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Steve glances around the bar, blue eyes sweeping over the crowd. It's bursting with people, all in various states of drunkenness – it won't be difficult to find someone to take home tonight.
Which is... actually a thought that makes Steve's skin prickle, but not with excitement. He should be excited to have sex, right? All of his friends talk plenty about it, talk about how good it feels and Steve feels as if he's broken, like he's weird for not wanting it.
But, there is another thing and that is the constant teasing of his friends. Once they found out he's 22 and hasn't had sex yet, they haven't stopped reminding him of how weird that is. He can't stand it anymore, doesn't want to hear more jokes about him and being a shy, prude virgin.
So tonight he wants to do something about it.
(And blatantly ignores the feeling of unease in his stomach, blames it on the alcohol that gets him hopefully loose enough to go through with his plan.)
The alcohol definitely helps to ease his nerves a little. Maybe he can do this. Maybe-
“Hey, handsome.”
Steve snaps out of his worries and turns, coming face to face with an attractive young man. His new company has brown, slightly curled hair and warm, brown eyes. The goatee is a bit weird, but Steve has seen stranger things. He tries a smile.
“Hey yourself”, he says and just like that, he's met someone who will hopefully put an end to the endless jokes.
The stranger introduces himself as Tony Stark, pays for Steve's next drink and then takes him home.
They're kissing by the time they are at the door. It's frantic and hot and Tony is very eager. His hands are under Steve's shirt before they even get inside, hot on Steve's bare skin and he shudders. It's not entirely out of pleasure, not entirely because he likes it – but Steve pushes the thought aside. He can do this.
He will do this.
But then Tony pushes him backwards onto the bed, mouth still hot against Steve's own and straddles him and Steve can feel the hard outline of Tony's erection through his pants and he can't-
He tenses all over, actually freezes because this isn't what he wants. He knows Tony wants it, he can feel it clearly but there is nothing about this that feels right for Steve.
He fully expects for Tony not to notice, to just go right ahead.
Instead, Tony pauses, hands stilling where they've been halfway to Steve's pants and he looks at him with open concern.
“You doing okay, Steve?“, he asks and the way he says it, his voice so understanding and gentle, is what breaks Steve's resolve.
He shakes his head and only now realizes he's even trembling a little.
Tony immediately backs off, his warm weight gone and he settles next to Steve. He stays close enough for his presence to be comforting, but nothing about this is sexual anymore.
Steve hides his face in his hands, knees drawn up against his chest.
“Hey, Steve, what's wrong? Um, if I did something you didn't want, then-”
“That's not it”, Steve interrupts. His cheeks are burning with embarrassment and shame. “Just... just-” He sucks in a breath. “It doesn't feel good”, he rushes out. “It- I know it should feel good, it's supposed to be good, but I just feel so weird, I don't-”
“You don't want to have sex with me?” Tony concludes but that isn't the case, no. Steve shakes his head again, chewing on his lip.
He can't bring himself to look at Tony, but he mumbles: “It's not because of you. I- I wanted to have sex with you, but- I-I don't feel good. W-When you touched me, it was just... weird.”
Steve does glance at Tony now and he can see the other frown. He knows Tony's about to suggest if maybe he felt like this because Steve might not be into men, but that's not the case. It's not. Steve knows he likes men just fine, but...
“I don't think I like sex”, he admits quietly.
Maybe it's the alcohol, but over the next half hour, Steve tells Tony about how he's never felt the desire to have sex. How his best friend used to watch porn with him and Steve got a weird feeling just imagining to do the same thing. How his other friends keep teasing him for being a virgin.
How he feels like he is weird because of this. Broken.
“You are not broken just because you don't want sex”, Tony protests vehemently, as soon as Steve utters the word. One of his hands is on Steve's shoulder, gently stroking down his back. Comforting.
“There's absolutely nothing wrong with not wanting it”, he continues and for the first time, Steve feels like a weight got lifted from his shoulders.
Tony is the first person to tell him that he might be normal, after all.
Steve slowly turns his head and meets Tony's brown eyes, which are looking at him warmly. “Then what else is wrong with me?”, he asks very quietly and ignores the lump that forms in his throat. Tony inches closer until he can wrap both arms around Steve and pulls him into a hug.
“Hey, I just told you, nothing is wrong with you. And you can't know this, but I am a certified genius, so I am never wrong.”
Steve feels himself relax, just a little. “Then what-”
“You might be Ace”, Tony suggests and Steve frowns at that. It's not a term he's heard before and he says so. Thankfully, Tony doesn't belittle him, but instead starts to explain.
“Ace is another term for asexuality. It means you may not be sexually attracted to others, or that you have a lack of sex drive or no sexual desires at all. It's not unusual.”
Steve pulls back and stares. The definition he's just heard makes sense. It makes a lot of sense. Steve can barely believe he may finally have a term for this.
“I'm- It's normal?”
Tony gives him a soft smile. “It's pretty common in humans, actually. So you, Steve Rogers, are most definitely not broken or weird or anything. What you are , though, is pretty damn hot. And I'd like to take you out on a date.”
Again, Steve can only stare – but he agrees and it might be the best decision of the night.