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One bag of rice, a sack of potatoes, any cut of meat they could afford, and the Rogers family was set for a week. Same meal, every night. That deep into the depression, it was a luxury enough.
The meal in front of him cost a poor man's monthly rent and could fit inside his palm. Tony ate it in one large bite and Steve tried not to wince. This was their second ‘official’ date, Tony’s planning, and he wanted to be polite.
Tony kept talking around a tiny morsel of fish that was jellied and dyed green. Bits of it caught on his beard and Steve tried not to calculate just how much each crumb was worth.
He watched as Tony lifted his napkin, wiping his chin before lowering the cloth and fixing Steve with a look that made him shift in his seat. “You hate it?”
The plate in front of him had three more crackers with colors and textures Steve had no idea were edible. He bit his lip, knowing that meeting Tony’s eyes would give him away but doing so anyway. “Yup, entirely.”
Tony chuckled and relief spread in Steve’s empty gut. He watched as Tony pulled out his cellphone and with two clicks a holoscreen hovered over their dinner table. Tony added their meal to the bottom of his list.
Steve Rogers in the 21st Century
Bananas
The internet (unsure)
Reddit
Wikipedia
VideoChat
SnapChat
Star Wars
Video Games
3D Movies
Space Exploration
SUVs
Molecular Gastronomy
“So I should cross it out?” He glanced at the array of plates then back at Steve, eyebrows furrowed. “You didn’t even try the brains on--”
“Out.” He drew a line with his finger. “We can donate the money for the rest of the courses to charity.”
“Uh...this was the entire meal.”
“What?” Steve choked on the word. “It was-- no. The future has done many things but this, to make food so expensive and a portion so small-- no. Tony, no, how did this even happen? Why--”
“Crossing. Out.” He emphasized the words by drawing a line across the screen. “Anything to stop another woe-is-the-future speech.”
Maybe he was smiling, but Steve couldn’t see because he had thrown a napkin over his face.
.