revivalproject | Steve Rogers

Entry tags:

Steve Rogers | OTA

WHO: Steve and You?
WHERE: Agrii ship in the water area
WHAT: A pool party!!
WHEN: Around debates time
WARNINGS: Not sure, will edit!

Steve has been trying to get in touch with the Agrii for days now without any luck. So far it's mostly just been hanging out by the water. And a few of them can really hold their breath a long time, it seems. They seem uneasy if he swims too far, so he sticks by the shallower bit of the pool for now.

If nothing else, the lush greenery is a nice change of scenery, and some days there's all this bountiful delicious food, such that he hasn't had better since before arriving here.

So, one day, after fruitlessly searching around by himself and not finding any better leads, he invites a few fellow He-Rows over for what appears to be a pool party. It's open to anyone who happens to make it through the thick botany, and he's definitely trying to encourage the younger Agrii to come play with them. Food and drink are just from the mess hall, and the games are simple ones like a hand-drawn deck of cards, and sitting on each other's shoulders trying to knock off your opponent.

If anyone wants to play that game with him, he'd definitely make a better root than pusher - don't worry, he'll be sure to keep his balance, so long as your character wants to keep playing.

Partway through he gets tasked with going back to get more ice or snacks or something, so feel free to bump into him then or in his yellow speedo (that he most definitely did not pick out himself) and towel, gathering supplies. You'll definitely score an invitation if you ask.

Then, when the 'party' starts winding down, Steve's maybe a little disappointed in not having made much progress, though he's sure a few of the younger Agrii might be coming around to them, so it's not entirely a fruitless endeavor. But he's gotten his hands on a piece of paper and graphite, and he might even ask your character to stand still for a second, as they look really nice under this foliage, and it'll just take a few minutes, if they don't mind.

[ OoC: Feel free to respond to any of the things Steve is doing or throw up your own toplevel so other people can tag you at the 'party'! ]

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Eddie's six probably wasn't going to get him very far. That mattered a little less than what his hands were doing, which was telling Tony that his solution to the bluffing problem was to be increasingly reckless. Which was usually effective, in Tony's experience. Playing more conservatively would give Eddie more room to manoeuvre, so Tony only raised by one as he said, "Then, I gotta say, from experience, the best way to mitigate that problem is to work with a team that knows how to cover your ass. All you have to do is figure out how to pay them back. Covering their rent, food and private air travel expenses is a good start."

Shit. Only one. Eddie tried again to raise by two, head tilting as he got some insight into Stark.

"I think that might be Steve's roll," he teased, "But uh...I might have that team thing down. Not sure what exactly I offer, but I got 'em. So that's you then? Mr. Benefactor? Working out?

That wasn't as easy to answer as Tony anticipated, leaving him without the words even as his mouth opened readily, so he could only close it again with a shrug and apologetic wince. It did get Tony to the stated goal: keeping the Avengers around. How satisfying that was was more debatable. "It's not as easy without the credit cards," he admitted, because it was harder to ignore the limits of the tactic now that they were here. He wasn't exactly anyone's first choice on the dodgeball team. "Your team has got to be keeping you around for a reason," he encouraged, because maybe if they figured that out, Tony could try it out for himself.

Eddie gave him a long studying look. "Mm-...well I liked you even before you started giving me shit," he offered with a teasing smirk, "You're pretty cool even without the credit cards." He'd be one of Eddie's first pick.

"Circumstance sort of forced us together? Other than the kids, they all ready liked me. Elder freak looking out for the little sheepies or whatever."

That was an incredibly embarrassing thing to admit, for Eddie, exclusively, which was why Tony kept his gaze averted with a breathy laugh before he could bring himself to give Eddie's chin a pinch and purr, "Keep it up, that's how you get more shit." Even while he still smirked, his raise was still reluctant, adding incrementally to the small pile.

He had to raise an eyebrow, then give Eddie a puzzled frown for the 'little sheepies' thing, delivered like it was a phrase that Tony was supposed to understand. "As in, they follow your lead...?" he ventured, looking a little concerned. He also had older friends who brought beer and weed to the 'study session'.

"Heh, hey, I'm not complaining about a shit. Please keep giving me shit," he agreed with an easy grin, and then- either worried he couldn't keep getting Tony to raise or maybe out of guilt- he stayed.

"No- I mean-...well yeah-" They did. But it was more- "...they're like...little lost sheep. They fit in anywhere else. So...made a place them them to fit in. And be safe or whatever."

Tony gave a reluctant suck of his teeth, sure the odds were against Eddie there and if he had just stuck it out Tony could have believably folded--dropping his card down, he gave a short laugh of surprise, and raised his hands in respectful defeat for Eddie to enjoy his winnings.

"That's very generous. A place of belonging, and security, I couldn't name something that anyone would really want more," he pointed out.

Yes! Back in the game. Eddie excitedly gathered his winnings, looking pleased with himself. Even more pleased when Tony started handing out compliments. Flattery, praise, he'd take all of it without that bashful shtick some people felt like they had to do. Though a momentary frown broke through as he could think of at least one person who never seem to chose that option. "Money," he volunteered, fidgeting a little before setting the game back up to try and change the subject, clearly closer to home than he'd meant to go.

"It's my Hellfire Club," he elaborated, placing an eight on his forehead, gesturing towards his shirt even though he wasn't actually wearing that one today. They'd talked about it before. "Did my best to set it up so they can keep it going on their own."

"Money is a means to an end," Tony countered, finger up then ticking over to help then along to what that end might be. "You're not so desperate for it when someone is already providing what you really want." He was slower then to stick his own card up, and flicked a lazy hand out over the cigarettes. "Besides, how far is money really getting you in high school? Genuinely. I didn't go. Maybe those kids would have preferred you giving them a twenty over playing a game."

"Mm...not the kids," Eddie dismissed, realizing he'd maybe said more than he meant to. And leaving it there felt weird, so he felt compelled to add- "My dad," before he shrugged, trying to make it clearly it wasn't a big deal or anything. "Wasn't ever really down for the belonging and security for very long."

At least Tony did him the favour of not looking too pitying, instead just breathing a soft acknowledgement as he put the pieces he'd already been given together. And he dropped four cigarettes immediately into the pool. "Hey, he got it anyway, must be feeling very secure in prison," he offered.

It was strange but welcome, how easily they seemed to get each other some times. Eddie wasn't really used to people 'getting' him. And the lack of pity helped. He laughed appreciatively and nodded, kicking in a matching bid and upping by two. "Probably where he wound up again by now. It's where he always winds up. Next stay's probably free."

Knowing how much he would hate being asked, and also an expert in the deflection tactics to watch for when he was, Tony had to carefully form, "So, this thing of yours, the 'genetic predisposition', that's your..." He twirled a finger in the air, circling the point he was trying to make, then darting around it to flank instead, "My old man was never really satisfied with anything I did, not the inventions or the grades or the trophies. That's kind of my way of keeping him around, the disappointment."

"Mm," Eddie nodded, turning a cigarette in his fingers and looking back up with a snort.

"You're like a genius, rock star, super hero. What the hell else was he expected?" His lips quirked in appreciation though, that shared understanding.. Eddie at least was a disappointment on paper.

It wasn't an easy expectation to articulate, not when that wasn't exactly where Tony had meant to lead them, and had to work his way around that deflection he knew was coming. He had never been smart enough, quick enough, strong enough, but most importantly hard enough. With one eye winked shut, he eventually tied that together neatly with, "You ever tell yours that you're gay?"

"Shit no," Eddie laughed, and there was that look of understanding again. "...I think my uncle might've guessed? We didn't really talk about it though."

He forgot the game, fiddling with his pot. "So, shitty dads. Great taste in music. Weird connections to Steves. We have a weird amount in common, huh?"

"You forgot fantastic asses," Tony encouraged. If Eddie was going to see himself in Tony, he could at least pick the good qualities. Quickly, though, Tony was defending, "What's weird--I don't have a weird Steve thing. Steve is a common name. Ask anyone, they know at least a couple Steves."

"Having or liking, 'cause you're alone in one of those, Man," he said with a grin. And hey, great taste in music was a good quality, thank you.

"You talk about him like he makes the sun shine," he says plainly, "Not like...in a romantic way or whatever, just...guy seems like a rockstar in your eyes."

It sounded like Eddie needed some encouragement in vanity, or delusion, or both, and was lucky he was with the local expert, except Tony's mouth quickly clicked shut and he had to glance away to shrug off what he may or may not have said about Steve. He talked about everyone that way, didn't he? Even then, he had to say, "I mean, listen, have you met him? He's perfect. You don't know anyone more kind, or graceful, or sure of himself, who personally punched Hitler in the jaw."

Nah, he had plenty of vanity, just a very not impressive ass. It was fine.

"I haven't really, but I saw him from a distance. I get it," Eddie agreed with a laugh, "He's like...if you need an example of the perfect man for a textbook or something. And yeah, I don't know anyone who has personally punched Hilter, that's a pretty good claim to fame. Hard to beat. Makes me a little confused about your world again."

"Hitler's not still alive or anything," Tony assured him, "the Invaders took care of that." How exactly Steve survived since then, looking so factory fresh, was still something of a medical mystery, so it was harder to explain. "Everyone thought Cap had died back then, too, during the war. My old man was obsessed with recovering the body, spent my whole childhood at the ends of the Earth looking for it, but never even found the plane he went down in. When Cap was still just this old World War II hero, just a guy in newsreels and posters, he was already this ideal for me, this...So, the day we found him, he had been frozen the whole time, suspended animation, and he just sprung up like no time at all had passed, and there he was, looking me in the eye. Best day of my life."

"The invaders...is that like...America, or- a specific group of people? Did they kill him in your world instead him offing himself?" Maybe he was a little too invested in this weird alternate history.

"Sounds like how most people would handle the second coming or whatever," Eddie noted with a small smirk, but yeah, he could definitely see how cool something like that would be. "So dude's like...super old then?"

Picking apart the details, where they diverged and what Tony didn't have to explain, was starting to feel unwieldy, and he had barely struggled through, "A team, yeah--..." with his brow furrowed, trying to imagine what he'd have to believe in as a kid without them, and then he was already trying to figure out how a guy like Hitler got away without the whole world bearing down on him. He looked at Eddie like this was his fault, then started twirling a finger in the air with a searching look up at the dome of light to admit, "I'm trying to figure out how it is you even won that one now, waiting them out was not really an option for us."

Steve was a much more forgiving topic, and Tony gladly said, "God, yes, absolutely ancient, it's like talking to your grandfather sometimes. So, listen, I don't have a weird Steve thing, he's just, you know--your Steve thing is weird."

"I think the nukes probably helped. Mm, but that was...after Germany surrendered," Eddie pondered, trying to remember history class, "I dunno exactly, I just know he shot himself in the end." The one take away he'd apparently held onto.

"Heh- you're good dude, chill. If we had a walking war hero who wasn't a nut job I'm sure we'd be just as obsessed. And my Steve thing gets me laid."

"Who said mine doesn't?" Tony asked with an electric smirk, clearly leveraging that relationship in a very different way than Eddie's. Knowing the living legend himself had all manner of benefits, which Tony had to turn on Eddie with a raised eyebrow, head tilted and a little self-conscious again despite the suggestion to 'chill'. He had plenty to say about Steve, and they weren't even dating. "That's all?" he encouraged.

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the_freak - 2024-05-26 23:10 (UTC) - Expand

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