(no subject)

[starkingenuity]

"Not.  My.  Problem."  He's been raging over the finer points of his Jaeger Academy graduation dispatch for the last three hours.  "Do you not know who I am?  Do you not know the contributions I've made to the PPDC?  How about the genius I've lent to the program?  To the pons devices?  To the Jaeger control cores?  The drivesuits?  I do not--  Listen.  Marshall.  I should get a damned say in who you stick me with."

"That's not how it works, Ranger," the calm man tells the somewhat older gentleman sitting across from him.  Stark is a genius.  No one can or will ever doubt that.  He went through a year's worth of training and breaking and mental and physical exhaustion in the span of three months time.  It's...unheard of.  It's completely unheard of.

There's just one trouble.

Stark isn't Drift Compatible with anyone.  Well, with almost anyone.  Somehow, getting a neural bridge to the brain of his dad's science project isn't really high on the to-do list.  "Let me try the Kwoon room again.  Find someone else not in the Academy.  Just not him.  Yanno, I think you're trying to punish me!"

The Marshall sighs.  Director Fury had warned him about Stark.  He just hadn't listened.

Comments

[starkingenuity]

Hands on his hips, Fury arches his eyebrow and gives Rogers a look that might make lesser men pee their pants. Tony's still a little pale and still not doing well getting himself to stand up straight. What's handy? Well Steve Rogers is handy. It's hard not to trust someone who has just experienced your entire life. And who had been in a plane crash and been revived and--

There's too many memories to sort out and the human mind just can't hold them all. That's lucky. Tony doesn't want to deal with them either.

"Yes, Ranger, I do think you should be practicing in a Jaeger. I don't know if you remember the last few months or so, Rogers, but we've got a problem out there and they don't wait for men like Stark to stop looking like he might throw up on your boots. Get out of the drivesuits, take a breather and I'll see you both back here tomorrow."

[starspangledspandex]

He doesn't back down from the look that Fury is giving him. Steve had faced down the Red Skull and death without blinking he's not afraid of a guy with an eye-patch. He glances at Tony, Tony who had a crappy childhood but who leads a nice cushy, billionaire lifestyle now or would, if not for the Kaiju.

Steve still isn't sure about this. He trusts Tony, probably, but he doesn't know if the man can handle a Jaeger in a real battle yet. He's in no hurry to get either of them killed.

Except he apparently has no say in the matter.

"Yes, Sir," he straightens to attention and nods. "We'll be here." He glances at his drift partner, "Think you can make it out of here, Stark?"

[starkingenuity]

"Don't worry about me, old man."

Amazing how an insult can sound so...affectionate.

How long is he suppose to feel connected to Steve? They're no longer sharing headspace but it's hard to block out additional memories. He's a genius, after all, his capacity for memory -- when he wants to have it -- is extreme. Now, his mind is still caught up in Steve's. He still remembers it all. The feeling of intimacy, of finally having someone understand him--

Is it any wonder that he finds himself outside of Steve's small room at the shatterdome that evening? Probably not. Pilots tend to bunk together for a reason. It has nothing to do with lack of space. Tony's never hesitated in his life, not with anything, and yet here he is, fifteen minutes after arriving, arm aching for constantly being poised to knock, Stark finally does.

And now he's completely blanked on what to say.

[starspangledspandex]

Surprisingly, Steve isn't irritated by the nickname. He knows it's not really an insult. There's a difference with Tony--in the cadence of his voice, in his body language--between an insult and an affectionate nickname. It's not easy to tell which is part of what makes him so charismatic.

It's strange. He probably should be irritated. They'd been far from civil with one another when they'd first met and now Steve knows why Tony hadn't liked him from the start. He knows everything. He's lived every moment of the man's life alongside him now. It's a completely different world from his.

"Alright, I won't," Steve tells him, even if it's not entirely true. He knows Tony feels like he has something to prove and he's not sure he agrees but he understands anyway. "Make sure you actually eat something tonight," he adds as he leaves, going to get out of his suit and heading back to his room.

It's hard not to think about all the things he's experienced through Tony. They're right there. He hadn't expected them to linger. Steve doesn't have near the memory that Tony does but he's good enough. Steve sets to filling a sketchbook with before and after photos.

All scenery and landscapes, roads, streets he'd been too before on the left and Tony's memory of them on the right, as they are now. Focusing on the background makes it easier not to think about what's actually happening.

He wonders as he flips pages what Tony is doing. It's ridiculous. He feels like a schoolgirl with a crush--even if that is not a thing he has considered yet--but the man is, quite literally, on his mind. He's just as hard to ignore in his head as in real life too.

The knock startles him from his musing and he sets the sketchbook aside so he can answer the door. His clothing is much more relaxed this time. He's not even wearing shoes.

He pulls open the door without looking and isn't as startled as he should be to find Tony there. "Evening."

[starkingenuity]

"Turns out that I really suck on eating properly," he offers, having to actually lift his head given the elevation of each of their bunks. And maybe Steve's annoyingly massive height. He offers the blond a smirk and a shrug, crossing his arms over his chest. "And I hate what they have in the mess. So how about we head into the city?"

He takes a moment to note Steve's appearance. The bare feet, the lounge clothes. He thumbs his nose and twists his body at the hips.

"Or, or I could go out and bring something back? If you're pretty much in for the night I mean," he offers, trying not to look anything more than just some guy trying to be nice to some other guy and not like some guy who happened to experience Steve's mom die and guy he sort of liked if it was even remotely okay to like a guy back then.

Emotions now are still confusing, still all tied up in everything that is Steve. It should even out soon, even if there's the lingering possibility of a ghost drift here or there, but they hadn't been connected all that long. They should be all right. And separate.

"Or not, you know, whatever. If you are already, that's cool too, just trying to be nice, neighborly, you know. We do have to work together."

[starspangledspandex]

Hey barefoot and relaxed is as short as he gets. It's not his fault that Tony hasn't been blessed with his height. There are shoes for that.

His forehead raises as he lets Tony ramble. He's not big on the whole interruption thing and he's waiting on the man to reach some kind of conclusion. Everything is different when you know where someone is coming from. When you live their life, you see the things that made them the way they are and it's harder to blame them for any annoying quirks.

Steve, who is inherently quiet, really is a perfect match for Tony who is definitely not.

"I can always eat," Steve says before the man can spit out anymore options. "I wouldn't mind seeing the city. I haven't been out of the Shatterdome yet and before that I was stuck at SHIELD."

He steps back, letting the door fall open and the few knick-knacks he does have might have been in fashion in the forties. Maybe. Along with a handful of old black and white photos. Thanks to the drift, Tony will recognize them as Bucky, the Commandos and pictures of Steve's parents. Probably the only ones in existence anymore. He hadn't asked how SHIELD got them.

"You can come in while I put my shoes on if you'd like. Hope you don't mind if I go out in this. I'm still waiting on a shipment of clothes to come in." He's certainly seen people out and about in less. These are workout clothes so he figures they're publically acceptable.

[starkingenuity]

What does Tony care if Steve goes around like that? People wander around in less. He has no idea how their minds have already synced up, something likely in his favor. He might find it distasteful, or at the very least, unseemly. Tony doesn't share well with others. Only child syndrome and all, something Steve's never had since he did a lot of his growing up in an orphanage.

Tony does step inside, though, wearing his Ranger's PPDC coat, hands in his pockets. They've yet to be assigned to a Jaeger, and the logos on this jacket will change, but like all budding pilots, Tony is proud of himself and of his accomplishments. And he's got that rockstar mentality.

Steve had been thrust into that particular life. He's going to have to get use to it all over again.

Tony mutters a thanks and a whatever you want as he steps up into Steve's bunk and glances around. Bucky. His parents. And a book. From memory, Tony already knows it's a sketchbook and he already knows Steve's a pretty good artist.

He's not curious enough, yet, to go snooping.

"I kinda expected you to have spray painted the star-spangled banner across the walls." He's not trying to be a jerk. "They really seem to like your whole theme. If our Jaeger has a star in the middle of it's chest I'm going to write angry letters to Consumer Reports."

[starspangledspandex]

He doesn't have any idea that their minds are synced up either. It's probably better on both counts. Outside the drift, they still need to be their own people and they should focus on their own memories.

Steve had hated that life. It had felt cheap and shallow; he had wanted to be someone. His own Ranger coat is tucked away in his closet somewhere. His simple leather jacket does him just fine and he pulls it down to drop over the arm of the chair.

He really is scrapping by as far as clothing goes. Pretty much the only thing in the drawer he pulls open is two days worth of clothes. That is all he could fit in one suitcase with the more important things, like the pictures.

Steve grabs socks and his boots, sitting down to pull them on. He glances up at Tony and makes an amused sound. "As much as I appreciate the flag, I look at it enough on the uniform. You overdo it and it stops having meaning."

He has no say in the Jaeger but he hopes it's nothing so ridiculous.

[starkingenuity]

Sorry Steve. He's really a little pushy when it comes to...to absolutely everything. Pulling open drawers, after he's seen Steve close them, the other Ranger frowns. You've got to be kidding him. There's no clothes here. It's not like they wear uniforms regularly, not as pilots, but there's got to be some give to Steve's wardrobe. He needs to talk to Fury. Or go behind his back and tell Jarvis to order him a few in Steve's sizes and send them down from Malibu.

Not all that hard when you're stationed at the Los Angeles Shatterdome. It does keep the annoyingly rich playboy billionaire feeling like he's still on home turf. Stark makes all sorts of mental notes as he turns and leans back against the dresser, arms folded to at least attempt to prove he's behaving.

Once Steve's boots are tied, Tony bops passed him and out the door, waiting for him at the bottom of the steps. They'll pass Fury on the way, who stands aside, eyebrow raised, and says nothing. For all of the fighting they did at the Academy, the two seem more than at ease together. It's relieving.

And maybe a little terrifying.

"Ever have Indian?"

here's hoping this is coherent!

[starspangledspandex]

Well, Steve has nothing to hide at least. He gives Tony a look as he pulls open another drawer but he doesn't say anything. His wardrobe would be better when the next shipment came in. He should have a few packages arriving though they still probably wouldn't live up to Tony's standard.

For the most part, he notices that Tony is behaving. From his memories, he can tell that he usually sticks his nose in everyone's business. "I have more clothes coming," he tells him. "Before you plan to go get me some."

He straightens from his seat and grabs his jacket as he heads out the door after Tony. The tension that had been between them when they'd met is gone; it's strange how comfortable he feels about it.

Steve shakes his head, "No, there weren't many Indian restaurants in New York in the forties especially that I could afford and I was on service rations the rest of the time.

[starkingenuity]

Cue the glance over his shoulder as he gazes up at his co-pilot. He had been planning to get him some. Which is...strange. Then again, he's had stranger coincidences and Stark decides that he's just not going to buy into any stray thoughts like that. He's got money, a lot of money, even though he's given so much of it to the war effort. It seems natural that he might try to get his under dressed drifting partner a little bit of a makeover.

Contented with that explanation, he focuses instead on restaurant choices. He doesn't have a car here. That doesn't mean that he can't hire one, but he's more of a taxi guy anyhow. The war's afforded him with a trade off on his dislike of handling things after other people so after they move through the long, dark halls of the Shatterdome to the street, he not only hails his own cab, but he opens the door for Steve too.

"You'll like it. It might not like you, but just try to be open minded." It's funny to say that, considering Steve has to be open minded, and the little smirk Tony gives to the blond is nothing short of a clone of Howard's.

Seeing his father in Steve's mind is still a little jarring for the much older pilot.

It's actually started to affect his own mannerisms...at least slightly. He's always been his father's son.

[starspangledspandex]

Steve has seen how the man lavishes people in attention and in things. Tony is more materialistic than the super-soldier has ever been. He'd grown up in a time when things hadn't been as important as people--at least to an orphan with nothing. Tony acts like money is as common as dirt. It's... odd. He doesn't think the man knows any other way of keeping people around then spending money on them either. It seems to be a common theme.

The smirk almost makes him double-take. Steve hasn't been in this century that long. Howard is still young and fresh in his mind. It's hard to pair it with the Howard he's seen in Tony's memories.

"I'm open-minded," Steve tells him with a frown as he slides into the Taxi. "I don't mind trying new things. I've never been one to back down from any kind of challenge."

[starkingenuity]

"Now that sounds like a challenge," Tony laughs and half turns towards the other man as the taxi takes off to a location that sounds half made up but at least they're going in some sort of direction. The LA Shatterdome is located just on the very edge of the city with easy access to the ports but the restaurant is decidedly more in town. For the most part, anything but the coast has been evacuated. No one wants to live near a potential Kaiju landing point after all.

The shorter of the two leans back in his seat and tips his head on the back. His lips are pursed. Thinking. Contemplating. And the smile he gives to Steve a moment later is anything but entirely kosher.

"Do you trust me, after being in my head?"

The challenge is on. How much about Tony does Steve actually know just by seeing his life?

[starspangledspandex]

It actually hadn't been a challenge. Steve should have known better than to make such a grandiose statement in front of Tony. He's one of those people that eats those up and tries to prove them wrong.

Steve glances out the window as they drive. The shatterdome is impressive as he'd seen coming in but he's interested in the way the city looks. He'd never been to LA in the forties but he knows things have changed.

His head tilts at the question and he gives Tony a slightly suspicious look. The need for the question at all means he's up to something but Steve isn't sure exactly what. Does he trust him?

"Yeah, I'd say I do," he decides finally. A moment later and he adds, "Why?"

[starkingenuity]

Bad move, Steve Rogers. Tony leans forward and lays an arm across the back of the driver's seat. "Can you take us to Tassels instead?" he asks and the driver just nods, taking a turn a bit too tightly to head back to the other end of town. "They have good food there. Not Indian, but you can get sushi if you're still feeling the need to be Asian tonight. Not sure how I feel about sushi at a place like this but hey, you like what you like."

Tassels looks like a high end restaurant going on, velvet ropes but no front windows. The clientele seem to be mostly men, and mostly drunk. Tony pays the driver and climbs out of the car. There are immediate snappings of camera phones in his direction and he flashes everyone a peace sign before waiting on Steve.

They do have to wait in line. No one makes Tony Stark wait. Giant bouncers pull open the ropes and then the doors for them. It becomes very obvious why this place is called Tassels when they slide up to the VIP section and a waitress comes over to take their drink order wearing fishnets and tassels...and nothing else.

[starspangledspandex]

He raises an eyebrow at the change in plans but the name of the place doesn't tell him anything. Steve hadn't known where they had planned to go anyway. Something tells him he's not going to like it. It's probably the talk about the food.

The outside is innocent enough though the bouncers say it's some kind of club. That much he knows. Why they're here instead of at a proper restaurant he's not sure. Is it just because of the whole challenge thing? He eyes the people standing in line outside and gives the cameras a look. He's in most of the pictures they're taking and probably on purpose; he can only imagine what the papers are going to read in the morning.

Inside, Steve finds out exactly what the name means and he keeps his eyes firmly averted. Tony should know from poking around in his head that he's more proper than this. Women in general make him uncomfortable; it's not new information.

Of course, trying to keep his eyes away from the waitress means he pretty much has to look at Tony. "Why are we here?"

[starkingenuity]

More proper also means a prude. Steve Rogers has not gotten past first base and Tony thinks that's really, really a waste. Look at his abs! Look at his pecs! Look at his ass! That's such a shame, the world needs to be able to share into that. So says Tony Stark. So say we all.

He drops into a velvet lined booth and stretches his arms across the top of it. He watches Steve stumble over himself to plop behind him and stare at his feet. Oh poor guy. He needs to get some breasts in his hands.

"We're at a burlesque club," Tony says easily and orders champagne, cherries, and blueberries. "You're allowed to look. That's the point. Touching...well you need to take that up with them. Are you blushing? Rogers, I know there's a lot of red moodlighting here but you look like you're blushing."

[starspangledspandex]

No, it means he respects himself and he just hasn't found the person he wants to be intimate with yet. There are always more important things happening in his life. Among other things, like his preferences, though whether Tony had picked up on those is another thing. Considering the club they're at, he's guessing not.

He gives the velvet lined booth an unimpressed look. It seems like a terrible material for decorating. He's still not looking at the waitress as he orders a soda for himself. Steve really isn't the sort to ogle. He also is, in fact, blushing.

"I'm not really... in the mood for looking," he mutters, sitting leaned forward with his arms resting on the table.

[starkingenuity]

Give it some time and Tony will figure it out. Steve's never actually acting on his desires and therefore, unlike what Steve experienced of Tony's varied sex life, Tony only has bits and pieces. He might have memories of Steve watching Bucky...or even his dad...but for all of his smarts, it just doesn't occur to him that Steve Rogers, Mister Prim and Proper, might like it up the ass.

That realization is going to be hilarious though in light of what Tony's trying to get him to do now.

"Well all right, just look at me. I'm just as pretty," he jokes and watches the waitress return with their champagne and Steve's soda. "Get a little rum for that too, all right? Start up a bottle service tab, thanks."

Tony turns his gaze on poor Steve and looks him over.

"Loosen up a little," he suggests. "Nothing going on here is wrong."

[starspangledspandex]

For Steve it's all about comfort and who he's relaxed around. He's never felt that confident around women. He knows they can be just as smart and deadly as any man, he doesn't doubt that, he's just too unsure about how to talk to them. Some women find that endearing, Steve just finds it frustrating.

Hilarious, yes, that's exactly how Steve views it. Not. Tony might consider for a moment that the super-soldier could be the one giving just easily. He certainly doesn't know what he prefers yet. In case the man hadn't noticed, Steve is looking at him. He is pretty too. Little does Tony know that he's better than all the women walking around pretty much naked.

"No thanks on the rum," Steve shakes his head as he corrects Tony. He gives the man a look. "You know I can't get drunk." There's no reason for him to drink alcohol if he can't feel the effects. Most of it isn't a taste he enjoys.

"It may not be wrong but that doesn't mean I'm comfortable with it," he points out. "You realize the USO girls were pushing it back then, right?"

[starkingenuity]

It's the taste, Steve! That's why there's such a thing as rum extract! As rum cake! People genuinely like the taste of it. "I'm not trying to get you drunk." Though that seems like another challenge. Tony just needs to put his money towards the war effort more than anything else right now.

The moment they stomp the Breach, however, he's going to pour gallons of gin down the old man's gullet. Just for fun.

"But that doesn't mean you can't have any of this." He's going to spice up your cola, Steve. Just let it go. "Or try the champagne. It's very sweet." They have two long neck glasses poured from them by their scantily clad waitress any way and Tony drops the fruit in to let the bubbles cause them to dance.

He finds the whole idea of Steve lifting up scantily glad women in shows and yet barely kiss one to be charming. Endearing. Sad. He gives the blond a shrug.

"Riding topless on the subway is pushing it these days," Tony replies and offers his drink out to clink for good luck. "To us, Steve Rogers. For not killing each other first time out."

[starspangledspandex]

He glances up at their waitress briefly as she pours rum in his drink and he's not going to complain about it. Steve's only really tasted cheaper things that can be found during a war. He does know that Tony knows his drinks so why not?

If they manage to storm the breech and they come out on the other side, Steve will let Tony do his best to get him drunk.

He watches the bubbles for a moment and he takes a sip of the rum and coke. Steve sighs and shakes his head, turning the glass in his hand. "I'm just not used to it."

Steve does smile at the toast and he raises his glass to clink it against Tony's. "To us."

[starkingenuity]

"I promise that I will do my best to preserve your chastity," Tony grins as their glasses clink together. He's not here for the girls, not really, he's here for Steve's reactions and so far? They are not even slightly disappointing him. He finishes his first glass of champagne easily enough, catching the cherry between his teeth to tug out the stem with his fingers and set it aside.

It's weird to be part of an us. There's always just been Tony. His friends don't count because they aren't really friends. His creations don't count because they aren't alive.

But he and Steve are a pair now. They are the same...sort of. They connect. That's proof positive that Tony can connect to someone.

The music is pretty loud so talking to Steve after their first drink becomes impossible without their heads being together. He says he's going to order and for Tony, that means pizza. "It's actually pretty good here," he yells into Steve's ear.

[starspangledspandex]

Steve scoffs and shakes his head, though he could take that plenty of ways he's choosing to be amused. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

To be honest, Steve is surprised that most of Tony's attention is on him and not on the naked women that keep strolling by and he's pretty sure that one keeps leaning further over the table than necessary. It makes him duck his head sheepishly each time.

About halfway through his drink, he reaches out for the glass of champagne and takes a drink to taste it. He had told Tony that he's willing to try new things.

For the most part, Steve has been alone. Bucky had always been pushing dates at him but it just hadn't worked out. He still hasn't decided whether it's a good thing to be connected to Tony. They're complete opposites.

If it came down to the wire, he doesn't see the other man sacrificing himself. He wishes he could but as is? He's still got an arrogant streak that might get them both killed.

"Pizza's fine," he mostly yells back with a wave of the hand. Steve doesn't care what they eat but he is hungry.

[starkingenuity]

That a boy, Steve. The champagne is absolutely delicious. It tastes like a sweeter soda with a hint if fruit. Tony watches Steve with the drink and offers him a thumb's up as he orders the pizza. The next time he leans in, his hand rests on the blond's knee. He's not coming onto him. He just needs the leverage. Steve is too tall. And Tony is use to having his hand on someone's knee. Usually it's a beautiful woman.

"When do you think they'll actually let us at a Kaiju?" he asks, probably too excited for words at the thought. "It's got to be soon, right? Do you think it'll hit LA?"

Tony's bright eyes and reckless. In a way, that aligns him to Steve. They are both almost stupidly heroic.

Dinner is on the way, but while Steve might be a bottomless pit, Tony wants something a whole lot more exciting. He wants monsters. And he wants to save the world.