Chapter Text
Ever since Steve woke up from his 70 year long slumber in ice, he had been lonely. Everyone he knew was either dead, nowhere to be found or sick to the point it was difficult to talk with them properly. The few that were still alive had all changed drastically – grey hair, wrinkles and a different look in their eyes. It was to be expected of course but it was still a lot to take in. While the world and his old friends moved on and kept living their lives, Steve had been stuck in time until he got found by S.H.I.E.L.D. It may have been 70 years for everyone else, but it was just yesterday that Steve fought in a world war.
At least with that organization that rescued him, he had a bit of a plan for the future – it seemed like his abilities were still needed decades later. Before sending him out for missions though, they had given him time to adjust to this new world and learn about it. Especially growing accustomed to all the new technologies, globalization and how fast-paced everything was now had been a challenge, which he needed some time for. It had been 2 months already and he thought he got a pretty alright hang of most things. He still kept a notebook with him to note down suggestions from people in his close circle and things he saw around, which he would look up later at his home on a PC. Yes, he could just use the ‘app’ for it on his phone but he much preferred this old-fashioned way – some things could just not be replaced by modern technology. It’s not like he would see those notes often as he already didn’t use his phone a lot. He admitted they were handy tools, like you could take photos and view them without printing them, call and text people whenever you liked, which meant you were always available – though that could come with its own set of drawbacks.
He wouldn’t have learned any of those things without the help of a certain agent at S.H.I.E.L.D., which Steve got along well with – Natasha Romanoff. She quickly became a good friend, teaching him all kinds of things and listening to his troubles. When he told her he sometimes felt lonely and like he didn’t fit in, she was understanding but suggested to him he could download certain ‘apps’ to get to know people. Apparently people could even look for potential partners ‘online’ – this modern world sure was strange. Her suggestion had been at the back of his mind for a few days already and it was starting to bother him – he just wanted to talk to people, learn and be treated normally. With the anonymity that came with ‘apps’ and the ‘internet’, he wouldn’t be judged based on his past, the people he would chat with wouldn’t know he wasn’t from this day and age – Steve had to admit, it had a certain appeal. Deciding he had enough of the constant wondering, Steve just went for it and googled about which ‘apps to get to know people’ were the best – Tinder and Bumble apparently being the top choices. To be safe, he chose not to use a ‘profile picture’ and just called himself ‘Steve’ – Natasha had warned him about the dangers of the ‘internet’ and told him not to share private information easily.
Especially with his former identity of ‘Captain America’ people might recognize his full name or face. Some records of him in the 40s had survived and it was plausible that the average person could recognize him. For now, Steve wanted to stay hidden from the public. And while he was getting more used to his new present, other superheroes and trained humans could save the day instead. While he was gone many such heroes appeared, which he thought of as a good development. Perhaps they could work together one day if circumstances allowed or literally called for it – Steve didn’t wish for his country and even planet to be endangered, but it was good to be prepared.
Once he would start going on missions and taking up the name of Captain America again, he still wanted to hide his face from the general public. Nick Fury agreed to that wish of his and let a mask be created specifically for him. There had been a few ‘Captain Americas’ after his supposed death, so it wouldn’t be strange for a new one to appear again. Steve just wanted some privacy for now while he was adjusting to the future, or, well, present. It had been a while since he was just a nobody, someone people wouldn’t pay much attention to and he honestly missed that a bit after he became Captain America – that name didn’t just mean protecting people and fighting evil, it meant serving as a public mascot and a symbol of hope and strength.
In 2 weeks he would start going on missions again, with S.H.I.E.L.D. this time, as he had warmed up to this world fairly well and needed something meaningful to do. Until then, he’d enjoy his free time and give these ‘apps’ a try.
A few days later and he already got 5 ‘matches’, which was probably a low number, but talking to 5 new people and getting to know them was a lot. When he set up his profile, Steve quickly realized that this ‘app’ in particular was meant for dating, so he made sure to write into his biography that he was just looking for people to talk with. He also turned on the settings for getting matched with men and women, as he had always been attracted to both. The wider acceptance of the ‘LGBTQ+’, as he learned just a while ago, had been one of his favourite changes in this modern world. It would have been unthinkable to state you were gay in public back in the 40s, which Steve never understood. There was no difference in love, be that attraction towards the opposite or same gender. He knew there were still a lot of people who took issue with that but it was still a drastic and welcome change for him.
Steve got to talk with a few, very different people, which he had interesting conversations with. However, there was one person that stood out to him – Tony. Same as him, he didn’t show his face and he mentioned in his biography, that he wasn’t here to date. Their first conversation started with the other joking that they were ‘a perfect match’. They started asking one another what their reasons for not wanting to date on a dating app were and Tony mentioned, he merely wanted to talk to new people, maybe make friends and just pass the time. Apparently his job had him so busy, it was difficult for him to form proper relationships or take any sort of dating seriously but he still craved human connection. He mentioned he was a top-tier engineer somewhere, but he didn’t let on more – possibly guarding his identity and staying safe like Steve, which he respected.
It really did seem like they were the ‘perfect match’, as they both essentially wanted the same thing. Steve found himself texting him a lot more than anyone else, checking his phone more often and replying as soon as possible. Tony was funny and snappy, but he had many interesting things to say. They teased each other a lot, like when the engineer called his way of texting ‘boomer-like’ or when he commented on Steve’s unfamiliarity with many modern topics as if ‘he had been to prison and only got out now after 25 years’. Well, he wasn’t too far off with that, just by 55 years really, but he couldn’t tell him that of course.
They even started calling sometimes when they both found the time. Steve had already started going on missions by then and there was truly nothing better than hearing Tony’s voice after a day of hard work. It sounded exactly how he expected it to, smooth, sarcastic and overall pleasant to listen to. Since their calls had been mostly late night ones, Steve always asked him about if he ate properly and got enough rest. One time Tony joked by asking if he was his mother only for Steve to reply with “No, but I can be your wife instead~” The sudden flirt seemed to catch Tony off guard as he didn’t respond for a good 3 seconds before shutting him down with a clear sarcastic tone, “No thanks, I have higher standards than that.” The smile in his voice was obvious and Steve could only imagine what he would look like.
If Tony had to use that time to think of that comeback, to calm down or if it wasn’t anything like that at all, Steve didn’t know. But it was more fun to think about Tony getting all embarrassed. Steve told him he was missing out if that was the case before changing the topic. Considering they had no intentions of dating, they sure flirted a lot with each other. Neither of them seemed to take an issue with it, in fact, they were actively flirting more and more after that. Although Steve didn’t expect this development, he welcomed it, even if he didn’t necessarily want to date the man. If anything he wanted to get closer to him, if not a relationship, at least he could maybe gain another meaningful and long-lasting friendship in Tony.