gotup | open post 3.0

So you're a literal knight in shining armor.

[Does Steve give Tony a skeptical look at that? Maybe. But it's only for a moment. When he's done stripping, he perches on the side of the tub and waits for it to fill with water. Maybe it'll even be reasonably hot for once.]

An entire team? [Another one of those looks that's somewhere between dubious and confused.] Of super-soldiers, or...?

[Clearly this is a Steve who doesn't even come from a world with Invaders, which, on the bright side, means he's never had to deal with Namor.]

[ and that gets a burst of honest laughter out of tony.]

Not even close, but I'll take it.

[ there are worse things that he could be called after all. besides, he isn't about to get really into the details of things with steve right now, not when, and where, they are at the present moment. besides, there are more important things to deal with right now.

like not staring too hard.]

No, well I mean, you're a super soldier, pretty sure Natasha has something similar. [ he almost says Barnes, almost. but he isn't that stupid. ] Thor's a god, Sam and Rhodes are ... well there's a lot of people involved. It's been an interesting ride, that's for sure.

[Thankfully for both Tony's sanity and that practically transparent silk, the bathtub is full enough (by Steve's standards, although he would take a bath in a puddle if necessary), and he slips into the water.]

Is there another war? [Because Steve actually doesn't know what he'd do without a war, and he can't imagine needing more people like him unless they're also soldiers. Oh boy, Steve, you have no idea how fun the future is.]

Another war? [ give him a second okay, you're distracting. ] Not-- not like that, not really.

[ how does he put it. war gets worse? better? more efficient which means it gets worse. tony moves himself around until he is sitting cross-legged on the bed, chin in hands.]

You really wanna talk about fighting though? I mean I know it's you're forte and all but-- the future has a little more than that to it.

[ look at him trying to be positive.]

[Ohhhh boy that position is a little inappropriate. Steve slides down deeper into the water, trying to hide his blush, and feels around for the shampoo so he has something to do besides look at Tony.]

Haven't done much of anything else for-

[Hell, he doesn't even know how long he's been here. Long enough.]

I don't know. What do you want to talk about?

[Steve Rogers, a great conversationalist.]

[ is it? tony hasn't noticed at all. no, really, he has kind of forgotten about the weird fucking attire that they have him in, speaks to the quality of the fabric and the chains really.

there is a hum, and a raised brow, before:] Fair enough, it is what you know at the present.

[ and tony really wishes that it wasn't. because he knows very well the toll that takes on steve.]

What about a game, if you will. Twenty questions or something, so you can get your head on straight about me.

[Steve would love nothing more than to be able to talk about art or baseball or something normal. He's worried that the ability is slipping away from him, that being a normal person is going to be impossible soon. He doesn't want to be Captain America forever - doesn't want to be a soldier or the face of his country or anything other than Steve Rogers, whoever that is.]

I'm not sure I have my head on straight about anything right now. [Steve snorts as he starts rubbing shampoo into his hair.] Or that I have since 1941.

[ well, tony can't really speak to the art bit, except that the knows the prices of a few things. though that isn't really art, is it. still, tony looks something like fond as he shrugs.]

I wanna say it gets better, but it doesn't. Not really. But it gets easier to handle with a good team, I can tell you that much. [ sorry, he probably... shouldn't say that. it is difficult to remember why though when steve starts moving around and there is a wet steve rogers before him and--

well shit.

tony makes a short strangled noise, pulling himself into a small ball. he does not need this right now. nope.]

So I'll let you... pick the topics?

[Steve pauses to peer over at Tony. Thankfully, he doesn't get out of the tub to check on him, but he's definitely concerned.]

Are you all right?

[Yes, he really is that oblivious to everything.]

Mmm, fine. Great really, aside from the whole interdimensional kidnapping bit, but yeah. Okay.

[ maybe a little pink in the cheeks, but like maybe steve can't tell from how far away he is?]

Ahem, topics? Can't promise I have infinite knowledge of all topics, but I have been told I'm a hit at dinner parties.

[See, there's a key problem here, which is that their knowledge bases are somewhere around fifty years apart. (There are a lot of problems here, but that one is the most relevant.)]

I think what they mean is that your bank account is a hit at dinner parties.

-uh, no offense. I'm just saying, even if you were boring to talk to, they'd still say the opposite. Like how ladies would tell me I'm a great dancer just because of my looks.

[ that makes tony bark out real laughter, bright and loud because it was such a steve thing to say. ]

No offence taken, that was-- that was a very you thing to say really. [ is his smile fond? maybe. ] You're also right. People are good at ignoring your faults when you have multiple zeroes in your bank account.

[ or anything else that they think they could use.]

But dancing? No one ever thought to teach you? You've got the coordination for it I'm sure.

I-

[Never found the right partner, he almost says.

Steve's fingers tighten on the edge of the tub. He remembers promising Peggy a dance when he came back, and he doesn't think that's going to happen now.]

Not much dancing going on in the middle of a war.

[ yup, okay, he's gonna wince a little because that was stupid on his part. so much for being a good conversationalist.]

Right. That-- [ tony huffs and tips his head back, wry curl to his lips.] I swear I'm usually better at this.

[Steve snorts wryly before he dunks his head under the water to rinse out the shampoo.]

I'm not.

[Very helpful, Steven.]

[ ... why did you have to do that? tony was just getting a hold of himself! and now you're-- you and wet and--

tony is not uncurling from his position at all now, if anything he huffs and wraps himself tighter around his legs.]

We can blame the situation for affecting everything, I don't usually have a problem talking to you. Not that I am now either, it's just-- [hard.] Different.

[Look, at least having his hair plastered to his head is a little bit more unflattering? Not enough to balance out the Steve-ness, but that's just how it is.]

I can dance, just not with other people. The USO shows, you know.

[Which also technically qualify as "dancing with other people" but not in a romantic sort of way, more in a choreography way.]

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