sameoldsong | OPEN TO ALL (ALL RATINGS)

"Have you tried being less handsome? People might not take as many pictures of you then," Steve suggested with a smile. Steve wouldn't have any problem with Sean asking for a picture, friends took pictures together all the time. If Sean was going to capitalize on Steve's fame he would have done it by now.

"And I know what you mean. She's a city with a life all her own, like a person. I get how it's not for everyone but some people? Some people it just clicks with and you feel like it's embraced you as much as you embrace it."

Sean snorts, and his face gets a little pink. "Oh, maybe, but like my brother says, God gave me looks because he didn't give me brains. Could be worse though, could be trying to get a snap of me when I'm making an ass of myself at a party. I've seen enough of them go around the internet at lightening speed."

God, you'd think Steve was a poet from how lovely some of things he says are. Sean didn't know much about Captain America other than what he'd read from the wiki and from movies and TV, and he'd known on some level that Steve was the sort of man who was good at giving inspiring speeches, but he never would have guessed he'd be the kind of man who could put feelings into words in this way. It puts a smile on Sean's face. "I like that. I like it a lot. Embracing you as much as you embrace it. If you ever end up retiring from saving the world, you should write stuff. You've got a way with words."

"I think you're selling yourself a bit short in the brains department too," Steve said, smiling and shaking his head. He was an only child but he had Bucky, who was basically a brother, to understand the sort of teasing that went on between siblings.

"Thanks, but I'd prefer to paint. I did a lot of that before the war and really liked it. I wasn't too bad either. And that doesn't require you to become a super soldier either so it's definitely an easier path in some respects."

Sean grins and waffles his hand a little. "Maybe, but I mean, God was pretty generous with the looks."

"Oh yeah, really? I didn't know that." He tries to imagine Steve as a painter. It's funny how it's easier to picture him sitting at a desk with a notebook to write in, than it is to think about him painting on a big easel. "What sorta stuff did you paint? Landscapes, or portraits, or was it more symbolic sorta stuff?"

"That he was," Steve said with a bit of a laugh, taking a sip of his beer in attempt to hide the blush that crept into his cheeks. Sean was very handsome, there was no denying that. And Steve was interested in him for more than just that but there was no denying that aspect to him as well.

"And I liked landscapes and portraits. Which I know is really different but I like painting things that are there," Steve confessed. While he really loved a lot of abstract work that wasn't where his heart was and he'd never been particularly good at it. "There's so much beauty in the world and in people I like the challenge of capturing that."

"There is, isn't there? I'm not an artist and it gets me sometimes, just... staring out at the sun coming up over the harbor. Or seeing a handsome man on the street, and you can feel the whole world stop as he walks on by you. Lovely places, lovely people." Makes sense. Steve seems so practical in a way that reminds him of his grandparents - and hopefully Steve wouldn't mind the comparison if Sean accidentally blurts it out at some point.

For now, he keeps his foot firmly out of his mouth. Steve's cheeks are a little pink and Sean bets it's not from the beer, or how warm this place is. It's an encouragement for Sean to bump a foot up against Steve's under the table and to leave it there, just pressing lightly against him. "After you take me up to see the tower, I've got to take you to the High Line. As friends, or as a date, your choice. You'll love it either way, it's beautiful, and I bet you'll see plenty there worth painting."

"The High Line? Alright, it's a date," Steve said, smiling even as he felt his face flush a bit again. It had been a long time since he'd gone on a proper date and never with a guy before. But he liked Sean and he was attracted to the other man so... isn't that what the prerequisites were for going on a date with someone?

His foot pressed back against Sean's, the connection sending a sort of energy shooting through him that seemed to combine with the butterflies in his stomach and turned into something that felt a lot like arousal. Steve really liked the feeling.

"You about ready to head out?" Steve asked, suddenly very eager to take Sean somewhere they could be more alone. He wasn't ashamed, far from it, but he didn't want his relationship with Sean to be anyone else's business.

Sean just about beams when Steve confirms that yeah, it's a date. And! He's quick to finish off the remains of his beer, giving Steve a nod. "Absolutely."

He stashes a few bills under his glass for whoever tidies up after them, and when Steve's ready to stand, Sean slides out of the booth to join him. Their departure gets about as much attention as the entrance, which is to say absolutely none. He waits until they're outside and falls into line beside him, letting their arms brush as they walk to the nearest train station.

"Thanks for coming out with me. This has been fantastic."

Steve added a bit of money as well for tips and a drink. Even if no one really came to check on them Steve was willing to pay for that sort of anonymity and privacy. It wasn’t often that he really wished he had something like that, his work consumed so much of his life and often he was in the privacy of Avengers Tower but it was nice to go out and not be bothered. He’d have to come back here again. With Sean of course, he was already thinking of it as “their spot”.

“Of course, it sounded like you could use a little time to get out of your head and I was happy to help you with that,” Steve said. To be honest he’d enjoyed it as well, just having some time to be Steve the guy and not Captain America. It wasn’t even difficult to keep up with what Sean was saying, making the fact that he was a man out of time so pronounced.

"Christ, did I ever." A night out, some good drinks, and even better company was just the thing Sean needed to pick himself up after being humiliated. He's still got to do some damage control, but that can wait until tomorrow.

He ends up bumping a shoulder into Steve on purpose, giving him his best flirty smile. "I'd be happy to help you out with anything you'd like too."

Steve flushed a bit at the smile Sean gave him. It wasn't that he was entirely unused to the attention even it was just that this was one of the first times he'd actually wanted to reciprocate and he wasn't entirely sure how. He bumped his shoulder playfully against Sean's and gave him a bit of a smile.

"Just talking to me like I'm a normal person helps," Steve admitted, though he realized that didn't sound very flirtatious. He really wished he was better at this. "Although maybe I can think of a few things you might be able to do back at the Tower?"

"God, I know this is going to sound corny, but it's easy because you really are a normal person, y'know? A bunch of absolutely insane shit happened to you and around you, but I bet you were exactly like this even before everything happened." He'll get back to flirting in a moment, but this feels a lot more important to focus on. It's fine, he'll work sucking Steve's dick into the conversation sooner or later, Sean's great at that. "Also, a bunch of absolutely insane shit has happened around me ever since I moved to New York, so I feel like we're at least on mostly equal ground. That's just New York! Everybody goes to work and nobody minds the occasional alien or explosion. Just don't walk slow, or someone's going to knife you."

Steve wasn't sure if Sean would ever know how much hearing that meant to him. Steve knew that he was a normal person and that there wasn't anything special about who he was. Sure his body was different from most people but that wasn't him. It didn't make him think any different that he had before, it only meant he was able to do all the things he tried to do before.

"Well, I was definitely more of a lightweight when it came to drinking. But thanks, I like feeling just like a person and not an icon of something. Not that I might being an icon but it's not what I want to be to the people I'm close to."

"Everybody needs a break, y'know? Especially if the thing you're taking a break from is like... fuck, it's a heavy thing." Sean can't imagine shouldering the burden as well as Steve does. He's got to be Captain America, he's got to put his best face forward and he's got to go up against all kinds of terrible stuff. And since everyone knows his name, it's not even like he can just easily disappear by taking the mask off. The best he can probably hope for is a night like tonight, drinking in a bar where nobody pays too much attention to who comes and goes. "Anyway, I'd be more than happy to help with that. I really enjoy spending time with you."

"Plus, you are incredibly hot." Sean grins a little, dropping back into flirting and teasing. "Another good thing about New York honestly, so many handsome men everywhere."

To be honest Steve didn't see being Captain America as a burden. It was just being himself with a costume on. Life had been so much harder for him when he wasn't Captain America, when he physically couldn't do all the things he felt compelled to do. Sitting on the sidelines would have been a thousand times worse than what he did now. But having someone care about him beyond that? That was worth more than he could ever express.

And when Sean made the comment about Steve being incredibly hot he flushed again, although this time it was as much out of arousal as anything else. This was definitely leading somewhere and he was feeling anxious as they got on the train, wanting to already be at the tower alone with the other man.

"There really are. Lucky for me I'm going home with the best looking one," he added, managing to grin and meet Sean's gaze.

God, Steve's already hot, but then his face just pinks up and Sean feels his heart melt a little. He's so handsome, and sweet and thoughtful- and Sean's lucky. So goddamn lucky. He also laughs and it's turn to flush up some, more red than pink. He grabs onto one of the train's straps automatically. "Hey, I can't promise much else besides the view, but it's a very good view at least."

It's quiet at this time of night, most of the other riders have their heads down in their phones. Sean ends up nudging Steve. "One nice thing about phones, huh? Nobody can spot you if they're staring down at 'em."

"Really? Because I was kind of hoping that there would maybe be more than the view? At least a little?" Steve asked. Unless he was completely misunderstanding the situation and all the flirting that Sean was doing was just he way he was. Some people were like that, Steve understood it, but he hoped that it wasn't like that because he really liked Sean.

"And that's true. A little sad that people are missing so much of the world sometimes but I like how it also brings people together," Steve said. While he didn't quite understand the near-addiction levels it sometimes went to he also knew there were benefits. "How many people don't feel so alone because of something or someone they've seen on the internet?"

"Oh! Oh, no, no, you're going to get a lot more than just a view. I mean, like- I was just cracking a joke about me looking good, but not exactly having a lot of other talents." He shoots a fingergun at Steve, saying about as delicately but directly as he can, "Call me an elevator, because as soon as the doors close, I'm going down. On you. In private, obviously."

"I love how it brings people together. I don't know what I'd do if I lived even twenty years ago and had to pay a fortune just to call my ma once a month. As it stands, I get international calling as part of my plan, and I can call her a couple of times a week." He digs his phone out and pulls his texts up, showing him one full of pictures and playful insults. "My younger brother texts me at all hours of the night with dumb stuff he sees online. And- oh! I should show you Eliza's store!"

A few more clicks, and he pulls up a little Etsy shop, full of homemade quilts. Sean scrolls down to find the listing he's looking for and shows it to Steve. There's a whole set of Avengers themed quilts for sale with everyone's associated logo. Sean stops on the one of Steve's shield. "She makes all kinds of quilts and pillows and stuff to sell online! It's her full time job these days, which is nice because I know how much she loves doing it."

Peggy had told Steve that he didn’t know anything about women. Apparently he didn’t know much about men either which likely meant it was less a “women or men” issue and more a “Steve” issue. One of these days he’d learn to flirt properly. Maybe.

“Sorry, that was just my terrible attempt at flirting,” he said, ducking his head and rubbing the back of his neck. Fortunately Sean was good at flirting, or at least making his intentions known. Even if it made Steve blush a bit he was grateful to know where the other man stood. Both metaphorically and literally because it was nice when the other man moved closer to show Steve his phone.

“Those are good. I should order one for her and then send her a picture of me with it,” Steve said with a smile. Propaganda or merchandise with his likeness on it wasn’t anything new, they’d had that back in the War. It really did look like she did good work though and he could see how Sean would be proud of her.

"If you did, you'd make her year. And I can promise you that they're excellent quilts, top of the line. She also does other designs, if you don't want to wear your job around while you're sleeping." He goes back and scrolls to get to the other designs, the ones that aren't heros or popular TV shows or whatever people like these days. Eliza's also quilted a bunch of more traditional patterns too, coloured squares and flowers and pinwheels and all sorts of geometric patterns. "She made me one for Christmas a few years back and it's absolutely gorgeous. This is the stuff she's really good at buuuut, well, got to make a profit right?"

Sean very nearly finds himself asking if Steve's got distant relations he talks to but... Sean already knows the answer to that one. He decides to not dig his fingers into an open wound, picking something much lighter. "She's so crafty that it makes me feel a little guilty that I'm not. I keep swearing I'm going to learn to make stuff too, like knitting. Everyone can use more socks, right? I don't suppose you know much about knitting?"

"I'll order one of each type then," Steve said. He had no problem with having a star-spangled quilt no matter how cliche and cheesy it seemed. He still believed in the message of the stars and stripes, even if the real meaning of them had gotten twisted over the years. Heck, they'd been twisted even in his time. Besides, it would be fun to do something nice for Sean's sister, especially if it would make her so happy.

"Can't say I know much about knitting, no. Maybe it's something we can learn to do together? There's probably classes offered that we can take, right?" Steve said. He almost said "couples classes" but he didn't want to assume or move to fast. But he hoped that the idea of them planning things to do together in the future was as pleasant an idea for the other man as it was for Steve.

Sean perks right up as Steve suggests they try learn knitting together. He's been trying not to read too much into any of this, since Steve's just been a gym buddy until now, and the promise of hopefully hanging out when he's in town is something for the future - and Sean knows how busy people can be. Even really nice people get busy, and Steve Rogers is a really nice, really busy person. The world can't save itself all the time.

"Absolutely! Oh, there's these fellows who offer all kinds of these sorta- god what's the word for it, it's like- I can't think of it, it'll come to me later, but you can sign up and they teach you older skills and stuff, like canning and knitting, and woodworking. I've been thinking about asking for the name of the place again, since it seems like it'd be useful, y'know?" He grins at Steve. "I'm going to do that, and we could go to them. You might already know some of that stuff, but that's fine, you can show up everyone by being the best canner there."

The train slows as it enters the station, chiming as they reach the stop. He slips his hand out of the strap and heads out with Steve. "Or maybe I'll end up being great at that and I can smugly send Eliza peaches or whatever else people tend to can. Beans?"

"Yeah, just what I need, older skills," Steve said, leveling Sean an amused look. He knew that his friend didn't mean anything by it, not really, but he couldn't help but give him a hard time. Those were just "skills" for most of Steve's life. Sure that didn't know that he knew how to do everything but it was like someone someday teaching an old skill like "coding" or something.

"And I think that would be fun. We can go out picking some fruit or something and then can it," Steve said. Again, he was mostly in it just for spending time with Sean and doing something besides just watching a movie and having dinner. Not that there was anything wrong with that but he enjoyed talking to Sean too much to give that up.

Stepping off the train they headed toward Avengers Tower. Steve felt a bit nervous, butterflies in his stomach, but it was nice for the novelty of the feeling.

"Hey, think of yourself as the ringer! You can come in stealthily and make us all look like fools." Sean teases right back, though it softens some when Steve talks about them picking fruit to can. That's really nice. And it jogs something in Sean's mind. "Oh yeah! I've heard there's a website where people put up the locations of fruit trees that they aren't going to harvest, and you can just show up and take that fruit! I've never done it, but we should do that! That's a good way of getting fruit without having to even leave the city."

He snaps his fingers. "Or, community gardens. There's one in my neck of the woods! I always walk by it, but I've never stopped in. I should ask about it, maybe they've got stuff for canning in there. We could find out what the rules are." And as they head up the stairs, he bumps his shoulder into Steve's again. He's excited, really excited, and it's not just because he's thinking about seeing Steve again. He's thinking about what's right ahead of them. A view from high up in the tower, and then a chance for an even more breathtaking view with Steve himself.

Steve smiled as Sean bumped into him, responding in kind and using the motion to just stay a bit closer to the other man. His hand brushed against Sean's, not exactly taking it but hoping the other man would understand the implication. It wasn't that he was ashamed of being seen holding hands with another man but more that he wanted being with someone, whoever it was, to be a private thing. This was about himself and Sean.

"I'd love to get involved in a community garden. I don't even know what grows around here but it would be fun to try something. Or just see what's there and try and come up with things to do with it," he said. Steve had a mental image of himself and Sean picking things in the garden then coming home to make dinner with them. It was a really nice thought.

As they neared the tower Steve felt the butterflies in his stomach pick up a bit. It was a mixture of excitement and nerves, although the nerves were more due to the fact that he was only vaguely aware of how this would all work. He'd never been with a man before.

The guard at the front of the Tower nodded to Steve as they entered as he lead Sean to the elevator. It was quiet at night, no crowds of visitors or staff working. Just the two of them as they waited for the elevator.

"Sean, I just want you to know I'm- I'm really glad that you came back with me. Really glad. I just want you to know this is the first time I've ever... done something like this, done anything, with another guy."

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So sorry this took forever!

No worries! I ended up unexpectedly busy the last week so it's all good!

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