[ perhaps that would be believable if he wasn't laughing as he spoke. and while he may not be vain to the core of who he is as a person, it doesn't hurt to keep up the pretense in order to keep people at a distance. and right now, keeping this Steve at something of a distance might be a good idea.
there has always been a soft spot in his heart for Steve, and he is learning that it apparently translates easily to others that bear his name and echoes of his personality. there is something about this Steve that makes Tony want to protect him, something about him that seems more innocent than the Steve he is used to; not quiet naivety but close.
gesturing to the bathroom he all but shoos Steve away.]
Yeah, despite the scruff and dirt, you're awfully shiny compared to the Steve I'm used to. I am sure you will actually sparkle once you clean yourself up there too.
[He knows about Tony's self-loathing streak - and he also knows that he's perfectly happy in a worn t-shirt and a pair of ripped jeans, covered in grease as he works on something. So maybe he's not exactly vain, but that's the mask Tony presents to the public. And he certainly cares more about outward appearances than Steve does, although that's not hard.]
Uh-huh, I get the hint. [There's something of the rapport they used to share in the boyish grin underneath the beard, wholly incongruous with everything else about him.
(At least Sparkles is better than Spangles.)
Steve heads into the bathroom and finds a towel, and then- then he finds himself staring at the shower. To be fair, there's always that moment of 'what the fuck' when you're first in someone else's bathroom and you don't know how to work their shower, but this is-]
[ maybe it hurts a little bit to hear a Steve say that, to speak to the mask and not the man beneath, but he also doesn't know what their world is like. doesn't know what has happened, so maybe there is more to it than he knows.
for now, Tony just laughs and gestures towards the bathroom again.] Go on, I will be kind and wait until you are actually dumpster free before I make comments on whether or not you smell better than my Steve or not.
[ he tries not to think about the way 'my Steve' sounds possessive, the way it implies something that isn't there despite everything. brushing it off Tony moves to find some food, since he is sure that Steve wants some of that, laughing when he hears the question. he pulls out a few things and wanders back, sticking a head into the bathroom when the shower turns on, Friday's voice quite.]
You just ask, Captain Rogers. Would you like it at a specific temperature?
Nevermind, she got it for you. I will be ordering food, anything you prefer?
[There is something possessive - intentional or not - about 'my Steve', and it makes Steve remember that this isn't the Tony he's used to, that he's a stranger - a surplus Steve - in another world. That he's too eager to get close, too needy.
Maybe, he thinks for a moment, he ought to have Friday give him a cold shower.]
Uhh...pretty hot, I guess. And just Steve is fine.
[Is he telling a computer to call him by his first name? Yes, he is.]
I could murder a cheeseburger and fries right now. Maybe a couple of cheeseburgers.
[Okay, so he could put away at least three cheeseburgers without even pausing.]
no subject
[ perhaps that would be believable if he wasn't laughing as he spoke. and while he may not be vain to the core of who he is as a person, it doesn't hurt to keep up the pretense in order to keep people at a distance. and right now, keeping this Steve at something of a distance might be a good idea.
there has always been a soft spot in his heart for Steve, and he is learning that it apparently translates easily to others that bear his name and echoes of his personality. there is something about this Steve that makes Tony want to protect him, something about him that seems more innocent than the Steve he is used to; not quiet naivety but close.
gesturing to the bathroom he all but shoos Steve away.]
Yeah, despite the scruff and dirt, you're awfully shiny compared to the Steve I'm used to. I am sure you will actually sparkle once you clean yourself up there too.
no subject
Uh-huh, I get the hint. [There's something of the rapport they used to share in the boyish grin underneath the beard, wholly incongruous with everything else about him.
(At least Sparkles is better than Spangles.)
Steve heads into the bathroom and finds a towel, and then- then he finds himself staring at the shower. To be fair, there's always that moment of 'what the fuck' when you're first in someone else's bathroom and you don't know how to work their shower, but this is-]
Tony? How do you turn the shower on?
[He pauses for a moment, and then:]
Hey, Friday, can you turn the shower on?
no subject
for now, Tony just laughs and gestures towards the bathroom again.] Go on, I will be kind and wait until you are actually dumpster free before I make comments on whether or not you smell better than my Steve or not.
[ he tries not to think about the way 'my Steve' sounds possessive, the way it implies something that isn't there despite everything. brushing it off Tony moves to find some food, since he is sure that Steve wants some of that, laughing when he hears the question. he pulls out a few things and wanders back, sticking a head into the bathroom when the shower turns on, Friday's voice quite.]
You just ask, Captain Rogers. Would you like it at a specific temperature?
Nevermind, she got it for you. I will be ordering food, anything you prefer?
no subject
Maybe, he thinks for a moment, he ought to have Friday give him a cold shower.]
Uhh...pretty hot, I guess. And just Steve is fine.
[Is he telling a computer to call him by his first name? Yes, he is.]
I could murder a cheeseburger and fries right now. Maybe a couple of cheeseburgers.
[Okay, so he could put away at least three cheeseburgers without even pausing.]