Chapter Text
Steve would always be the first to admit he didn’t really have an eye for fashion, but he did think he had come a long way with his clothing choices in the few years he’d been out of the ice. He wore modern gym clothes when he was working out, a hoodie and jeans when he was staying casual, with the added sunglasses and cap when he was trying to be discreet of course (he’d learned that one from Tony), and wore nice suits when he had to attend Avenger-related publicity events.
And yet, Tony still found reason to whine about Steve’s style choices.
“Do you ever wear anything else?” Tony complained one morning, eyeing Steve’s Under Armour shirt with clear distaste. “I swear, you practically live in those tiny shirts.”
“I wear other things,” Steve replied, sipping at his coffee. He wasn’t fazed by Tony’s complaints, really. The team had made fun of his 40s style enough for him to be immune by then.
Tony scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Like what? A sweatshirt? Or, let me guess, the same blue button-down that you wear to every party? And I’m pretty sure you only own one suit.”
“That’s rich coming from the man who wears the same outfit with a different band shirt everyday.” Steve raised a brow and waited.
“You got me there,” Tony agreed. “But you can’t deny that I don’t look great when I’m out in the public eye. All of my outfits are unique and well-put together.”
“Good for you,” Steve mused, shaking his head and going back to his coffee.
With a long, drawn out sigh, Tony went and plopped himself in the seat across from Steve. “Doesn’t your lack of style concern you at all?”
Steve shrugged. “Not really. As long as I don’t stand out, then it doesn’t really matter to me what I wear.”
That seemed like the end of it, as Tony didn’t reply and just sat there brooding. Steve finished his coffee in peace, and was just about to head off when Tony jumped out of his chair, lips pulling into a manic grin.
“Genius!” He exclaimed, then pointed at Steve excitedly. “I’m taking you to a fashion show so you can learn how to dress yourself properly.”
And that was how Steve found himself at a Ralph Lauren fashion show not even a week later.
They got front row seats, of course, seated between celebrities and socialites. The catwalk wasn’t on a raised platform like Steve had imagined, but there was a line of sports cars running down the centre. Definitely Tony’s style.
When the show started, the models came down the right hand side of the cars and exited on the left, strutting with blasé expressions. There were definitely a lot of female models, but there were men every so often as well. All in all, Steve was a little bored. The majority of their outfits seemed to be made of the same material cut into different designs.
Wasn’t the whole point of this expedition not just for Steve to learn how to better dress himself, but also to get ideas on how to diversify his wardrobe? This show seemed to be failing on that front. Hell, he’d even be happy to see some sort of craziness at some point, but even their hair was left natural and makeup minimal. It was bland, even by Steve’s standards. He supposed the cars were there to add at least a little excitement.
“Seen anything you like yet?” Tony asked, leaning over and keeping his voice low as to not disturb the other guests.
Steve watched as a girl in a glittery dress, puffy khaki jacket, and black thigh-high boots came strutting down the catwalk. He inclined his head towards her. “That’s the most interesting outfit I’ve seen tonight, and even I can see it’s hideous.”
“Don’t give up hope,” Tony murmured, clapping Steve on his shoulder. “We’ve still got plenty more to see yet.”
A few more girls came out with glittery dresses, and straight after that were some sunflower yellow jackets. Steve perked up a little, hoping this meant there were more interesting designs to come. He really didn’t expect to leave with a newfound fashion sense, but his inner artist was intrigued by the more eye-catching designs.
It occurred to him that the color scheme of the clothing matched that of the cars - silver, black, yellow, and later red. There was a large influx of leather designs at this point, including a three-piece leather suit which was definitely not something Steve would wear.
And then Steve saw him .
The model was gorgeous. Really, Steve couldn’t help but think he was the most gorgeous man he’d ever seen. Long brown hair, svelte figure, piercing blue eyes. Steve’s fingers twitched with the urge to draw him, to study every minute detail and render it on paper.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Steve fell in love at first sight, because that was exactly what happened.
“You like it?” Tony asked, leaning over into Steve’s personal space.
“Hmm?” Steve didn’t bother turning to acknowledge Tony, instead watching the model until he turned around the cars and strutted out of sight.
“The outfit,” Tony elaborated. Steve finally spared him a glance now that the model was gone, to see that Tony appeared pleased. “It’s nice. I’m not a fan of turtlenecks myself, but I think you’d suit them if styled correctly.”
“Oh, yeah, the outfit.” Steve smiled politely, quickly bringing to mind the clothes the model had been wearing. Black turtleneck sweater under a leather jacket with red accents, fitted slacks, and a pair of boots. He probably wouldn’t have even noticed the clothing had he not been admiring the shape of the man’s body. “I liked the jacket.”
Tony wasn’t surprised. “Of course you did, though I don’t think it’d be the type you could wear on your bike.”
“I figured.”
Steve sat back and pretended to watch the rest of the show, models passing him in a blur as he thought about the one who’d caught his eye. Tony seemed content enough to not bother him again, glad that Steve had shown interest in at least one outfit, even if he was completely mistaken over Steve’s fascination.
At the end of the show, all the models came out again for one last walk down the catwalk. Steve tried to stay casual when the beautiful man went passed again, but every cell in his body was buzzing when he saw him.
“I’m gonna get us backstage,” Tony announced once the show was officially over. He shot Steve a cheshire grin. “Wait here. I’ll be back in a minute and we can go talk to the guy who was modelling the outfit you liked. Get him to give you some tips.”
“Oh, okay.”
Steve watched Tony disappear into the crowd, suddenly overcome by nerves. He was going to meet the man he was so enchanted by, but he didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing. He was aware it wasn’t normal to fall in love at first sight - that only happened in movies. He would be a bumbling, awkward mess and he knew it. But he also wanted nothing more than to meet the man, and find out more about him. Like his name, for a start.
Minutes went by before Tony appeared again, looking more than pleased with himself.
“Follow me.”
They headed backstage, to where models and VIPs were chatting amongst each other. Tony led Steve over to one side of the room, and when Steve caught sight of the man leaning against the wall, his heartbeat picked up and for a moment he wasn’t sure if he remembered how to breathe.
The man was no longer wearing the outfit he’d been modelling, and instead changed into plain black jeans that were fitted perfectly to his toned legs, along with a black wool coat. He was fiddling with his phone, but when he noticed the two men coming towards him, he looked up at them and slowly grinned.
“Tony Stark and Steve Rogers,” the man stated by way of greeting. He didn’t hold out a hand for them to shake, but did pocket his phone and gave them his full attention. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Tony put a hand on Steve’s shoulder and leaned in. “My buddy here has absolutely no fashion sense, but he did seem to like the outfit you wore on the runway. I was hoping you might be able to give him some fashion tips, Mr…?”
“Barnes, but please, call me James.”
“Okay, Barnes, do you think you could give Cap here some style pointers? He looks alright now, but trust me, this is a vast improvement from his usual style.”
James turned towards Steve and slowly raked his gaze from Steve’s blonde head down to his toes, then back up again, eyes lingering on his narrow waist and wide shoulders. Steve tried not to blush under James’s ogling, but it was hard not to when the man he was so enthralled by was very obviously checking him out.
A glance towards Tony proved that he thought the whole thing was absolutely delightful, deviously grinning as his eyes flitted between Steve’s red cheeks and Bucky’s appreciative gaze. Tony was completely aware that when Steve wasn’t in his Cap suit, he was a bumbling, awkward mess around strangers. And, like usual, it brought him great joy.
“Okay, first of all, I’d suggest you wear clothes that accentuate your waist and shoulders,” James suggested. His eyes flickered to Steve’s shoulders again and he smirked. “Though I doubt that’d be hard.”
Steve’s blush somehow deepened, just as Tony’s grin widened.
“What else?” Tony asked, not even trying to look innocent.
James seemed to know exactly what Tony wanted and decided to play along. “Wear less khaki and gingham, you’re not in the forties anymore, and yes, I’ve seen paparazzi pics so don’t try to deny it. Incorporate more blues and blacks into your wardrobe, like what you’re wearing now. Definitely white, and some red as well. Those are the colors on your suit and you look downright delicious in it.”
Flustered would have been an understatement to how Steve was feeling right then. God, he was pretty much in love with this stranger, and this stranger was teasing him with no remorse. It was horrible and wonderful and Steve didn’t know if he wanted it to end or not.
“Uh, thanks, I guess.” He rubbed at the back of his neck, trying to calm himself down. “I’ll definitely try and follow your tips, if only to keep Tony happy.”
“Good enough for me!” Tony clapped his hands together excitedly. “Hey, how about I get your number in case we need you for a fashion emergency? You seem to know your stuff.”
James eyed Steve again. “Sure thing.” He rambled his number off as Tony put it in his phone, never once taking his eyes off Steve.
Tony pocketed his phone and beamed at James. “You’ve just made yourself Captain America’s personal stylist. No take-backs.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Thanks again.” Steve wanted to make sure James knew how grateful he was… Not for the styling tips, but for getting to meet him. Not that James had to know that particular detail.
“Hey, it’s no problem. I’m happy to help.” James suddenly looked down, appearing unsure of himself, then glanced back up at Steve through his eyelashes, biting his lip. “And Steve? You can call me Bucky.”
“He was flirting with you,” Tony said as they were leaving, the same grin still plastered on his face.
Steve turned on him quickly. “What?”
“It’s 2018, Cap, guys like guys and girls like girls.” Tony rolled his eyes. “You’ve been out of the ice for what? Six, seven years now? You shouldn’t be so surprised.”
“No, I’m not surprised by that. It’s just, I thought he was teasing me, not flirting.” Steve thought it over for a minute, replaying the encounter in his mind. “Huh, I guess he was.”
It overwhelmed Steve to even think about that, if he was honest with himself. He was a bumbling, awkward mess, and yet James — Bucky — had been into him regardless. Maybe. The only way to know for sure would be to see Bucky again, which was something Steve already planned on doing.