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♤ Network || Log - Raise a Glass

WHO: Cayde-6 and erryone
WHERE: The Deep End (Orange-13 on map)
WHAT: Cayde doesn't like dwelling on negative things so HEY Bar Grand Opening ~~come drink away your sorrows and stress and enjoy company in general~~
WHEN: 'bout a couple of days after the storm's passed, time flexible thereafter
WARNINGS: N/A will change as necessary
NOTES: Use whatever format you want

[Network - Video]

[The image starts out crooked but the Exo's actively adjusting it before he steps back and gives someone a thumb's up off-screen.]

All right, so good news? Nothing sprung a leak despite prior circumstances, surrounding area's a little damp though, but all in all? Everything's pretty much how I left it. Even got some supposed cyanana booze that's been uh...going through this still since before we left for space. -okay I'm not exactly sure how that might taste? So in the meantime, I've got a backup plan.

[He seems to remember something then, coming up close to the communicator.]

But Cayde, you say, what's all this about anyway? Excellent question! I was so excited I forgot to say. Ahem. So, some of you- a good number, actually, might be aware that I have been in the process of putting together a bar-slash-common gathering area type of hangout...thing. It's pretty much been done, just not stocked- but now that we're finally back from...all that and then some, I've got a selection of fine drinks for your...uh... drinking pleasure. Also some non-alcoholic stuff for the non-drinkers and the under-aged. Oh, and there's tea and coffee too.

[Fishing around in his pocket, he holds up a map he's drawn up, the location circled.]

We're right down here, southeast sector, past the lake- I'm working on getting some kind of a landmark but this place is fresh out of neon signs. Anyway! I'll be around. Come as you please, even if I'm not- don't trip up the stairs, help yourself and uh, don't mind if the fish stare at you.

Making the network announcement had helped to fully kick his mood back into a semblance of normal. Truth be told, he just wanted to gather up people together, real people, and settle in with an ambiance of more pleasant times and warmer company.

The backdrop of the water-filled courtyard that made up the center of the nest of buildings had been something Cayde had at the time thought whimsical. During the daylight hours the light that filtered through the large window was a wavering green-blue, offset by the small sconces along the wall and a few individual lanterns at tables and flanking the bar area adjacent to the makeshift aquarium.

Cayde had set up the various bottles of drinks he'd acquired from their planetary pit-stop and scavenged from the cafe on a somewhat crooked shelf behind the bar itself. He'd been trying to go for rustic like those Old West saloons but in the middle gave up and just let things shape itself as he found them. The glassware is just as mismatched as the furniture, but everything's clean and ready to be made use of. If there's anything he really wishes he had, it would be an old-fashioned phonograph player or some kind of music source just to drive off the quiet that filled the space when no people did.

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That guarded expression became a frown of disappointment, and Tony gave a glance around like Tommy might be speaking to someone else before flicking a finger between the pair of them and tilting his chin haughtily to say, "You think this is casual." The stern glare didn't quite last, the mirror of Tommy's smirk tugging at the corner of Tony's mouth before he was jabbing a thumb back at the weathered building where he hadn't been able to get past the lobby. "To see if Cayde needed anything," he answered, and while that was largely true, Tony was already prepared for the flaws in his own argument, "Probably not a good time, though. I'll come check when he's had a few days to stress test."

"How does a placve like this need stress tested?" Tommy asks. He's intrigued, but he doesn't really think he can handle it. Never mind, not important of a question.

Instead he pitches his voice just a touch lower. Just a shade more concerned.

"Do you need a wingman here?"

To keep him away from the booze.

That might have sounded intimidating to Tommy, but Tony wasn't sure what needed elaborating on, making him gesture vaguely even as Tommy was starting to look more serious to try, "It's a business." And he very much would have preferred to do that elaborating, because he didn't like that display of concern. Expressing as much with a purse of his lips and wave of his hand, he rallied to push it away, "I don't think this is a get-ten-phone numbers kind of place, there's probably barely anyone in there and the pickin's are slim to begin with, but, listen, if you can convince that gorgeous work of machinery up there to finally strip to his wires for me, I'd be very impressed."

Strip to his... Geez?

"Tell me you never spoke to Vision like that, man. I would hate to think you hit on my dad."

But he shakes his head, he's not going to do Cayde like that. Don't objectify mechanical people, Tony. It's creepy.

"And I don't need phone numbers. I'm a spoken for man."

Mechanical people were not exempt from Tony's invasive curiosity, so Tony could make no gesture to assuage Tommy's fears of what Tony's relationship might have been like with Vizh, his head tilting with an indulgent smirk instead. "He'd let me get a peek under the hood, at least," he said, "But don't worry, it only got really freaky if Hank was there, too." Hank probably could have been able to rebuild him, if he could bring himself to. That got depressing fast. Tony cleared his throat, glad that Tommy gave him another reason to shoot him a disapproving frown.

"What kind of wingman are you, is this for you or for me? Is this part of your technique, is there a build-me-up part or just an ongoing break-me-down sequence to look forward to? Next, you're going to tell me this complete babe is just fantastic, finishes your sentences, eats the pickles you don't like, and you didn't even have to stand around outside of a bar with someone half your age like the doorman wouldn't let you in. If you tell me it's someone here, I might do something we both regret, hold that part back."

"Wow man, that's my dad and my great-grandfather you're talking about. I really don't want to think about Hank 'getting freaky' under my dad's hood. Please. Spare me."

Tony, Tony that is family in a creepy way, thanks. Bad enough you went off and dated his sorta great-grandmother, thanks.

"It's for keeping you off the drink, and if you must know, my babe is just fantastic, but he doesn't bother to finish my sentences because I get them out too fast. He doesn't eat the pickles because I like pickles. And we get in the clubs and bars without having to wait outside because we're fucking hot as hell. And if he isn't a genius on your level, Dr. Stark, it is only because he's probably beyond that. Which always left me wondering why me, but hey, gonna take that award and run with it."

It's definitely not someone here. Damn but he misses David.

Getting that energy back was probably, absolutely earned, but Tony still left Tommy hanging for a beat then pointed out, "You're such an asshole." With a slightly less sardonic, lopsided grin, he gave a pat to Tommy's side in a soft suggestion of a hug to congratulate him on locking down his genius crush. It had to be the same guy from before, Tommy was too much of a stubborn bastard to have dropped that fixation. Loftily, Tony continued, "And you left all of that because you missed me, that's very sweet of you, you know, I hardly noticed you were gone."

"Awww come on man, you know being an asshole is my charm," Tommy grins. Because fuck, it's nice to have someone outside of the family supportive of it. "And you missed me. Fess up, man."

Still, he can't help but preen just a little over getting the guy. It had taken a lot of work and a lot of coming to terms with who and what he was. And David? David had just been like 'took you long enough to ask'. Asshole geniuses. Geez.

"Tony, I literally saw you minutes before returning here, at the wedding. So I didn't miss you that much."

With a tilt of his head like he might be considering admitting feeling something, Tony eventually went with, "I wouldn't debase myself like that, I've got my pride," which would have been much funnier in front of Billy, who would probably believe that. There was something much easier in the mechanism of this conversation than there should have been, or Tony was just expecting from Tommy, the reasons for which Tony was just starting to suspect and made his expression immediately apologetic as Tommy said 'wedding'. The wedding, like Tony was supposed to know immediately what this event was that they would both be at, after talking about Tommy's luck in love.

"Must have, if you ditched the honeymoon to spend with me instead. Don't worry, you wouldn't be the first, it's natural, look at me," he said, hand waving vaguely to keep it just as light, and continuing quickly, "You invited me? Good call, Pepper would just pick the most expensive thing on the registry, no questions asked. What were you aiming for, was it a boat? I'd probably try for a boat."

"If Billy and Teddy try and take me on their honeymoon, I'm quitting the family," Tommy assures Tony with a smirk. Yeah, not his. Sorry for the correction. "But it's cute that you think I'm the marrying type."

He's barely even the dating type. He does things for David that don't make sense to him, but he loves the guy anyway.

"But dude, if you'd get me a boat, I'm so asking for a boat. Not that I need one, of course, but David might like it."

That was definitely a less traumatic wedding to pull Tommy away from, but not a more expected one, which Tony pointed out with, "Jesus, took them long enough. How old are you, forty? Their location must have been booked--have a backup plan, Tomatillo, always, A through Z." That Teddy and Billy didn't have the ceremony the second they were back Earthside was baffling to Tony, who was pretty sure he would make the engagement-wedding turnaround himself in under a week at this point. Maybe it was different when the vows were coming from the first person to ever hold your hand, though, and not the wreckage of a string of stunted engagements. Before they could settle what that delay was, though, Tony had to make this clear: "I'm not offering to buy you a boat, I'm just saying, I'm the perfect wedding guest, if that ever, you know, comes up, hypothetically. Get the gift, and I probably won't even show up, ideal."

Forty? Tommy snickers.

"They got married in Vegas, Tony. And on the Alliance flagship. Both beautiful ceremonies. And David would have the back up plans."

Most likely, if Tommy ever DID marry, he'd ask Teddy to officiate.

As for the morons in love... Well, they had plenty of complexities between when Tony is from, and when Tommy is. But he laughs at Tony not showing up. Man, was he ever wrong.

"Nah, you go.. You, Thor, and Cap all toasted Mar-Vell or something. Which was bullshit. Where was the toast for the grooms? Guess old guys just wanna talk about their old guy friends."

"Vegas?" Tony parroted, lip raised with a scandalized, delicate hand to his chest. While Tony did not hold out any high hopes for Tommy's taste level, that Billy, who could make literally anything happen if he wished hard enough, eloped with what Tony could only imagine was a very dusty, plastic wedding arch and an officiant dressed as Elvis, was supervillain behaviour. This deep blow to Tony's respect for either of the Young Avengers partners almost overshadowed what 'Alliance flagship' could have meant, but that was a vague enough title that Tony wasn't that intrigued by it. Much more intriguing, that Thor was there with them--just like Tony had seen in Billy's dreamspace.

"I know you don't like to hear it, but I look at you and I see Quicksilver, and that's the best case scenario because at least he's still out there somewhere, alive. Jonas and Cassie and Kate--you know, that's how I get to see Vision and Ant-Man and Hawkeye anymore, and it's great that you guys are there to honour them, they were all incredible heroes--... So, you know, go easy on us, okay? Our old guy stuff is--he was one of the best of us. That's always going to be a part of all of you, when we're celebrating you."

Shit, Tony definitely couldn't go up to that bar today. He glanced around at the building once more, wishing briefly that he brought his sunglasses and that he hadn't said any of that. "Unless you get married in Vegas, that's excommunication behaviour, I can't believe you let him get away with that."

Well, Tommy has to laugh at the suggestion. Of course Tony sees Quicksilver. How could he not see Uncle Pietro? That's what Wanda had made Tommy in the image of, after all.

"Literally every one of those people you just named is legit alive," Tommy grins. "Wait, should I say spoiler warning? Okay. Spoiler warning. Well, okay, not Jonas, because it's actual Vision again."

He misses Jonas, a lot. But the others? They're all there.

"And here I thought people weren't fond of Uncle Pietro. Granted they really aren't as much of a fan of mom either, but hey, Pietro does it to himself. Still... They didn't have much of a choice on the Vegas one. They had less than an hour. It... It's complicated, man. And if I tell you more, I'd worry it would get back to them. It's not an easy future they've got. Present? Whatever. I'm trying to be supportive without outing it all to them."

That all of those people were alive for Tommy wasn't exactly a huge revelation, after Tony had seen Thor and Wanda standing together in Avengers Mansion in the future that Billy had shared with him. Of course they were, something had clearly gone very differently for them, and Tony couldn't help but be very aware of his own absence from that room in that vision. It made Tony's smile back at Tommy's grin very manufactured and brief, glad to be nodding soberly in agreement with how difficult to like that Pietro made himself. Some things were unavoidably consistent across the universe.

"They had less than an hour--they had years!" Tony corrected quickly, only to then realize maybe their difficult future was one in which they didn't get to see each other once they left this place. That didn't mean anything, Tony had to quickly tamp down, because clearly Tommy, at least, was much happier back home than he was on this abandoned planet, this wasn't a pattern. "Okay, listen, they had the second ceremony, they corrected their mistake, that's amends, that's admirable, maybe I'll still answer Billy's texts. You better treat your man better. Put that boat on the list."

"Man, you know those two. Complicated as hell, slower than snails, and all up in their own heads," Tommy rolls his eyes.

Wait, why wouldn't he answer Billy's texts? Don't be silly, Stark. Billy looks up to you, don't leave his brother hanging like that.

"Given David lives in a tropical island paradise, I don't think he needs my boat. But I'll put it on there. See if you or Hank gets it for me."

Because it would be hilarious.

A future where Hank could maybe be convinced to come out of his reclusive retirement enough to send the kids wedding gifts was much more believable, assuming Jan was already in his ear and very bored with the academic life. Tony's smile was more genuine at that suggestion, but he put out a flat hand, an important note that Tommy clearly hadn't received yet, because there was only one way to interpret a guy living in tropical island paradise not needing a boat, "He already has his own boat? The hot as hell genius who's willing to put up with you? What the fuck do you mean that wasn't your wedding, what are you doing? Lock it down, throw away the key."

"He doesn't have a boat," Tommy rolls his eyes. "Sure, I'm pretty sure Krakoa has boats, but I don't think they're his."

But he laughs at Tony's intensity. Stark, chill the hell out.

"Do you know how hard it is to hold the eye of a mutant genius who has tons of shit to do? Not easy. I'm trying, but I know it's going to take time."

Give him time. He's only barely comfortable with gay bars at the moment.

That was it, that was the upgrade to the system that almost had Tony stuttering, tongue catching between his teeth instead of dumping out the next thirty words that sprang into his brain and cocking his head with a smiling consideration, not much less intense but less noisy. It's going to take time. Missing these kids growing up was leaving painful bruises in his heart, but it was a gracious gift to see the results.

"Hey," Tony said suddenly, sharp and frowning again, only to demand, "what are you still doing out here? Go on, put Cayde through his paces, I gotta--I gotta get out of here, I promised I would help Jon get stuff down from reasonable shelves, I just remembered. I'll take my old guy stuff with me."

Yeah, patience. That's a strange thing that Tommy had come back with. But he HAD been growing. Or trying to. Tony just gets to experience the results of several years of working at this.

"Need me to walk you out?"

It was only a matter of time before Tony was deeply offended by being called old, and Tommy was playing with fire, prompting Tony to ask, "Are you kidding me, you want to push this? You're on thin ice, kid. I'm not decrepit, I'll make it, you better turn this around quick," even as he started a largely aimless wander in the direction of the centre of town, tucking his hands in his pockets and meandering backwards long enough to berate Tommy.

"It isn't your age, dude. It's what this place is."

But he doesn't push. He just stands back and lets Tony go, and if he looks worried, it's for so short of a window of time for the human gaze to catch.

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♤ Network || Log - Raise a Glass

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