𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝑭𝑳𝑨𝑾𝑳𝑬𝑺𝑺

chapter 2

steve looked up at the building that the address that sam had given him lead to, a nervous sigh falling past his lips. he wasn't quite sure what he felt most comfortable calling this establishment, strip club, burlesque joint, gentleman's club were all of the names he had in his head, none of which seemed to fit what he would define it as. the blonde stepped aside as groups of people went past him and through the doors, allowing even more time for steve to decide this was a bad idea and turn back to go home and watch gossip girl instead with nat (completely her idea, but steve would admit that he was sucked into the drama of the show~). the man wanted to lay low as he tested the waters of this place, and to keep as much privacy as he could, so he did what he was taught when he was trying to hide his captain america side of him: baseball cap and street clothes, the perfect disguise.

steve walked into the club, following behind a big group of people who seemed to be far younger than him, probably just over the legal age to drink, he thought. once inside, steve was met with a sight that he had never seen before. the room itself was dark, and slightly clouded with cigarette smoke, making him thankful for the serum and his improved health. what caught his eye most was the stage that seemingly was the main attraction of the establishment, where the workers performed, steve assumed. being there by himself, he felt as if all eyes in the room were on him, though that would be silly of him to worry about as there was loud music, dim lights, and dancers distracting the customers, as that was their job. as if on cue, a tall woman with luscious pink hair waltzed her way to steve, resting a hand tentatively on his shoulder as she offered him a drink from the bar, steve soon finding out that she was a server that worked the floor of the club. once she got his order and told steve to sit down, he decided that it would be best to find a seat. steve already felt out of place and a bit uncomfortable, and was sure that him standing in the middle of the entrance was not helping that.

he sat along the bar, the waitress, who's name he learned was honey, handed him his drink with a wink, steve returning it with a polite nod and a generous tip. he really wasn't sure how long he was going to stay at the club, deciding that he would just allow himself to get a feel for it and all that it has to offer, which meant that there was going to be little to no participation in the dances going on around him. with that thought in mind, the lights seemingly dimmed further, and spotlights were focused on the stage as a dancer took their spot as they started their performance. the neighbourhood's "flawless" rang out of the speakers, the dancer having choreographed a performance perfectly fit to the song. from his spot at the bar, steve couldn't tell much of what was going on on stage, though he was interested. the dancer captivated every set of eyes in the room, it was something in the way that they moved their body that got steve going. he wanted to see more of this person who seemingly knew everything that made steve interested.

after murmuring a soft thank you to the waitress again, the blonde stood from his seat at the bar, making his way closer to the stage so he could see more of what this dancer was doing as they stripped slowly of their clothing, clearly making a show of it. it was their job after all, and steve was sure that this specific performer was well liked, simply by the response of cheering from the crowd and intense, lust filled stares from other patrons. steve took a seat, much closer to the stage than he would have liked to admit, his eyes trained on the dancer in front of him. the sinful way that their hips moved had steve's head spinning in circles, the man being willing to do anything to get the performer's name at the end of the night. not only was the dancer talented in their field, they were one of the most beautiful people that steve had ever seen. the shoulder length dark brown hair accentuated the sharp features of their face, and made their icy blue eyes stand out more against the contrast of the darkness. they took his breath away, steve deciding right then and there that he would be coming back again next week, the one after that, and the one after that.

as the dancer's performance came to a close, the music died down and it seemed as if they were looking at the crowd for the first time of the night, a smirk playing at their face as their eyes trailed along the men and women ogling at them. steve's breath caught in his throat, all but nearly choking on his drink, as their eyes locked with one another, a wink being sent his way from the beautiful person on stage. as if on cue, the performer finished their routine and left, staff coming out to clean off the stage and prepare for the next dancer. the same waitress from earlier, honey, was at steve's side, asking if he had enjoyed the performance and offering to get him another drink. all steve could do was nod his head and murmur that he wanted what he had before, his eyes fixated forward on the spot in which the beautiful person had stood moments ago. steve decided that this was going to be where he spent his free time, where he would go to relax, and probably where he was going to start to spend a lot of his money. he said a soft thank you to honey and a smile shone her way as he tipped her, probably more than she had gotten the whole night.

steve stood and looked around, the club being low-lit and busy with conversations in their individual groups, he was like any other person there. someone looking for an escape from the stresses everyday life. after making small conversation with the waitress, someone steve found to be oddly comforting, he bid his good bye and wished her a good night, honey smiling sweetly as she placed her hand on his shoulder once again. "i hope to be seeing you again soon, captain rogers," she said with a wink, steve giving her a lopsided smile in response as he turned to leave, pulling his ball cap further down over his face as he walked to his car, sitting there for a while as he went over what had happened tonight. the thing is, honey would be seeing him again soon, and so would the talented dancer that had steve hooked from the start.