The Metropolitan Museum of Art - NYC, NY - Wednesday Afternoon

[imafuturist]

One of the nicer things about being in a New York where Tony wasn't a wanted criminal was that he could go places without needing to hide too much.

There was the usual level of gawking from time to time, but a true New Yorker wouldn't bug someone without a damn good reason. It was mostly the tourists you had to watch out for. So of course Tony had to keep his promise to take Steve to one of the main tourist spots in the city.

Look, he made poor choices. It was a thing he did.

"Okay, which exhibit should we see first?"

[For the guy from the 40s. Wait. The blond one.]

Comments

[imafuturist]

"Was it from the internet? Because that's full of slanderous liars."

Mostly. When they talked about his friends.

[heroic_jawline]

"It might have been," Steve replied. "I argued against some of the mean things they said about you, though."

He got into a flamewar on Reddit, Tony.

[imafuturist]

Tony had to laugh at that because his other option was looking unbearably fond. "You're a real 21st century boy now."

[heroic_jawline]

"People in the 21st Century can't spell worth a darn, either," Steve said. "What does 'woke' mean, anyway?"

[imafuturist]

"Aware of how The System is a tool of oppression." Thanks, Tony. "I like bae, personally."

Of course he did. Romantic that he was.

[heroic_jawline]

"Like the body of water?" Steve replied, looking confused.

[imafuturist]

"B A E," he spelled out. "Means 'before anyone else.' Different way of calling someone your girlfriend or boyfriend. It's cute."

And slightly juvenile, but he still liked it.

[heroic_jawline]

Steve gave him a little grin. "It is pretty sweet," he agreed. "I'm not gonna use it, but it's sweet."

[imafuturist]

"No bae for Steve," Tony replied with a sad little moue.

[heroic_jawline]

"Only a few people would even qualify," Steve said, biting his lower lip. He'd been trying very hard not to dwell on Bucky tonight.

[imafuturist]

Damn it, he'd only been teasing there.

"I think that's the point of the phrase," Tony replied, bumping against Steve's shoulder.

[heroic_jawline]

Steve slung his arm over Tony's shoulders in response. "Didn't mean to bring things down," he apologized.

[imafuturist]

"You're sort of allowed after the month you've had," Tony replied.

[heroic_jawline]

"Doesn't make me a ton of fun to hang around with," Steve murmured.

[imafuturist]

Tony snorted, curling his arm around Steve's ridiculously trim waist for a little half hug. "You're fine. Teaching me about art and all."

[heroic_jawline]

"Well, that's just common courtesy," Steve said, smiling back softly. "Not many people can teach Tony Stark about anything. Be rude to pass up my chance."

[imafuturist]

"Is that so?" Tony asked with a laugh. He gave one more reassuring squeeze of his arm before pulling away to walk backwards in front of Steve to continue facing him. "You're overestimating me. I'm basically just a highly paid mechanic."

[heroic_jawline]

Steve wrinkled his nose up at that. "Who can become an expert overnight in thermonuclear astrophysics," he said. "I'm not overestimating you."

[imafuturist]

Okay, but maybe he'd been strongly motivated for that.

"I'm still a little awful at the theoretical stuff if it helps," he teased.

[heroic_jawline]

"Oh, it does," Steve said with an answering grin before going up to a large painting and giving Tony a quick run-down on the technique used and what Steve thought the artist was trying to convey.

[imafuturist]

Which Tony tried his very best to retain, but at least half would be fine by the time they moved into the next exhibit.

But this was him trying!

"I don't think I'd buy it," he settled on.

[heroic_jawline]

"It doesn't really seem like your kind of thing," Steve agreed.

[imafuturist]

"Alright, if you could purchase anything here, what would you look for?"

Semi-hypothetical conversations for rich people.

"I'm guessing something classic. A still life?"

[heroic_jawline]

"I wouldn't turn down Monet's painting of water lilies," Steve said, "but right now I really like the black and white photographs of city life."

[imafuturist]

Now this was the sort of information Tony would file away in the back of his head for some future use.

"The rush of the city doesn't change, the the fashions they're wearing."