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Steve, as usual, insisted on carrying both their bags when they got to the hotel; Sam had never seen fit to stop him. Steve was the one with the superstrength. When they needed to fly the bags somewhere, then Sam would volunteer.
The lobby was mostly empty, apart from a group of what looked like college students checking in. None of them seemed to take notice of him and Steve, which was just as well. It had been a long few days, and Sam could do without a photo op.
"How can I help you?" the woman at the desk said, once she'd finished with the last guests.
"We're looking for a room for tonight," Sam told her, as they approached.
"Certainly," she said, doing something on her computer. "It looks like the only rooms I have available are one king bed." She looked between the two of them. "Is that okay?"
"It's fine," Sam said, shrugging. Steve didn't kick in his sleep, and that was pretty much the only qualification Sam needed.
"If I could just see your photo ID and a credit card," she said, and Sam got out his wallet, passing them over. As she entered the information, she kept glancing up over the monitor at the two of them. Steve either didn't notice or didn't care, which didn't surprise Sam very much. Sam wasn't quite as comfortable with it, but that was just kinda what happened when you hung around with superheroes.
She put the cards back on the counter in front of Sam. "How long have you two been together?" she said hesitantly.
"About a month," Steve said, smiling pleasantly, before Sam could say anything. He almost jumped in, but maybe it was better to just let this go for now rather than embarrass Steve in public.
"That's sweet," she said, smiling back at him. "Here are your keys. Your room is 116, just right around the corner and down the hall. Please enjoy your stay, and don't hesitate to call if you need anything."
Steve thanked her and hoisted the bags again, leaving Sam to follow him, tapping his finger against the keys and trying to figure out how to approach this delicately. He didn't like making Steve feel stupid, because Steve wasn't; he just didn't have the right information. This was just a particularly awkward situation to be unaware in.
"Look, I know you're smart, and I know you're not naive-" Sam started, once they stopped in front of the door to their room.
"You only say that when I've been an idiot," Steve said, which wasn't untrue. "What did I do?"
"The woman at the desk," Sam said. "She wasn't asking how long we've been friends. She thought we were a gay couple."
Steve looked at him strangely. "We're not?"
Sam just stared for a moment, unable to put together an answer.
"I know we haven't had much physical intimacy, but I thought it was better if we took things slowly," Steve said. "When you didn't make advances, I assumed you wanted to wait."
"I just-" Sam said, not finding anything to say.
"We didn't really have a conversation about it, I know," Steve continued. "But things are a lot less formal now than they were, and I didn't know how much talking we really needed to do. I mean, it seems pretty obvious to me."
Steve stood there, looking at him expectantly for a long moment, and Sam had no idea what he was supposed to do.
"Are you gonna open the door?" Steve asked finally.
Sam suddenly snapped out of his daze. "Sure," he said, pulling out one of the keys and unlocking the door, pushing it open for Steve to step inside. Sam watched him go, still completely confused.
Apparently he was dating Captain America. That was not something he had been aware of this morning.
Steve put down the bags and slid the closet door open, bending over to reach for the suitcase stand. He looked back at Sam. "You just wanna stand in the hallway all night?" he asked.
Sam stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. Things definitely could be worse.