would be really nice to not feel that way.

At what point did it stop being a game of chicken? If Steve was asked for an opinion, touching seemed like a line in the sand. He didn't know he was playing anyway.

Yeah, he was playing along here but he was honestly interested. Wasn't there a place in Tony's world for that option? He drove faster on the way back to base. He was already warm and thinking about what might happen when they got there was not helping in the slightest. He was definitely aware of Tony pressed against him this time.

He parked the bike and flipped it off. "How was the ride?"

[starkingenuity]

Confusing? Disquieting? "Bumpy," Tony responded, grinning. More innuendo, though he thankfully had not gotten himself half a boner as he rubbed against the back of Steve's jeans. He would have had trouble figuring out what to do with himself if that was the case.

But now they were parked. The bike was in the New Avenger garage. There were people swarming around, though. Tony glanced at them almost distractedly and handed Steve his helmet.

It did not occur to him that Steve might actually be interested. Tony would lose his genius and person-reading cards after this.

[starspangledspandex]

"Well, at least you didn't fall off," he laughed again and took Tony's helmet so he could return them to his locker. There were way too many people around for his own liking and that was one reason he preferred to do whatever they were doing in private.

He glanced around and then focused back on Tony. "My living space isn't anything special but it's private."

[starkingenuity]

Tony gestured. "Lead the way." He knew the way. He helped to construct this place. He might not have put in as many finishing touches as he had in the tower but he knew where the living quarters were.

Tony used the opportunity to study the back of Steve's head and wonder just where this was going. He found himself a little distracted, however, by the spareness of Steve's space and how lonely it looked, even as he closed the door.

Here they were. Alone. And Tony was starting to realize that one of them wasn't playing.

[starspangledspandex]

Steve gestured that direction and he knew that Tony probably knew where the living quarters were but he didn't necessarily know which one Steve claimed as his own.

They weren't fancy. Small living room, bedroom, bathroom, tiny kitchenette. Some of the stuff from his apartment ended up here, particularly his record player and books, but it still barely looked lived in.

"I'd give you a tour but there's not much to look at," Steve laughed lightly, but it was almost tense. He was well aware how empty it looked.

"Need something to drink?"

[starkingenuity]

"Three beers is enough," Tony said, standing by the door. He could pursue Steve. He ought to. Back him up against something-- but you shouldn't go around pissing a super soldier off.

He didn't want to get punched. And he was sort of realizing that he might very well do worse damage by hurting Steve's feelings. That was no reason to go through with it though.

"It's... Been awhile. Honestly, wasn't expecting to get this far," he admitted.