(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]

He can really appreciate a man that has a sense of humor. He's known Steve for months now, trained with him, but he never found him funny at all. Probably because he had been actively hating his guts like a ten year old for the majority of that time.

Now, there's no reason to hate Steve at all. That's what was so beautiful about a Drift. They got to see each other from all sides and angles and appreciate each other for who they are. Or, you know, in the case of a bad Drift, hate each other even more. Luckily, that hadn't happened this time.

"The rest probably went to stock in sweat pants," he teases.

The food is good. The entertainment enlightening. Tony skips a lap dance in favor of actually going to the Indian place after all and enjoys himself smoking Steve out with the spice content of the vindaloo.

Steve's willingness to try has him impossibly pleased. It's a good night. An interesting night. And tomorrow is going to be even better.

He wants in a Jaeger so bad. So very badly.

[starspangledspandex]

Well sometimes it's still hard for Steve to feel relaxed enough around his coworkers to joke around. He's pretty serious. He has to be close to someone to let his guard down a little and there's nothing that brings two people together like the Drift.

Steve nods as he reaches for more pizza, "Can never have too many pairs."

He trails along to the Indian place too. While he's not entirely sure he has a say in the matter, he doesn't mind either. It's good to hang out with Tony outside the Shatterdome. He's never been much for spicy food but he's also sure that spicy food and his whole list of health issues had been a good combination either.

On the plus side, new things and it is a good night. On the other side, he's not sure he can actually taste things with his tongue anymore. Steve refrains from making any other googly eyes at anyone.

He hopes tomorrow goes better than the simulation. Steve doesn't want to be the one that crushes Tony's dreams. He can't be that person. It's going to be an interesting ride either way.

[starkingenuity]

"What about a real Jaeger this time, Marshall?" Bright and early, Tony's up and ready. He looks good for a man that downed his liver's weight in alcohol the night before between the strip club and the Indian restaurant.

"Cool your jets, Stark," Fury smirks. "It's not ready yet."

"Yeah about that? Let me in on it. I did the design work, I could help with the engineering--"

"You'll just insist on painting it red and we already have two Mark IVs that are primarily red. Besides, you need to train." Fury, obviously, has his one-eyed food down. Tony finds it annoying and he tried to get Steve to back him up but Rogers is playing the goody-two-shoes head of the class. Asshole. "Gentlemen, to your drivesuit chambers, please? We'll get you both in a simulator conn-pod and start today's exercises."

[starspangledspandex]

He's up early too and on time just like always. Steve doesn't really do the sleep in thing. He's never been one to waste time. He gives Tony an exasperated look at his insistence. As much as he wants to get in a Jaeger and do something, he also knows that the right training is incredibly imporant.

"Patience," he tells the other man. "We'll get there. We need to make sure we know wha we're doing."

He nods to Marshall, "Yes, Sir." Steve hopes that Tony won't argue about this too much. They can't just jump in, not after the mess of their simulation and he still isn't used to all this technology. He heads for his drivesuit chamber and it doesn't take too long before he's showing up at the pod carrying his helmet.

"Ready for this?"

[starkingenuity]

"I was born ready. Literally. I mean, with a controller in one hand a glass of bourbon in the other. And you have no idea what a controller is. I'm going to get you an Atari, Steve. I promise. No one should ever miss out on Frogger." The blank look from Rogers lightens his mood and he leads the way to their driversuit chamber to get fitted with the neurospine and their armor. He's noticed that, since yesterday, they've started to look somewhat uniform what is...annoying. Tony doesn't care for the white and red stripes along his left arm. Or the big old star in the middle of his chest.

Ah, great. He gets to wear a flag too. At least Steve's armor has transformed a little to look less...spangly, though. He approves of the mostly red color schemes.

The engineers look a little happier too, probably because this could mean a good gig for them, getting pilots to actually crew for. Tony even holds his tongue when one of the riveters misses the first time. She gets it on the next go and he smiles at her.

Yep. He's in a good mood too.

They're loaded into the conn-pod and Tony straps himself into his hardness before the countdown to drift starts up again. "I'll try to keep my sex life to myself this time," he teases, somewhat veiled.

[starspangledspandex]

He gives Tony a blank look at the reference and no, he doesn't get it. All of it goes a little over his head. There's only so much he can pick up from the Drift. "Is that some kind of game?"

Steve notices the changes to the suits but he doesn't care what he wears. So long as it's in working order he's good. He'll let Tony be the vain one.

"That'd be appreciated," Steve gives him a tight smile and he settles into his own harness. He takes a deep breath as the countdown starts and steels himself for the onslaught of memories.

[starkingenuity]

Six, five--

Call it all in. The more you try to hide, the more it becomes the forefront of your mind, the more it overtakes you.

Four, three--

Breathe out at one. Keep on breathing out until you feel the Drift hit you. Then suck it all back in, all of it, everything your Drift partner is, everything you are. Let it flow. Let it become natural. Do not chase the R.A.B.I.T.

Two, one--

It hits like a brick, stark white and falling away into misty blue ash.

Their lives intersect and it's jarring and then-- Well he just understands it. Peggy, Bucky, his dad, Rhodey, Pepper, the Academy, conflicting memories of the same events-- And then he finds the sweet spot and he can see outside of his own head because he has two sets of eyes now.

It clicks.

He glances over at Steve, physically, though his head feels sluggish.

All right? "Thumbs up, Captain, we square?" Is it suppose to feel like a fish tank?

[starspangledspandex]

The R.A.B.I.T is what concerns Steve the most. He knows he'd done a poor job of it last time and it hadn't helped Tony in the slightest. They're just memories. It's not here and now; he'll never be in any of those places again. Never see any of those people again. He has to accept it. He can't dwell on the what-ifs in the Drift.

Steve knows all the tips and techniques. He's prepared, mostly, for what it feels like this time. It means he can focus his effort and keeping his cool. He breathes out when he's supposed to and in when the Drift hits.

Bucky's there again, reaching for him, falling, but he lets it happen. Lets it slide. Lets it bleed into the mixture of memories flashing between them. He doesn't focus. He wants to, he wants to examine and learn more about Tony. He wants to live in moments of his old life but he doesn't let himself.

Steve just lets himself exist in the Drift and it all evens out. It falls into place. It's... weird. Weird is a good word. He glances at Tony and it's weird that he could see himself through the man's eyes if he'd wanted.

Yeah. Steve gives him an actual thumbs up. "Good to go," he says out loud. It'll even out more once we're calibrated. I think.

[starkingenuity]

"All right, Marshall, looks like we're good to go!"

Fury's really not thrilled by the way Tony Stark talks to him but there's not a lot of choice in the matter. He mutters under his breath about men thinking that they control the world and has his assistant give the command to start the practice missions.

It's mostly just calisthenics, to see how their brains react to being hardwired together. Working even a pseudo Jaeger's limbs isn't exactly easy, even if he and Steve are meshing pretty well together. The problem is that Tony keeps trying to take over, to do it all himself.

It's trust issues.

"Stark! You have to work together!"

Tony mostly ignores the piped in voice. He's not doing this on purpose, in fact, he's having a mental conversation with Steve on women in uniforms. But if he doesn't stop, that start of a nosebleed is going to become a whole lot worse.

[starspangledspandex]

Steve isn't thrilled by the way Tony treats Fury either. He's been raised with a lot more respect for authority than the billionaire. The super-soldier has no need to rebel. He's loyal and obedient (mostly, there are a handful of exceptions).

He tries to match Tony stride for stride but it's not easy. The movements take some getting used to. Jaegers aren't nearly as nimble and spry as Steve is when he goes at it. He's fighting his partner every step of the way and that's not making it any easier.

Doesn't Tony trust him? After everything he's seen and today, when Steve had let him drag him around and feed him--doesn't he deserve the chance?

Not interested, Stark. He snaps mentally at the conversation, trying to bully his way into taking control of his side like he's supposed to. Women in uniform do nothing for him. He's trying very hard to steer the conversation away before he starts thinking about what he'd rather see. They're a little busy here.

Is this a joke to you?

[starkingenuity]

"There's nothing to joke about when it comes to women in knee boots," Tony says out loud before the simulated movement stops on the projection screen in front of them and he realizes that there's blood dripping from his nose, as seen from Steve's point of view. He'd not meant to take over. Not meant to bully his way into the thought patterns of the conn-pod and exert himself. The lights power down and Tony pulls his armored hand to his face and looks down at the smear of red across the white tips of his fingers.

Shit. I told you. I don't play well with others. He's trying to be cute. It's not working. Fury's barking orders over the communicators again but Tony ignores him.

His eyes lock with Steve's. They're partners. Shit is happening and if his dream is going to come true, he's going to have to work with the guy that thought his dad was hot.

Whoops. Yeah, sorry, he's figured that out. Stream of consciousness, Steve, is no longer your own.

He reaches across towards the blond with his hand. "Try again." Left foot right foot. Help him out, Captain.

[starspangledspandex]

"Point is, there's a time and a place for your fantasies. Here isn't either one," he points out.

It isn't working, no. Steve is serious, too serious for his own good sometimes, and playing cute only irritates him. They're trying to save lives here and Tony is pretty much messing around. Steve's definition of it anyway.

You have to trust me. I suffered through naked women and the spiciest food I've ever eaten to prove I trusted you.

Oh good, the cat's out of the bag. He's pretty sure he's never going to hear the end of it now. And yeah, Howard had been good looking and ridiculously smart. Like father, like son, except Steve isn't thinking about it right now. He's focused on their training. He's always been good about setting things aside.

Blue eyes meet Tony's, steady and serious, he's doing this for the other man as much as he is for all those people that need him. It's a different kind with his Drift partner. Tony doesn't need protected. He needs supported.

"Alright, load it again," he tells Fury. Steve nods to Tony as it boots up again and he's not hesitant. He takes the reigns on his side of things.

It's not as smooth as it could be but Steve is trying to keep them balanced, rising to Tony's movements and trying to match the exertion.

[starkingenuity]

"No, I'm still doing it." He doesn't care if Steve and his dad went around Europe sucking cock. He's often told his dad to dine on a bag of dicks when he was younger and more apt to be disgusting and and sexual with his insults. Right now, all he's focusing on in his mind's inability to stay out of what Steve's doing.

There's a reason pilots have a joined headspace in between them. The problem is that Tony's too smart for his own good. He doesn't need Steve building walls. He just needs to learn that he's not a leader. They do this together. Steve has to know that Tony's never been able to do that successfully. Not ever. Well, maybe one drunken night in Switzerland.

But he's forgotten all about that, incidentally.

The program runs for the third time and with this go, their virtual Jaeger actually makes it out into the simulated water. Tony's extatic. It's like beating Black Ops! At least, connected like this, Steve can understand Tony's quips better.

Fury calls the simulation quits to have Stark tested for aneurisms. "Go with him to medical, Ranger. In fact, let's make that your homework. You'll move in together. Let's start getting that trust working."

[starspangledspandex]

He had never made a move on Howard. Steve had never been sure that the man would be interested and back then, well you had to be sure. He had valued his position and his job more than any kind of fling.

Finding a balance between them isn't going to be easy. There's a lot going on in their headspaces. They're still trying to sort everything out. Steve fully believes they can make this work but they're both going to have to compromise and it's not something either of them are particularly good at.

It's better that third time. There's a feeling of relief and pride. In himself. In Tony. This is working. It's rocky as hell but this shows there's a chance to make it work. Steve's certainly thrown himself behind less certain causes. The probability on the serum working had been so low.

Yet here he is.

After the end of the simulation, after the end of the Drift, he releases himself from the harness and listens to their orders. Steve doesn't know how he feels about moving in with Tony. He likes quiet. Tony is not quiet. That right there is a problem.

Still, Steve is a soldier. "Yes, Sir," he acknowledges, turning to Tony. "Think you can manage to stay on your feet?"

[starkingenuity]

"Absolutely. Give me that arm half my income is paying for." He can feel Steve's apprehension. Or maybe that's his own. The Drift is over. Ghost drifting isn't something new pilots experience. Tony doesn't spend another thought on it. Instead, he just tries not to bleed on Steve before they can get him something for his nose.

It doesn't seem to dawn on him until much later that evening that Fury hadn't been joking. After he gets discharged from medical, has dinner with Steve in the mess, and heads back to his room, he really is surprised that someone is banging on his door a few hours before light's out.

He's even more surprised to see the blond with a dufflebag.

"Uh..."

There are two bunks in his room. It's small in here but they don't spend a lot of time in their rooms anyhow.

"Listen man, lesbians move in on the second date."

[starspangledspandex]

Steve is unsure about this but he offers his arm anyway and escorts Tony back to get out of the drive suits. It's entirely possible they're both apprehensive about this. He doesn't know anything about ghost drifting. He just knows that being in someone else's head makes things a little weird.

He drags Tony down to medical where he hovers as ordered and yeah, okay, a part of him wants to make sure that Tony is actually uninjured. Steve trails along to the mess too where he eats just as much as he always does. He's not too picky about food.

Steve leaves Tony on his own after that to go back up all his meager belongings. It's probably a good thing he doesn't have too much yet. It makes it easier to move when he only has a bag full of stuff.

"What?" he gives him a confused look. What does that have to do with anything? "We have orders."

[starkingenuity]

Tony looks confused, almost puppyish. His eyes rove over Steve's chest, to his bag, and then back into too blue eyes. "He was serious...? Huh. Well I've got bottom bunk. Don't touch my stuff."

There are wires and gadgets and pieces of metal everywhere. Tony had turned the dresser and desk into a work station. He just tinkers now but he needs to work with his hands. He also is not the sort of guy to clean up after himself unless he really needs to.

The room is a mess. It's absolutely impossible for Steve not to touch something of his along the way. Tony sits back on his bunk and shrugs.

"This might be overkill, don't you think? Spending every waking minute with each other is a bad idea."

[starspangledspandex]

"Have you ever known Fury to joke about something?" he asks and Steve is actually genuinely curious. The man seems even more serious than him and that's not easy.

Steve takes stock of the room when he steps in and it's, quite frankly, a disaster area. His own room had been neat and tidy. This is not.

He has no idea what he's going to do with his stuff. Steve tries not to touch anything of Tony's but that's not really working out for him.

"Most pilots room with their partner," he reasons and he drops his bag on the floor in front of Tony.

[starkingenuity]

"We're not like most pilots," Tony remarks as he moves his left foot a few centimeters away from the bag. It's not contaminated or anything, but he finds the location to be...not quite appealing. It's like a cat just came in offering him a freshly caught and killed mouse. "What did you bring me? Five pairs of sweat pants and too tight white shirts? Did they run out of larges and force you into smalls?"

He stands up a moment later to sweep some of his tools away into a rubber lined soft kit that use to belong to his dad and shoves it into the top drawer of the dresser along with something glowing ominously. He's been doing a little bit of playing around with clean energy here or there. His dad couldn't perfect it, and let's face it, Jaegers have the market covered when it comes to weaponry these days.

He pats the now clean surface for Steve's bag, very accommodating if he has anything to say about it, and then heads towards the opposite bunk to gather up his jacket and a few suits he never gets a chance to wear any more.

"I really hope you don't snore."

[starspangledspandex]

"I can always move out if it doesn't work but there's no reason not to try," Steve replies stubbornly. He thinks this might be good for them too though he's not sure if they'll click good enough to room together.

Steve had just brought it to the bunk. He had felt a little awkward just standing there holding it. Kind of like a little kid spending the night somewhere for the first time. These rooms are a little small for a cat.

"No," he mutters. "They're larges." Anything else just looks baggy around the middle. The problem is proportions. He's incredibly muscular but he has a tiny waistline. They don't really make shirts properly for him. He adds, "I have my pictures too."

Though he's not sure he wants to set them up with the mess Tony has made of this place. He wouldn't want anything to happen to any of them. Maybe he could find some hooks and hang them on the wall by his bunk.

"I only have enough stuff to fill a drawer," he leans over to pick it up. Don't you remember how you felt sorry for him Tony? "I didn't think it would be a problem."

He watches the other man as he cleans off the bunk. "No, I don't."

[starkingenuity]

Oh, right. A drawer too. Tony pinches the bridge of his nose. The room had been made for two people, two foot lockers, two desks, two bunks. But Tony's taken over. There are diagrams of things Steve probably can't name, designs of Jaegers and suits, upgrades, weapons--

Tony dismantles one side of the room, moves his scattered belongings back to his own side, and clears up enough wall space and drawer space for Steve's meager belongings. He just huffs the whole time doing it.

At least there's a small piece offering to be had at the end, and he offers Steve a bit of removeable wall putty for his pictures. "Sort of like tape only it won't wreck the backs."

It's like boarding school -- until he accidentally caused one of his roommates to violently throw up for two days straight and was given a private room instead.

Steve probably remembers that incident too. Tony stopped trying to mix chemicals outside of the lab after that.

[starspangledspandex]

He feels a little like he's imposing at the moment. Steve really doesn't want to take up too much space. He's fine with the stuff that he has so long as he has somewhere to put it. The huffing doesn't help but again, orders. If it doesn't work, he'll move back out. They just have to give it a try first.

Steve would help him but he's been told not to touch anything so he doesn't. He fills the space he's been given with his things and he smiles when Tony offers him the putty. It's a big deal and he knows it. "Thanks, this will work great."

He sets to hanging them up above his pillow. Steve can't help the fond expression he gives them. There's still some sadness in the memories and plenty of guilt but the best he can do now is remember them. Now Tony will too, whether he wants to or not.

Oh Steve remembers the incident. He's also on the same page as Tony in his thought processes. Maybe it's the Drift or maybe he just knows the other man well enough now. "Try not to mix dangerous things together and I think we'll get along." He's mostly teasing but it still bears saying.

[starkingenuity]

It's hard to say when he actually started to like Steve, but the smile on the blond now seals it. That teasing is remarkably pretty, and Tony's not ashamed to be thinking that. He winks at the blond and says in roughly in the same tone: "I guess that all depends on if you really do end up snoring or not."

They're going to get along all right. Two very lonely men suddenly thrust together, regardless of ideologies, or even shared memories, will eventually form a companionship. Tony can already feel it too.

That night, as he falls asleep, the way Steve breathes across the room leaves him calm and Tony ends up having a fairly good rest. Training the next day goes as planned, and the day after that goes better. But by the end of the week, Tony's starting to suspect something is wrong.

As they're turning in, Tony putting aside some new design and his screwdriver, Steve doing a little strip tease he probably doesn't even realize he's doing it, Tony chances a small, projected: Hey, can you still hear me?

He feels immediately stupid for thinking it, but he's pretty sure he's been picking up little tidbits all evening from the blond. Especially while he had been over there sketching or writing emo poetry or whatever closeted young men from the forties do.

[starspangledspandex]

Steve does not end up snoring. He had been speaking honestly the last time. He had snored before the serum but whatever it is that caused that had been fixed when he'd gone super-soldier. Bucky had noticed it on one of the missions with the Commandos.

Lonely covers it pretty nicely, especially in Steve's case and he knows what buttons not to push when it comes to Tony. The other man should know the same but he really wouldn't put it past him to push them anyway.

Also, sharing a room with the man is a little unfair. Steve is almost convinced he undresses with that flair on purpose. Tony is handsome; he has eyes, it'd be stupid to deny it. After the week they've spent together, he finds him infinitely more agreeable to be around too.

Steve wouldn't say that he's noticed anything particularly odd. He writes most of the flashes off to memories settling in his head and really doesn't think too much more about it. Some things are better not to question.

He hesitates, stripped down to just his work-out pants and half-turns toward Tony. He feels like he's missed something like he'd zoned out and had missed something the other man had said.

"I'm sorry? Did you say something?"

[starkingenuity]

Tony sucks in a breath and slowly lifts his eyes. Sorry, Steve, he's not actually checking you out at the moment, even if the drag of his gaze might suggest otherwise. He's just having a hard time here realizing what's just happened.

Fuck.

You can hear me. Steve can hear him. Tony's eyes widen slightly before he climbs out of bed. He might even be standing on his toes just a little bit so their eyes can match up.

"Holy shit. You try."