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Tony Stark || Iron Man (one_liner) wrote in marinanova,
@ 2012-10-01 11:19:00

Entry tags:

steve rogers, tony stark

[Action | Closed]

[Tony fucking hates waiting.]

[Anyone who says waiting builds character can kiss his ass. Having things immediately isn't just something he's used to, it's how he functions. It's why he barricades himself in his workshop for days and nights at a stretch, unwilling to chance losing his grip on whatever inspiration led to his latest ingenuity. Why he hired the most competent and resourceful woman on the planet to handle, in part, the getting of things as soon as he wants them. Why this stupid fishbowl is the worst place in the goddamn multiverse because building the Mark VIII with these shit parts is taking an eternity.]

[And why he ultimately left a scribbled note on a torn piece of blueprint (a useless part from an old draft, Tony doesn't believe in looking backwards anyway) telling Rogers that the code to his workshop is "the day we became a team." And don't think for a second that's him being sentimental; he just needed a code the others would remember but anyone random would find impossible to guess. But the point is that whatever stupid thing Rogers had started by hunting Tony down and trying to get into some insipid discussion of their relationship or some crap wasn't going to just blow over and Tony is getting sick of thinking about it. It's not like he cares if he and Rogers are drinking buddies but they do need to be able to work together to get the hell out of here and even as much as he doesn't want to end up in a frigging therapy session, Tony knows that Rogers' tactical knowledge will be very useful to that end.]

[Which is why later, back in the workshop and coated in grease up to his elbows, he's still waiting. Of course this is the moment Rogers picks not to be the perfect Boy Scout and report immediately. Tony must've debated changing the entry code thirty thousand times, but that would only result in more waiting.]

[Tony rolls his shoulders and tries to focus despite the irritatingly quiet music that's played at a disgustingly reasonable volume. How does anyone get anything done without screaming guitars and howling lyrics and the thud of a great baseline in their throat? He knows Rogers would find some way to take Tony's usual music as a personal insult, but all of two seconds thinking about what might be a half decent compromise was enough to give him a freaking migraine because fuck if he can work to Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. JARVIS, finally up and running but on strict orders to keep his mouth shut for now (and under a Master Override since JARVIS is about as good at following orders as the man who programmed him), had finally queued up U2's The Joshua Tree, having determined algorithmically that it was one of a few selections that might appeal to Rogers and yet not make Tony have to start breaking things to relieve his boredom.]

[In another five minutes he may start anyway. Seriously Rogers, stop running useless laps around the dome or flexing your jaw or feeding sick kittens or whatever the hell and get your ass over here.]

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leader
2012-10-01 10:46 pm UTC (link)

[Feeding kittens was so two days ago.]

[Steve's in the main room of the apartment (Avengers Apartment, he calls it in his mind), fingers twirling a pen as he stares down at the line he'd scrawled in his journal. Day 187, Thor went missing. There's more underneath about how there hadn't been any abnormalities or change in behavior. No notice, no warning.]

[He lets out a quiet sigh and closes the book--but pauses as if remembering something. Then from between two pages, he draws out the note he'd found. Right, next order of business. It'd probably be best if he starts heading there now. He doesn't know what to expect (Tony being entirely unpredictable) so that quickly invites apprehension into the mix of emotions he's already feeling.]

[Still, Steve couldn't and didn't want to avoid his teammate forever. And the fact that Tony's the first to make contact (again, the unpredictable thing), well. Let's not jump to any conclusions just yet. To be honest, he's surprised. As for uncertain? Definitely. Wary? You bet. Hopeful? Eh, a tiny bit. Then again, that was like his default setting for most scenarios.]

[So here he is, entering in the code and preparing for... anything, really.]

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	one_liner 2012-10-02 12:37 am UTC (link)
	[As soon as Steve enters, a disembodied British voice welcomes him,] Welcome, Captain. [Tony, for his part, pauses in his activity and snags a nearby towel to start wiping his hands. The music is at a volume where he can actually be understood when he says,] Drink? I'm having one. [God does he need one. Or more accurately, another one.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

leader
2012-10-02 12:53 am UTC (link)

[Oh, disembodied voice coming from seemingly nowhere that's reassuring. Steve tenses, jerking his gaze around before settling on Tony.] That's your... [Makes a gesture at the ceiling.] The guy you talk to when you're in your suit.

[He appreciates the volume of the music by the way. And at Tony's offer, Steve hesitates, a 'no thanks' on the tip of his tongue, but he holds back. Alcohol wouldn't do anything for him, but it certainly wouldn't hurt.] What do you have?

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one_liner
2012-10-02 01:12 am UTC (link)

I am JARVIS, Sir. Please consider me at your service. I have been programmed to assist all Avengers members as they require.

[Tony rolls his eyes at JARVIS. Make it sound like he's some softie, why don't you.] Don't forget who has your top level overrides.

[He wanders toward the fridge, beside which there's a counter with a bar's worth of liquor bottles, some empty but many in varying states of fullness.] Beer or anything hard. Best single malt they have here is 18 years. [Which is clearly not up to his standards.]

[There's a black leather sofa riding the wall near the fridge-and-wetbar setup, and Tony waves a hand in its general direction as he digs in the fridge.] There's half a pizza if you want.

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	leader 2012-10-02 01:19 am UTC (link)
	[He can't help but smile at how polite the voice is.] Nice to meet you, Jarvis. Looking forward to working with you. [Then he's turning to where Tony's motioning and making his way over to the sofa.] Just beer's fine, thanks. [Once Steve's seated, he eyes the pizza but opts to leave it alone. He's not sure what to make of the situation.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

one_liner
2012-10-02 01:28 am UTC (link)

[Tony grabs a beer from the fridge door and holds it out for a small automaton to remove the bottle cap. He pours himself a scotch on the rocks -- a double, downs half of it, and proceeds over to the sofa. He holds out the beer for Rogers and flops down against the arm, one leg bent beneath him so he's half-facing Steve.]

Fair warning: if you even try to use anything resembling puppy eyes at me, I'm throwing you out of here.

[Yeah okay that sounds hostile, more than he intended, so before Rogers can get indignant he may as well get on with it. And in a much more even tone this time, bordering on serious.] Wait, let me try that again... you weren't wrong.

[And he tips back the rest of his scotch, guzzling it down. God, how do people do this?]

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leader
2012-10-02 05:02 am UTC (link)

[Taking the beer with a nod of thanks is the easy part. Everything else, not so much. He makes a face at the warning (what puppy eyes?), but doesn't reply.]

[Until the next part. He rolls the bottle between his hands as he thinks about what Tony had just said.] Well, [slight pause] that's a relief.

[Except they've been arguing over so many things that Steve doesn't know what they're even discussing.] What wasn't I wrong about?

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I don't know why I'm awake :(

one_liner
2012-10-02 05:16 am UTC (link)

[Tony tips his tumbler to get more scotch only to be reminded that there's only ice left. Damn. He shakes the glass enough to clink the ice, debating whether to get another and just letting himself run off at the mouth, a dangerous prospect for certain.]

On the Helicarrier. All that junk you tried apologizing for. I'm -- you saw the footage of Afghanistan? [Eh, he'll just assume so and plow right on.] I didn't get into this saving people gig because I'm this selfless hero-type, [like you, he doesn't say in this slight pause] I got into it because terrorists blew me up with my own weapons and I woke up with a car battery in my chest and had the really disturbing epiphany that I killed a whole shitload of innocent people.

[He shrugs, eyes fixed on his ice-filled glass.] I'm no hero, I'm just a fuck-up who wants to -- I don't know, stop being one. So, you weren't wrong.

[And now he's going to jump up to go get more scotch. And hope Rogers will be able to put two and two together about why he bugs Tony so they can have more drinking and less talking.]

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TO HURT ME ;_;

leader
2012-10-02 09:53 pm UTC (link)

[Steve's silent for a few seconds once Tony finishes. That was it, then. Steve was a hero and Tony wasn't. Steve could change the world and Tony couldn't. He lowers his gaze to the beer in his hands and then sets it down on the floor, off to the side. Not now.]

But you didn't know your weapons were hurting innocent people. [He's careful as he says this, partly to make sure he's getting it right before saying it and partly because he's sure this isn't a comfortable subject to deal with.] After you found out, you decided to take action. [He recalls the files, the videos, the facts and hard truths.]

A lot of people would've ignored it. Hell, they would've gone on still making money off it and trying to cover up what they could.

You didn't just stop making weapons, Stark. You went out there and put your life on the line. I thought you were only fighting for yourself, I told you that, and maybe you weren't entirely selfless at first, but then I was there to see what you were willing to sacrifice.

[He knows a few words won't cut it. It felt like it needed to be said, though.] I was wrong. I made a bad call and I know that now. You fight for yourself, not always a bad thing, and you fight for the people who need someone to defend them. That sounds an awful lot like a hero to me.

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/CRY

one_liner
2012-10-02 10:09 pm UTC (link)

[While Rogers is talking (monologue-ing, Tony can't help but think with a hypocritical curl of his mouth), Tony pours himself another scotch, the glass full to brimming. He downs half it in three gulps and tops off the glass, the floating ice cubes sluggishly tinging.]

[Of course Captain America wants to see him that way. As someone redeemed, or redeemable at the least, good conquers all et cetera. He can't quite make it back to the couch yet.]

You make it really difficult to properly resent you. [His tone is lighter, but not quite joking. He's not sure whether it is one or not.]

[He has to take another swig and physically push off the bar to start back to the couch, and even as he flops back into his seat he never quite manages eye contact.]

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	leader 2012-10-04 05:01 am UTC (link)
	[Gotta get his monologues started in early if he wants to be a decent Captain America.] I'll work on it. [He matches the lighter tone with his own. And when Tony makes it back to the couch, Steve sits there in... not uncomfortable silence, but in silence that he's not sure how to break.] [Oh, what the hell.] Thanks for telling me. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

one_liner
2012-10-04 05:13 am UTC (link)

[And now a grin, a Stark Special, full of amused superiority.] Hey, a joke. Should I check for other signs of the apocalypse? Horsemen, locusts? [It's all in good fun, Rogers. Really.]

[But hey, speaking of what the hell, this statement brought to you by four or more scotches in the last hour (he might have lose count):] Thanks for not bringing up my dad. [During their arguments, at least not in the in-your-face way that Steve could have. Which is Tony's way of saying that's the one thing he probably wouldn't be looking past.]

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	leader 2012-10-04 10:27 pm UTC (link)
	I can make jokes. [He tries his best to sound offended, but that smile on his face probably ruins the effect.] [And then his smile falters a bit at that in order to make way for a more solemn expression.] Yeah. [He adjusts in his seat a bit and darts his gaze over to the... pizza box.] I figured it would be best not to. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

one_liner
2012-10-04 10:37 pm UTC (link)

He talked about you all the time. All the time. I'm surprised my middle name isn't "Captain." [He's not really sure why he's saying that, but you know. Enough scotch and things just get said.] But then he was probably convinced we wouldn't get along. He'd shit a brick right about now. [Which seems to please Tony just a little.]

[Tony cuts a glance over at Cap once he takes a breath,] Oh for God's sake, this is like watching a stray puppy gazing through a butcher shop window. Just eat it if you want it.

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leader
2012-10-04 11:00 pm UTC (link)

[That's something he didn't need to picture in his mind ever.] Well, that's one way to say it.

[But then he's called out and he quickly snaps his attention back. He has the decency to look embarrassed before shaking his head at the--offer? Tony sure had a way with words.] I actually ate not too long ago. [With that, Steve hurries back on track.]

It must've been hard to listen to.

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one_liner
2012-10-04 11:09 pm UTC (link)

[The most casual of shrugs, but he doesn't make it clear which thing he's shrugging about.]

Hey, I have my own legacy. I hold the record for pranking the teacher's quarters at Phillips Academy. You should've seen their faces when they tried to figure out how all their furniture got nailed to the ceiling. And I was only nine. The next year I hacked their computers and cross wired everything. The headmaster's enter key made the fire alarms sound, the three on his telephone had every toilet on campus flushing.

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leader
2012-10-04 11:26 pm UTC (link)

[You were at an academy when you were nine? He wants to ask. But he nods mutely, kind of just watching Tony as he rambles on. He starts to see it, the little kid who was raised thinking he was second best.]

You were a regular terror even at that age. [He chuckles lightly.] Not very hard to believe. Guess they've got plenty of fond memories to look back on, at least.

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one_liner
2012-10-04 11:31 pm UTC (link)

Oh, it gets better. Ask me about the really good stories sometime when your poor, pure heart can take the shock. [But have a grin because he's teasing again. This is how Tony bonds, insults and mockery.] Normally you could just google me and get an eyeful, but one of the many annoying things about being an ant under this magnifying glass is no can do.

But for now let's just say my creativity knows no bounds. Which is how I'm going to rebuild my suit even with the horribly juvenile components they have here.

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	leader 2012-10-14 01:08 am UTC (link)
	Try me. Not much left of a poor, pure heart when you've served as long as I have with the Howlers. [Steve relaxes into his seat because this? This he could do.] I really shouldn't be surprised. [And his gaze shifts and roams across the room, over to the corners of the ceiling.] Think the wardens'll take it from you? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

one_liner
2012-10-17 12:39 am UTC (link)

[Right, because Tony totally buys that Steve can hear about Tony's exploits without melting from blushiness. But hey, challenge accepted.] Which do you want to hear first, the Playboy Mansion or the amateur porn? You might think they're one and the same, but you'd be wrong.

[As far as the suit, he shrugs.] The same idiots whose idea of punishment is paint by numbers? The worst they'll probably do is make me create balloon animals in the park.

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