Jake
Steve doesn't go out often.
Sometimes he feels like he's too old for the bars, even though he technically looks in his early thirties. However, he remembers the bar he is about to enter from when he and Bucky were old enough to be allowed in. While she still looks the same from the outside, she has changed a lot, much to his disappointment.
The whole facility has changed. The bar counter is now on the left side of the room. In the front part there are tables and chairs. There are seating areas where there used to be room for a dance floor. There are pictures on the wall showing the years of the bar. In the back, there are more seating areas and three billiard tables. Dartboards hang on the walls.
The bar is well stocked but not overly crowded. He also notes that most people are his age. Over half of the people are in their early to mid-thirties and that gives him a peace of mind. Most of the bars Nat dragged him to were populated by younger people. He takes a seat at the outside counter of the bar and soaks up the atmosphere. Modern music plays in the background while a baseball game plays on the top corner TV. Several conversations overlap and a woman's laughter lights up the bar.
"What can I get you?" asks a young woman with pink hair. According to the name tag, her name is Aimee. "One beer please," says Steve. "With or without alcohol? A special brand?” she asks, picking up a glass. "Surprise me," he grins and she nods. It only takes a few seconds before he has a filled glass in front of him. "Let me know if you need anything else," she says politely, turning to two women. Steve looks around again and images of a bygone era appear before his eyes. He sees people dancing and hugging. He sees the enjoyment of life at a time when the great depression took all happiness.
He sees-
Clint leaning against a billiard table. He is holding a billiard cue and laughing at something. On the other side, a black-haired man leans over the table and aims a bullet. Steve remembers Tony's report of Clint's relationship. Two weeks had passed since that information and no one but Natasha had seen Clint. He knows Clint's busy at Shield. Forced sessions of therapy that seem to never end can drain anyone.
Steve can understand why Clint is pulling back and wanting little to do with them. However, to see him here, smiling and happy, almost balanced, makes Steve happy. The ball misses the hole and Clint gets ready for his move. There is a lively exchange, which causes the other man to roll his eyes. But the smile doesn't fade. Clint takes aim and pots two balls at once. Clint winks and positions himself for the next thrust. The man takes Clint's free side. His free hand lands on Clint's ass. Steve blushes a little at the sudden public affection. In the last few months, he's had a lot of time to catch up on certain things.
He has met many people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community and gets along with them very well. It's just still unfamiliar sometimes and the current environment doesn't make it any better. He remembers that in this bar someone was beaten to death because he was seen kissing a man.
And now the man whispers something in Clint's ear and the bullet misses the hole. Clint stands and looks at his friend. There is a minimal height difference. Their faces are inches apart as they converse. The kiss is sudden and there is nothing soft or sweet about it. Steve looks away and takes a sip of his cold beer.
He doesn't know what kind it is. But it tastes good.
When he looks up again, the two continued playing billiard.
Over the next few minutes, Steve notes a lot of gestures and whispered words. None of the touches are gentle. The man, stays in the archer's personal area. The grip on Clint's wrist looks pretty tight, but Clint just grins and plants a kiss on the cheek. Steve tries to match Tony's description of the man to this one. According to Tony, the man was quite reserved and a bit confused, but seemed nice.
Tony's description somehow doesn't fit the current picture.
The game seems to be over. Both place the rackets at the table. A hand grips Clint's wrist again as words are murmured in his ear. The man bites Clint's earlobe and then places a kiss on the spot. Clint's hand slides to the man's face and cups his cheek as he says something. The man laughs and then he pulls Clint towards the restrooms.
Steve takes a moment to figure out what he just saw.
"Didn't you want to go to a bar?", Tony asks, looking up from the Stark pad. He is leaning against the kitchen counter and holding a cup filled with coffee in the other. "I was," Steve replies, walking over to the fridge and looking inside. He can feel Tony's eyes on him. "The whole point of a bar is, ideally, to meet pretty girls and have a nice night," says Tony in a teasing tone. "Nevertheless, you could have talked. Making new friends-" "Clint was there-" Steve interrupts, closing the fridge without taking anything out. "with his boyfriend," he adds bashfully afterwards. Tony's eyes take on a curious twinkle that contains more mischief than it should be.
"Did he say something? What have they done? You have to tell me everything,” Tony rattles off without taking a breath. Steve shrugs. "I haven't talked to them-" Steve begins and Tony's face instantly turns disappointing. "They played billiard" "Billiards?" asks Tony, frowning. “Who would play billiard against Hawkeye? You're just about to lose anyway,” Tony says, confused. Steve just shrugs again. "I saw him miss once," whispers Steve, as if it were a secret not to be told. Tony's eyes widen again as he takes a step closer. "It can't be," he says in the same whisper. Steve nods. "Was it more of an I want to give my boyfriend a chance missing or an I want to have sex today missing?" asks Tony.
"It was more like a, I was distracted by the whispered words missing".
"I bet it was something dirty"
"I can not say that"
"It's always dirty, Steven."
"They kissed afterwards"
Tony's grin widens. "I didn't think he was someone who would share public affection," giggles Tony, as if this were an episode of some reality show. "Because they're men?" Steve asks confused. "Of course not," Tony is outraged and punches Steve in the upper arm. "I meant that Barton seems more like a guy who is quite private and would rather share small gestures in public," Tony clarifies and Steve nods in understanding.
"They were pretty far from that," Steve shares, recalling the very clear gestures and words exchanged meant only for their ears. "Besides, there was-" Steve begins, but interrupts himself and shakes his head gently. "Besides, there was what? You can't start and then don't finish it. That's not nice," says Tony jitterily.
"It was probably nothing. I mean, we don't really know either Clint or his boyfriend, so it's hard to say anything about their relationship, isn't it?” Steve ponders aloud, looking at Tony in agreement. However, this one looks like he's about to sneak into the nearest surveillance camera just to get more details.
Steve sighs.
"It was the way his friend treated him and guided them. It seemed right, assertive and... I don't know. If we were in the thirties I would have said it was almost...possessive”, the last word is whispered. "Uh," Tony says. "Interesting what people are into," he chuckles, and Steve doesn't get what he's getting at. "What do you mean? Being possessive isn't okay and-” “Oh Stevie-” Tony interrupts, laughing. "I'll explain that to you when you're older." Laughing, Tony exits the kitchen, leaving a confused Steve behind.
"Jarvis?"
"Yes?"
"Does Tony mean something sexual?"
"78% of the things Mister Stark says are sexual"
"Great"