The Balance Between

Bar Night Brawl

TW: Allusions to rape/sexual assault 

Steve and Loki sat at the bar of the local nightclub, their drinks set in front of them. Loki, wearing a satin green almost mermaid dress with sequins at the top and a pair of black heels, occasionally stirred hers with her finger before sucking the liquid off. She'd scrunch her nose afterwards. Midgardian alcohol was nothing compared to Asgardian mead but Loki didn't have a taste for either. On the rare occasion, she preferred a glass of red wine than the fruity drink in front of her. But she still drank it so Tony wouldn't get offended; he ordered it for her after all. Steve, wearing a simple black suit with a navy blue tie, shot back the whiskey in his glass periodically. Even though he couldn't get drunk, he still wanted to be responsible because he was definitely going to be the designated driver tonight. To the untrained eye, these two appeared to be on a date together when really their dates were on the dance floor making fools of themselves. 

In honor of celebrating the "new" addition to the Stark-Friggadottir family, Tony suggested the idea of going out. Not wanting to be stuck in a dingy bar, Bruce proposed the idea of going to the nightclub; this way the team had plenty of room to space out and plenty of options to entertain themselves. The only person who didn't agree with this idea was Peter who is of course underage. He elected to go out for dinner at the local cafe with Ned and MJ instead. After getting dolled up--the men in suits, the women in dresses, and Natasha in a black romper--the team headed out. Now everyone's dancing on the dance floor except, of course, Steve and Loki. 

Loki looked over at the dance floor, spinning her chair around to get a better look. Her eyes almost instantly found Tony who was poorly dancing to the pop song the DJ was playing. She shook her head and laughed before downing the rest of her drink and ordering a glass of wine. One day she'd teach Tony how to properly dance so he wouldn't embarrass himself--or more importantly her--ever again. She spun back around to face the bartender just in time for him to set the glass down. She muttered a thank you, forced a smile, and took a sip, licking her painted lips afterward. 

Steve sighed and turned his back to the bar. He wasn't sitting--it was almost like sitting was against his religion--so it was easier for him to turn and press his back against the bar. He enjoyed going out for the sole purpose of watching Bucky forget everything about his past and just enjoy the moment. There are times where Steve can almost see the old Bucky shining through with the way his eyes light up or in his lopsided smile or the way he dances. He misses the old Bucky but he knows there's no getting him back. And he's made peace with that. He'd rather take this Bucky over no Bucky any day. Steve glanced over at the dance floor and smiled, watching as Bucky danced with Natasha and Wanda.

A young girl--no older than twenty-five--approached Steve at the same time Thor walked over and stood close to Loki. He started comparing nights like these here and at home, occasionally pausing for Loki to voice her input--which she most certainly did. The young girl, who introduced herself as Minnie, asked Steve if she could take a picture with him then proceeded to say something about how jealous her girlfriend would be. Steve laughed and nodded, stepping away from the bar to get a better picture. Minnie pulled out her phone and wrapped her arm around Steve's waist, holding the phone high to get a good angle. Thor finished up his conversation with Loki, took a swig of the beer he'd been drinking that she was guarding, and left for the dance floor again. He was determined to get Bruce out on the dance floor and enjoy himself. Loki laughed as she watched his attempt. 

With both Steve and Thor being preoccupied, an older looking gentleman decided it was his time to approach Loki. 

Loki had turned her attention back to the bar, her back to everyone else, and drank her wine, tracing her finger along the bar top. With a content sigh, she took another long sip from her wine glass when the man tapped her shoulder. She turned her head to face him, an eyebrow raised.