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for ironhearted ;

[When Steve picks his way through the debris that remains in downtown Manhattan two days after the battle that almost leveled the place, he has a clear goal in mind - Stark Tower, its big ugly label now so much rubble in the street.

He walks right in, and is impressed to find the elevator still working. The automated voice informs him that Stark is on the top level - and how does it know he's looking for Stark, anyway? Unless it's some kind of intercom.

The elevator starts moving before Steve has the chance to push a single button, smooth and silent despite the damage the place took during the fight. Steve tucks his hands into his pockets and watches the numbers tick upward, wondering what Howard would think of this place. What Bucky would say about the younger-older Stark.

His trip upward slows and then stops, the doors sliding open to reveal the ruins of a fancy apartment complex, only briefly taken in when they came up here for Loki before.]

Stark? You here?

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[ the tower isn't so much of a loss— reconstruction can be used as a tax shield, Pepper's already on the phone with suppliers, and JARVIS has already compiled a 5 month construction plan. In all honesty, the biggest loss is the imported marble; Italian customs was being increasingly stingy with the allowable limit.

Tony's busy with plans when Steve arrives— the blueprints for the tower are sprawled out in holographic spider lines, but with a swipe, Tony dismisses them. ]

"JARVIS, stick it under 'Tower, with new and better God-Proof revisions.' And order a pizza. Or five. We'll need it."

[ He's not entirely sure what the great Captain America prefers to eat, but there's nothing more American than melted cheese on top of flatbread, so deal with it. For all the mess and chaos around him (the chandler hanging precariously by a literal thread, the god shaped holes in the ground...), Tony seemed calm. Oddly calm and chipper.

JARVIS gave a word of affirmation, before Tony turned to face Steve with his full attention. ]

Seriously? What part of private elevator do you people not understand?

[ ... ] You know what elevators are, right?

What, the magic box in the eletro-tube?

[There's the hint of a smile in the words. Steve wanders his closer, squinting into the wind coming through the shattered windows.] Yes, certain things did exist before you decided to invent them. You might start with less interior exposure - this place isn't exactly easily defended.

Aw cute, Boy Blue picked up a sense of humor.

[ Tony holds back the eye-roll, and the rampant desire to tell Steve that no, he doesn't just invent things, he makes them better. ]

Are you of all people, asking me to sacrifice style for sensibility? Because uh— I quote verbatim: 'and you're all about style'.

[ but being the nice guy he is, tony tosses over a hologram blueprint of the new building. to the architects eye it's far more improved; to anyone else, it's the same damn building with a slight change to the name. Avengers Tower™ ]

Palladium-based metallic glass. Thor could hammer away for hours and all you'd hear are the sound of his melodious grunts.

I also said you weren't the one to make the sacrifice play. I know when I'm wrong.

[That's as close to a compliment as you're getting, Tony. Enjoy it.

The small smile broadens when he sees the new plans. He gives the holographic image a tentative turn.] Okay, maybe not completely wrong. Avengers Tower, huh?

Iron Man and the Avengers didn't fit.

[ neither did Fury's Fine Friends. and hoo boy does he love getting compliments, but he gets them so often he doesn't even react to them anymore. he just has that same damn smarmy grin ]

It makes for good press. You got your right-wing nutjobs blaming the arc reactor for the invasion, so I figure if people are going to egg something, let them egg everyone.

And hey, if you're going to butter me up, you're gonna have to buy me dinner first.

Barton and I were both wrong. We figured you'd try to wriggle "Stark" in there somewhere. [He shifts the hologram, trying to figure out how to make it zoom in.] Have you heard about me being an impersonator and the whole thing being a big election ploy? You're running, I hope you knew.

Stark and Iron Man are the same thing. Synonymous. One and the same. That, and Stark and the Avengers sounds like a crappy cover band.

[ he crosses the floor easily, and with both hands, helps Steve zoom in. The fact he has not made fun of Steve's inability to use his obscure technology is his way of saying 'thanks for the compliment, friend!' ]

And I don't run. If the government offers me Secretary of Defense I might consider it, but President of the free world? Terrible hours, and the public sector has terrible benefits.

[ there's a slight beat, before he continues on. DON'T STOP HIM NOW HE'S ON A ROLL ]

And as for the whole fakey fake thing, I've got a solution. Lead piping, your head. We'll throw it on youtube.

People will invent reasons for it to be fake. It's what people do.

[Because clearly getting clocked with a lead pipe isn't the problem here.]

I hate that "free world" nonsense. He's president of the United States of America, not America and Europe and Japan and wherever else people can think for themselves without getting arrested. [Steve is busy playing with the diagram with increasing delight which he tries, mostly unsuccessfully, to mask.]

You know, at least half our team won't like having a mailing address.

Secret of the 21st century, Cap? We like fake. Fake makes the rest of us feel better about everything, because then we have an excuse when we can't live up to our own standards.

[ it's like watching a cat play with an ipad. adoraboo. ]

And that half of the team isn't cool enough to get fan mail. I mean seriously, can you imagine Dr. Banner getting fanmail?

[ suddenly faking a deep hulk voice, or at least Tony's impression of a deep hulk voice ]

BILLY AGE EIGHT, HULK HAPPY TO HEAR YOU INSPIRED BY SMASH.

[Steve bites the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at the imitation, feeling slightly guilty at his amusement. Inspired by smash.]

Plenty of people have been. Inspired by smash, I mean. And if you're trying to tell me the reason you do the dog-and-pony show to keep people from being disappointed, you'll have to be a little more convincing.

With all due respect to our esteemed Doctor, I seriously hope not. The last thing we need is a bunch of tweens tweaking themselves with gamma radiation in their high school labs.

[ FEELIN' SMUG. Tony's about to go on about damn teens and television, but with a slight reproachful tone, JARVIS informs the two that the pizza has been delivered, and Tony vanishes for a few moments to tip the pizza man. blah blah fast forward its late he comes back with the boxes and an arched eyebrow. ]

Dog and pony show? Seriously? You know, you can keep the adorable Norman Rockwell attitude without having to use his dictionary. It's called peacocking, and no, I don't.

[Steve meanders back over to the bar, helping himself to a slice of pizza and folding it neatly in half.] I liked his Four Freedoms series. His work on the Post was always nice, too. Some of the grunts overseas used to get them in care packages - saw them pinned up on the insides of their tents when I'd make the rounds.

[A too-large mouthful of pizza keeps him from saying anything else immediately. He shrugs.]

Is that what you guys pinned up back then?

[ you can't see it because he's busy going for beer in his minifridge, but he has a grin of 'the cat who squeezed the canary to death then blamed it on the dog'. ]

I'm all for free love, but really, that's a little weird.

[ yeah. he went there. ]

And by little, I mean a lot. Beer?

[Steve swallows, wipes his mouth very carefully on one of the supplied paper napkins, and sets the remainder of the slice down on it.] Sure, I'll take a beer.

[He picks at the pizza, debating for a moment how to handle the teasing. He settles on the truth.]

There were the other things too, but some of the boys were just that, Tony. I don't know about you, but plenty staked out under canvas that wouldn't stop a shell from blowing them away, listening all night for the sounds of the front closing in... They cared about pretty girls as much as the next guy, but more than that, they cared about feeling close to home.

Edited 2012-05-21 05:30 (UTC)

[ ugh, way to kill a joke with the serious, Cap. Tony twists the cap off before handing it off ]

Relax Cap, it's a joke. If I really wanted to pin you for fraternization, I'd used photo shop.

[ sure it's easy to act carefree about the topic, but Tony knows how it goes. ]

You know what? I've expressly told the army that shitty food makes for shitty morale, but do you think they've listened to me? God, those MRE's— I'm surprised they're not banned under Geneva.

[He's always ~~angry~~ serious, Tony, gosh.] Photo shop?

[Steve tags a swig of the beer and another bite of pizza before he answers, his face brightening at the familiar complaint.] MREs... You mean C-rations? Figures one of the things that doesn't change is one of the things everyone hates most.

Edited 2012-05-21 17:14 (UTC)

I'll tell you when you get older.

[ like 110. maybe. or when Tony feels like ruining a good mood. Tony chews for a bit, wondering how much he feels like sharing with Steve; it's one thing to have a living legend as your new BFF, it's another when that legend used to be BFFs with your dad. it's weird, okay ]

They're a killing for Kellogg. Take all the cereal box rejects, package them, and ship them off to troops who can't complain. Last time I checked out the troops, they were drinking arak.

[ not even cheap chardonnay. Tony holds back a shudder. ]

I tried to start a campaign to ship out cheeseburgers, but I got distracted.

[ blowing shit up ]

[Steve rolls his eyes a little at the age jab, not desensitized exactly. Simply getting used to it from Tony. The inherent strangeness of the conversation isn't lost on him, but he's only got so many ten-spots to hand out.]

You get used to almost anything.

[Almost. He finishes off his pizza and goes for another slice.] Distracted. By? Was that before the Gulmira incident or after the one with uh. Codename Whiplash, wasn't it?

Reading my Time articles? I'm flattered. You should check out last month's GQ; they got my good side.

[ in other words, Gulmira ]

Whiplash distracted me from my very real and very justified superhero crisis, but you should look at my failing as a new opportunity.

[ turning to give Steve a Very Serious Look ]

Your country's tastebuds need you, Captain.

Your SHIELD file, Stark. [Driest of the dry.] It's a page-turner.

[He throws a salute with a slice of pizza.] Find me the stage uniform and I'll make it my priority.

...Don't really. It's probably in a museum or something.

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for ironhearted ;

good lord its past 1 IGNORE MY GRAMMAR

GRAMMAR IS FOR LOSERS also who should be telling who to sleep now

it was midnight and then I blinked and it was 2 am

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