Tony Stark (cutsthewire) wrote in thedisplaced, @ 2018-09-12 21:56:00 |
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Entry tags: | !log/thread, steve rogers (au), tony stark / iron man (mcu) |
WHO: Tony Stark (MCU) & Steve Rogers (AU)
WHAT: Tiny Steve gets a Stark upgrade that isn't serum-based
WHEN: Sept. 3, after this, in reference to this and this
WHERE: Tony's workshop
WARNINGS: None
STATUS: Complete in Gdocs
“So, what do you think?” Tony asked before finishing off the last of his cheeseburger. He and Steve were standing at a workstation that was currently serving as a dining table while the two men ate the lunch Steve had brought with him and stared at the suit of armor that was standing on the platform in the middle of Tony’s workshop. After allowing Steve a turn inside his armor earlier that summer, Tony had started up on a side project redesigning one of his older prototypes to suit Steve. Tony had surreptitiously taken the other man’s measurements while he was wearing the armor, so adjusting it to fit the smaller man was not the problem. Instead, he had struggled with making the armor distinctive from both his Iron Man look and that of Captain America. The paint job helped, as did the modifications he made to the helmet and faceplate. At first glance, there was no doubt that it was a Tony Stark creation, but it was also clear that you wouldn’t find the man himself inside. [***] The smaller man stared at the creation, quiet. His friends, Peggy, Bucky and Natasha sometimes seemed to treat him as some small, breakable thing to be contained and kept safe. He knew it was because they cared, but it was also because they feared for him, and maybe because they didn’t trust Steve to know or respect his own limits. And to be fair, maybe he didn’t. Few barriers ever convinced Steve Rogers to give up. But Tony Stark? Never once made Steve have to wonder if he was being talked down to. Never once encouraged him to step down or step aside. Granted, Tony wasn’t his boss at the fort either. He didn’t have to deal with Steve on a day to day basis. The respect was a considerable step up from his father Howard. “This is for me?” he clarified. Steve did a double take between the armor and Tony. It wasn’t even Christmas. “I just…” Tony grinned at the other man, his reaction food enough to satisfy his considerable ego for the afternoon. “Making gear for Steve Rogers is a Stark family tradition. Now I get to one-up the old man by outfitting two.” As if that were the only reason for Tony having spent the time, resources, and brain power to pull this all together. He had noticed the way the others were pretty quick to put Baby in the corner. And though he didn't know this Steve all that well, Tony had worked out pretty quickly that while he lacked the brawn of his serum-filled counterpart, his determination perhaps exceeded that of the other Steve. Tony was curious to see what he was capable of with a technological leg up. “I’m not gonna hand over the keys to the car just yet. Figure you need some driving lessons first.” Steve’s posture straightened a little, and he nodded. This was a gift, and he was going to take it seriously. Maybe too seriously for Tony’s liking, but Steve wouldn’t slouch on treating something this grand with all the respect it deserved. “What’d you have in mind?” Steve asked, trying not to sound as eager as he felt. “It's got a user interface installed that's been programmed to help familiarize you with the features of the suit,” Tony began, trying to explain it in a way Steve would understand. “But, I’ve had experience with you over-eager types, and I know that's not gonna cut it. So I figure some one-on-one time might help things progress at a speed that's not literally breakneck. As in, 'I’m gonna break your neck if you try showboating with this thing.’” He was, of course, thinking of his experiences with Peter. At least Tony was fairly confident Steve wouldn't try to hack into the suit to bypass the Training Wheels Protocol. Unless something happened to Bucky or something like that, but then he would discover the additional security safeguards Tony had put in place for just such an occasion. Fool me twice… Steve listened carefully to every word, nodding his head respectfully, looking properly attentive as Tony spoke. He paused seriously after Tony warned against showboating to make certain that he understood that he was to treat Tony’s work with respect, before he spoke, “So when do we start?” Because any answer that wasn’t immediately was going to mildly disappoint him. Tony smiled inwardly at Steve’s dutiful silence. He wasn't sure that he had ever experienced that with the Steve from his universe. Almost from the get-go, Captain America had been at his throat, the Alpha dog asserting his authority. That never did fly with Tony, but the two had eventually figured out a way to work together, and work together well. What a waste. “You got anywhere to be?” he asked by way of an answer. Tony didn’t even wait for Steve to respond before wadding up the napkin in his hand, tossing it onto the table, and moving over to another workbench. He picked up two items that had been resting there and held them up, one in each hand, for Steve to see: a bracelet and a hypodermic jet injection gun. “Temporary or permanent?” Steve blinked in surprise at the question. Of all the questions or options that Tony Stark might give him, that was entirely unexpected. His eyes naturally sized up the injection gun as though trying to measure just how drastic it was going to be. Of course the rational decision was the bracelet. What kind of crazy person would agree to be injected with some unknown device or substance? There was no way he wasn’t choosing the bracelet. Except. What if the bracelet was stolen or broken? It in itself was a weak point, wasn’t it? Steve was quiet during his consideration. “What are the drawbacks to permanent?” he finally asked. He didn’t have the understanding or perhaps even the imagination to make a truly informed choice. Tony could have led with a bit of explanation, of course, but he couldn’t resist playing up the dramatics. “You spend the rest of your days with a tiny bit of Stark tech floating around inside of you.” He shook his head. “Nah, it’s just the usual. Tiny chance of infection or migration.” He set the injection gun back onto the table. “This is strictly for summoning purposes. The suit’s programmed to respond only to you specifically, so hijacking’s a non-issue, if that’s what you’re concerned about.” He made a decision. “Let’s start with the bracelet.” Steve frowned. “Now wait a minute…” He may have only been 5’4” and not much over 100 pounds soaking wet, after a big meal, but he could be every bit the stubborn, pain in the ass roadblock his larger counterpart was. Steve was starting to see more of a family resemblance than he had previously. “Just how durable is the bracelet?” He was fully capable of making his own decision, thank you. Once Rogers got in his mind what he wanted, it was damn near impossible to stop him. Tony arched an eyebrow expectantly as Steve protested. He set the bracelet down as well and crossed his arms over his chest. “Made out of the same gold-titanium alloy as the armor. Equally as durable,” he replied, just as quickly as Steve had posed the question. Steve considered and, after another moment of thinking it over, which he realized would seem agonizingly slow for a Stark. “Okay, we’ll do this your way.” He hated people making choices for him, assumptions based on his size and his health. Special treatment got under his skin fast. He may not have been 100 years old, but he wasn’t a child, and he was fully capable of making his own informed choices. But he reminded himself that this was an incredibly generous gift, and Steve was still learning the ropes. “Sorry,” he added, for the extra time it’d taken him to catch up. “Hey,” Tony began, uncrossing his arms so that he could hold his hands up in front of him. “It’s no skin off my back. Whatever you want.” He reached out to the table to grab the bracelet, then approached Steve with it. “Left wrist. That’s important.” Tony waited for him to encircle the bracelet onto his wrist, a crooked grin forming on his face. A beat. “Ready?” *** OOC: This is the vibe of the armor, though it retains the paint job of Blue Steel. It's less bulky, and obviously there's no shield or star/A embellishments. [back] |