Chapter Text
Steve Rogers took a deep breath and walked around to the back of the brick building, where one of the girls had sent him. The green door was lit up by a nearby flood light and the sign on the door read "Private." Steve knocked slowly and the door swung open to a large black man with an eye patch.
"What'd'ya want," the man asked quickly.
"I'm Steve, uh Rogers. You called me back about my application for your opening?" Steve tried to keep his cool and seem as though he meant business.
"Right, come in kid," Steve reassured himself that this Nick Fury was a very nice guy, he just had alot on his plate. Looking around his office and through the one way window that oversaw the floor, he realized Fury had alot of women and men on his plate. "So you want to work at Slinky Dinks, you worked in the business before?" Mr. Fury tossed a deck of cards off to the side of his desk as Steve and he took a seat. Nick held out his hand for Steve's references.
"Once, it was back in Brooklyn. Few years ago." Steve stumbled on his words a little, few was really more like 6. Steve was 27 and his first good paying job was at a strip club, but he wasn't a stripper.
"It says you didn't work the floor. I need someone who knows how to work the floor, the pole, serve drinks. All it says here you could do was sweep the glitter off the floor and unlock private rooms." Nick slapped Steve's resume onto his desk, leaving it agape so Steve could still see it a little.
"Well, it does say that I had been offered a job as a dancer," Steve began to point to the spot where his old boss had written Steve had been offered the job.
"Why didn't you take it?" Fury leaned forward in his seat slowly, keeping his only visible eye on lock with Steve.
"I had to leave to go to college. That didn't work too well...obviously," Steve heaved his chest in a deep breath and looked at Nick, "Just give me a chance. Have one of your dancers show me the ropes one day after their shift. I learn fast." Steve was doing his best to convince Mr. Fury that he desperately needed this job. "I really need work, my mom is sick and her bills are through the roof." Steve lied, his mom was long gone, but her bills had been extremely high.
Fury sighed and leaned back in his chair. He looked out to the floor and watched for a good two minutes before speaking. "You see those workers out there?" Nick asked leaning forward again and pointing to the disco lights and glitter and whatever else came with a strip club, "I raised this place to be the BEST joint in New York City. I have competition across the street and I'm short a dancer. I have 4 men dancers and 1 woman. My men are the main attraction, I have one other woman trying to get accepted here and you're the only male with enough balls to even try to get hired. So I'll make a deal- You work with my best Male Dancer for two days, get your act together. Your first dance is Friday at 7pm and if you don't bring in the customers that Mewling Quim is bringing in across the street, then you can go work for him."
Steve smiled and stood quickly, extending his hand to Nick, "Thank you sir, I won't let you down," Steve rolled his lips in on each other and released his new bosses hand.
"After close, you go to room B2 and you'll find "Iron Man" as he calls himself, but his name is Tony. That is who will be showing you the ropes. Pay day is every Sunday, any tips collected are yours to keep." Steve nodded in agreement as Fury showed him the way to the floor, guided him backstage and to B2 and left him there.
Steve could still see the dances, there was one redhead woman in all black whose name, he couldn't hear the announcer too well over the horny whistles, seemed to be Black Widow. She was very skilled, her moves flowed and blended into one another. She glided across the stage and into the crowd in one fluid movement. He was so entranced by this dancer that he didn't realize that the person he'd been waiting for had appeared in the doorway.
"Can I help you?" He man asked, well dressed the man was, Steve turned to face him with an unexpected jump.
"Hi, Steve, uhm I'm a new dancer." Steve extended his hand and Tony ignored it.
"Yeah, what are you waiting around for?" Tony buttoned his dress shirt and gave Steve an exasperated sigh.
"Mr. Fury needs me to, well needs you to teach me how to strip properly. It's my second professional strip job and it's been a while." Steve looked Tony head to toe, he was seemingly in a rush.
"Look, I know he thinks I'm his best dancer, but I don't have time to teach newbies. What'd you say your name was?"
"Steve. Steve Rogers."
"Your stage name cap," Tony sighed heavily and leaned against the door frame.
"Oh, I don't have one." Steve replied sheepishly.
"I won't help you until you get one," Tony closed his dressing room door behind him and locked it. Steve moved as Tony brushed past him.
"But, my first show is Friday. I need help, I'm a really fast learner and you won't have to teach me for too long-" Tony turned abruptly and stopped Steve with his hand.
"Look, cap, again. I'm not helping you until you get your name." Tony left Steve in the middle of the hallway. Steve rolled his tongue in his mouth and looked back to the stage, there was a man on now, round about the same size as Tony, just dancing up a storm.
"That's Clint, or Hawkeye, whatever you prefer." Steve whipped his head around to find a man, again about the same size as Tony but with curly hair standing in the doorway of BB1.
"Oh," Steve trailed off looking back at the dancer, "he's good."
"Not as good as Stark but you've already heard that," The new man stood upright and looked at Steve all the while shaking his head, "Tony is the best, he doesn't give pointers to anybody, so you're better off taking advice from me."
"You heard all of that?" Steve asked shyly.
"How couldn't I?" The man extended his hand to Steve, "names Bruce, but my stage name is Hulk, cuz I'm big in the right places, if you catch my drift." Steve shook Bruce's hand and nodded with a half smile.
"I bet, so you'd help me?" Steve asked abruptly, he didn't mean to be so forward.
"Sure, but I'm the closing act for tonight. It'd have to be tomorrow. You also really need to work on a name kid." Bruce added closing his dressing room door slowly. Steve was again left alone in the hallway. He sighed and left for home.
~
Steve returned to Slinky Dinks the next afternoon two hours before open and a day before his first show. There he saw "Black Widow", Bruce and Clint. There was a large man, who towered above everyone who had silky blonde hair and large muscles. Then he saw Tony, who was sitting by the bar drinking what may be a martini. Steve meandered his way to Bruce whom introduced him to everyone.
Natasha was firm with her greeting and nothing in her eyes gave away how she was feeling.
Clint was nicer, it was obvious he and Natasha were good friends.
The blonde man was Thor. Stage name and real name. He kept his real name for the stage because he knew nobody would believe him if he told them it was his real name so he was in no actual danger. Upon further investigation it was discovered that the strip club across the street was owned by Thor's younger brother, Loki.
"Why don't you work with your brother?"
"That place has a bad reputation. I cannot have my rippling muscles be discriminated against due to the foulness of my brother's establishment." Thor responded. Bruce smirked, nodded, then turned to face Steve.
"Got a name?"
"Well, no not really." Then a voice appeared at Steve's side that chimed:
"Captain. You should be Captain Something." The voice belonged to "Iron Man."
"Captain?" Steve asked not enjoying the name too much. Tony nodded his head vigorously.
"Captain America or something like that. Make the ladies and homosexual men think you're dominate in the bed." Tony nodded in agreement with his statement and took a drink of his beverage. Steve looked to the group and they all seemed to agree.
"Captain America it is then." Steve responded as the looked from face to face of his new co-workers.
"Let's get started on your moves smooth talker." Natasha said taking hold of Steve's bicep and leading him to the stage.
Steve's practice lasted until 30 minutes to opening, where he was escorted backstage by the group and left alone to his own devices as they readied themselves for the show. Steve looked around uncomfortably and noticed a man he hadn't seen before. This man was dressed nicely, looked vaguely like a body guard. He was sure he was a body guard, the way he stood beside the main door, perched next to a cash register and holding a clipboard.
~
The next day Steve arrived again, two hours early to get some practice in. He practiced as everyone departed to ready themselves for the show. Steve was first and on in 20 minutes. The bouncer man told him he should be getting ready, in 5 he is to let the people in. Steve glanced at the man's name tag which read simply "Coulson".
Steve readied himself for his first performance and 5 minutes to showtime he looked out at the crowd. Oh was there a crowd.