eswareinmal | Day 8 - Introduction [Open Log]

Entry tags:

Day 8 - Introduction [Open Log]

Characters: Steve Rogers
Open? Open
Where: A road that Steve hopes will lead to civilization
When: Morning on Day 8
What: Steve tries to find out where exactly he woke up this time.
Warnings: None that I can think of

Steve was beginning to wonder if waking up in strange places was becoming a habit for him. Though not as disorientating as waking up to find out that almost seventy years had passed since he was last conscious, finding himself in a meadow instead of his Brooklyn apartment with no memory of how he’d gotten there had still been unnerving.

As soon as he’d accepted that initial shock, he’d started searching for some sign of civilization, eventually finding his way to a dirt road and picking a direction at random that he hoped would lead to somewhere where he could find out what was going.

Maybe he should have taken a less conspicuous route, but if his kidnappers wanted to hurt him, they would have done so already. They wouldn’t have given him a battered set of ragtag armor or the white horse that calmly followed behind him. And they wouldn’t have let him keep his shield.

So he kept to the dusty track, wondering what he’d woke up to this time.

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He'd spent most of the morning putting on the armor if only because he figured it was better to be safe than sorry. The horse that he'd found at his disposal was deep red with a white blaze and socks. Tony still frowned at the feeling of riding the majestic animal if only because he'd not really liked all those riding lessons.

But it got him by. The horse was moving at an easy canter when he came upon the sight of a man and horse walking down a dirt road that crossed his path. Angling to follow after him, he nudged his horse to a gallop and pulled him to a halt they approached. "Excuse me..." Tony really didn't want to have it out all Arthurian Legend style when he didn't even have a sword or shield. But maybe they were nice? Maybe.

He'd wanted to find some sign of civilization and it looked like he'd found it. Though, he'd hoped that the armor and horse were a fluke. Maybe this was part of some strange practical joke that he'd never understand, but the newcomer was dressed like something out of a storybook, shining red armor that was decorated in gold. That had never been in any of the books that he'd read when he was a kid.

Instinctively, he shifted so that his shield was between himself and the rider, but the action was accompanied by an uncertain smile. And it seemed that the - knight? - might be just as lost as Steve was. "Can I help you?"

"It would actually be rather awesome, if you could just tell me where here is." Tony rubbed at his forehead before something clicked. Dark eyes fell on the shield set between them and his mind started to do a tally. For a few seconds he stared then he looked about him for the songbirds that had woken him up just in case before looking back at the blonde.

"You look... uncannily familiar." He'd left his helmet off for comfort's sake. It got too hot so he tethered it to the saddle. Slowly slipping off the horse, he drew the reins into his hands. "But I'd swear you were a face I'd definitely..." The words died off as the shield caught his eyes. Perfect circle shield... blonde hair... blue eyes... "Great. Now I'm hallucinating because you can't be alive... I'm talking to a hallucination. Wonderful... My armor was turned into scrap metal, I have pet songbirds and a magical orb.... and now I've met my childhood hero. Either I'm dead or I am digging really deep for those fantasies."

Edited 2012-02-08 05:52 (UTC)

Everything after the request to tell him where they were was mostly lost to Steve. The armor made sense. So did the reference to him being a childhood hero, or Steve being a hallucination of a childhood hero. But the songbirds and the orb? That didn't make sense even considering the strange place he'd found himself in.

"Not sure who you think I am, but I am alive.” But Steve wasn't the only one that looked familiar. There was something about the knight...

The context was slightly off. Or maybe it was right. He’d said his armor had been changed to scrap metal. Red and gold armor. Dark hair. Dark eyes. Features he thought he'd memorized along with the files Fury had given him. But it couldn't be, right? "You look familiar too."

Oh, he felt slightly ridiculous. But he couldn't really say that Captain Steve Rogers wouldn't know him by some features. After all, his dad did know that guy and some said they looked a like. Much to his chagrin. "Well then.. since this is my delusion and I don't know if I need to drink more or less... Are you Captain Steve Rogers?"

But hey, if the guy thought knew him... but he refused to... "If you call me Howard I will ride right past you." His delusion, his choice to control how the only highlight of his childhood referred to him.

Clutching the reins in his hands, he felt the horse nose his shoulder lightly. At least his horse liked him. Or appeared to.

When Tony asked him if he was Steve Rogers instead of Captain America, he gave Tony a brilliant grin. For months, almost everyone he'd met had asked him if he was Cap, until he wondered if anyone remembered that he'd actually had a name before he'd worn that uniform. "Yeah, that's me."

The comment about Howard had him looking more closely at Tony, trying to understand why he was supposed to confuse them. There were similarities, but not enough to cause him to make that mistake. "Um - wasn't planning on calling you Howard. Was I supposed to?"

Tony could stare with the best of people, but rarely if ever was he completely caught off guard. But that grin? It completely knocked him off balance. For a moment, he fidgeted with the reins in his hand only to jump a little when his horse head butted him softly. "Really? I mean... I thought so... but..."

Luckily he was given something else for his mind to wrap around. The good Captain Rogers wasn't going to mistake him for Howard. A grin pulled at his lips and for a moment he forgot that his armor was a pile of scrap or that a magic book was declaring a search for heroes and simply walked closer extending a hand. "Tony..." Then he stopped when he got close enough to see the shield and his mind whirred in his head.

"That..." That was the shield. The shield. Vibranium. God... he should not be such a dewy eyed fan girl.

"Yeah. Really." He chuckled softly, ducking his head slightly when Tony said that he'd recognized him. His reaction was better than most, not making him feel uncomfortable, just shy.

"Steve." He reached out to shake Tony's hand, then noticed how his gaze focused on the shield. "Yeah. It's..."

The grin returned and, after a few seconds' consideration and a look around to check that they were relatively safe, he slid the shield from his arm. There were only three people he'd ever given it to, but even if Steve only knew Tony's files, he wanted him to see his father's work. And, it seemed like Tony knew how rare the shield really was. "Here. You can look at it if you want."

He still believed in the slight chance that this might be real... and if nothing else, Steve made for the nicest delusion he ever came up with. Returning the light smile, he managed to finally take Steve's hand in a brief firm shake of greeting. Yes.... that definitely felt real.

Then his attention returned to that shield and he felt his fingers twitch with the desire to just touch it. But he couldn't possibly be so forward as to...

Then Steve Rogers was offering the shield to Tony. His eyes went a little wide at first as he tried to decide. From his memories as a child he could recall it always with Steve in every picture and newsreel he'd ever managed to find. It felt... wrong to take it from him. But that didn't mean he wouldn't touch it.

Running the expert fingers of a craftsman and engineer over the smooth metal from the center to the edges, he let his eyes close. As his fingers ran along the edge he heard that soft almost hum and the smile broadened on his face. This was real Real... oh shit.

Pulling back fast, he looked for a brief moment, apologetic which he covered with a cough. "Sorry... just.. vibranium... and.... Can we just pretend the whole first part of this conversation never happened when I accused you of being a figment of my imagination?"

He expected Tony to take the shield and wouldn't have protested if he had. Tony should be able to see his father's work, and, considering the things Tony had created, Steve knew he'd appreciate the shield in a way most people couldn't.

It surprised him that Tony ran his fingers along the metal instead, brushing along the edge to cause the shield to hum softly. He answered the resulting smile with a grin, glad that it seemed like he'd guessed right and that Tony might understand some of the reasons why it meant to much to Steve.

"We can, but I'm not surprised you thought that." He smiled wryly as he slid his arm back through the shield's straps. "Most of the world thinks I'm dead."

Just touching it like that made him happy. The smile in his eyes was genuine and happy at being able to see what the real mineral felt like and not just read about it. And really? That grin that Steve answered his enthusiasm with was... stunning. Swallowing hard, he laughed a little and ducked his head.

"Well... waking up here was like a drug trip. Or a really bad fairy tale." Looking back at Steve after a cursory look around the area he suddenly frowned. "So, Captain Rogers... have you been here or something since you know... dying? I'm not going to just... magically run into Elvis here am I? Cause I don't think my heart can take that kind of nonsense."

Or it could. With lots of whiskey, scotch, and possibly bourbon. And plenty of time to drink it. Because if all the 'dead' celebrities were here, it was possible he was dead. Not something he wanted to consider to be honest.

The smile dimmed slightly, his eyes shadowed as he shook his head. "No. I woke up here this morning. I - " He almost looked away, then realized what he was about to do and forced himself to meet Tony's eyes. He was dealing with what had happened. Hiding from it wasn't going to make it any easier. "I was frozen in the arctic for almost seventy years. Six months ago, the plane was found and SHIELD found a way to revive me."

Chuckling softly as he pushed aside the memories of the crash, he shrugged. "If we meet Elvis, it'll be just as much a surprise to me as it is to you. I don't know how we got here or even where here is. I was hoping you'd know what was going on."

And he noticed that drop in mood. He didn't know what he said, but he instantly felt guilty. Shifting slowly, he ran a hand through his hair searching for what he did wrong. "I see. So you're pretty much in this mess with me... wait... SHIELD?" Flashes of contracts and equipment purchased from him went through his mind before he stared at Steve a moment. Fury had been digging up and reviving Steve Rogers with his tech and not telling him.

Making a face at the thought, he tamed it down to grin at Steve's comment about Elvis. "I don't have a clue... I just woke up here myself." Biting at his lower lip, he half turned to lightly slip his hand over the soft nose of his horse. "So... I was thinking find civilization and figure it out. What to you say, Captain Rogers?"

"SHIELD was called in when someone realized what the plane was." He wasn't sure why that would surprise Tony since he'd worked for them before. Which was why he was more open about what had happened than he would have been with someone who didn't have a connection to the group. "I was told you were a consultant of some kind.

That sounds like a good plan to me." He paused when he felt the mare start investigating his hair. Was that normal for horses? "Harley and I wouldn't mind having some company."

"I'm sure. But I'm just a consultant obviously... that Fury can take tech from and lie to me about what he's using it for." Yes, He was ticked and not going to even go there right now. The man knew how he felt about people that stole his tech and used it for their own devices.... He was just lucky the end result was Steve Rogers. "For various reasons, I wasn't a full-fledged member formally. But the way I see it, if you're on the field fighting with the team you're a member I guess."

Not that he was a team player. He never had been. But sometimes he could if he really trusted the people on his side like he had Rhodey. Luckily, Tony caught the name of the horse and smirked a little. "Harley? Interesting name. Careful, she might think your hair is hay." Teasing lightly, he pulled his horse along so he could walk next to Steve. "Any reason you're walking?"

Steve had picked up that there was tension between Fury and Tony, but he hadn’t been briefed on all the details. Details that suddenly seemed important since he wasn't sure what to make of Tony's reaction to finding out how his technology had been used to save Steve. "I’m grateful for what your company – you – did."

He hadn’t been at first, angry over everything he’d lost but that grief had eased over the past few months. And he'd had enough to deal with getting settled in a new time to keep him from dwelling on the past. "If you fought beside them, then you're part of the team. Being a consultant -" Whatever that really meant to SHIELD. "Doesn't change that."

Glancing up at his horse, he laughed quietly, gently pushing her nose away. "Figured I'd name her after my motorcycle." Grinning, he shrugged. "I don't know how to ride. Figured walking was safer."

"Look... don't think this is against you. Just history makes me a little touchy about people lying about my tech." Sighing a little, he offered Steve a wry smile. "You're the only reason I'm not livid or plotting his eminent demise. Or at least his misery. I'm good at that too." Sending him a wink, he tried to shift to get more comfortable in medieval armor. "What did they tell you about me?"

If Steve knew who he was... or said he looked familiar, it was because of SHIELD. So maybe it was best to see what they said to the man. Pausing at the comment about being part of the team versus a consultant, he smirked a little. "I like your style, Rogers..." And it made him a little less growly about being on a 'team'.

The fact that Steve would name her after his motorcycle had him grinning. "You named your motorcycle Harley?" He wanted to question the lack of creativity... but he named his robots Dummy and Butterfingers. Tipping his head to his own horse he chuckled a little. "Named him Jarvis. After my AI computer back home."

Furrowing his brow at the last part, he looked at Steve a long moment. "You don't know how to ride? Well... guess not everyone had a family throwing you in every class known to man. I can show you sometime if you want?"

Maybe he'd hit his head or there was something about this place that was making Steve act odd, but the fact that Tony had technically threatened the man who was supposed to be his commanding officer, was ignored in favor of giving Tony an amused grin. "I'm glad me being alive isn't what you're mad about.

"I told them not to tell me anything and just let me read your files. I didn't want anyone else's opinion when I was considering who might be on my team." When he agreed to be on the team. Eventually, he'd say yes - everyone knew it and was waiting for him to finally say yes - but he still didn't know how much he could trust Fury or SHIELD after their stunt with the mock hospital room.

"I didn't name my motorcycle Harley. My motorcycles were Harleys. Well, they started out as Harleys..." And should have been named something after Stark when Howard was done with them. If there'd been enough left of them after a mission to be called anything but scrap. "They - um - never lasted long enough to get a real name."

His smile turned wry and he shrugged slightly. "Never had a chance to learn, but if you really won't mind showing me, I'd appreciate it."

"You being alive is a bit of amazing news to be honest." He'd go into the logistics of that being like a die hard Elvis fan finding Elvis but that was too embarrassing for himself to even get into. Coughing a little, he reached back to lightly trail his fingertips over his horses neck. "Enough to forget that I should be angry at that ass back home."

Angling his head at the remark that the files were all that Steve read, he remembered the one Natasha wrote on him and winced. "Did you get to the textbook narcissist part? Or maybe the fact that I wasn't suggested as a good choice for the Avengers? Or did they kindly revamp the file a little after they went kid in a candy store with my tech?" He wouldn't put it past them. The crazy one-eyed cyclops had a thing for jerking his chain. More like trying to get him on an invisible chain. "I'll have you know, she's called Black Widow for a reason."

Both brows rose at the news about the motorcycles. He could get that. He only went through two suits to get one he actually wanted to take care of. And even then he was fixing them constantly cause he was such an extreme risk taker. "Seems like you're a bit of a crazy one then. Adrenaline junkie or something? Or was it all just bad luck? Like that chick in that book series that loses a car at least once a month to it exploding..."

He was rambling. But wouldn't anyone in their right mind ramble when walking next to Steve Rogers for the first time? Luckily, he could rein himself in for the most part. Glancing at the other man he smiled a little. "Never claimed to be a good teacher, but I'll give it a shot. You're not supposed to walk the horse no matter how cute they may be."

“Glad I can be useful.” For awhile, Steve was silent, considering how to answer. “If it’s my team, then I’m the one who chooses who’s on it.” He hadn’t backed down the first time he’d had a team shoved at him without his input and he wouldn’t back down just because he had woken up in a new decade. He was grateful for SHIELD saving his life, but that debt only went so far. Not when the lives of others could be at stake. “I didn’t really read the psych evaluations. Figured there were more important ways to decide than that.”

He grinned, knowing he should feel guiltier for causing so much damage to those motorcycles, but he’d loved them even if they rarely survived more than a couple missions. “Not sure about the books, but usually it was probably a combination of both.” Though, he wouldn’t have been called an adrenaline junkie during the war, both Peggy and Howard had yelled at him for his disregard for his own safety. Or, more than likely with Howard, his disregard for the work that had gone into building the motorcycle that had ended up being destroyed. “I couldn’t be as careful with them as I should’ve been.”

Noticing that Harley had decided to make another try for his hair, Steve gently pushed her nose aside. “You'll do fine. I would’ve tried on my own, but I figured it wouldn’t be a good idea since I didn’t know what kind of surprises might be out here. Didn't want to get thrown in the middle of a fight."

Edited 2012-02-18 08:53 (UTC)

"Oh... I'm pretty certain you're more than useful." Did he just leer at Captain Steve Rogers. Oh God, he did. If he were a lesser man he would be rubbing his face and beating a hasty retreat for trying to hit on his childhood hero. Crush or not. DId he just admit to having a crush. No. Not even. "You didn't?" All thoughts came to a halt and dark eyes fixed on Steve in surprise.

It left him feeling slightly stunned. Fury didn't get to trash him and he didn't read Natasha's report. That meant he actually could get to know Steve without being... well... prejudged. Not that he didn't deserve to be. Steve might have been better off if he had just read them and knew to stay away. But then, Steve wasn't lingering on the topic and was already talking about something else. "You'd probably not like it anyway... granted that stuff is pretty amusing." Hilarious. He liked those books and Steve was likely the only one to know he'd read them now. Not that he gave a title.

"I can't complain. I'm always blowing up my own stuff. Just means I get to make it shinier and better the next round. And if it got the job done well and you're alive, then it did what it was supposed to. Why complain?" Yes... someone needed to make him stop rambling.

Coughing lightly, he watched the little exchange with the horse and Steve and felt the slight tug on the corner of his lips. That was... yeah. Too cute. "We'll see. But good call... no point looking uncoordinated on a horse if something is coming to get you."

"Or in getting dumped on the ground because I can't stay in the saddle." The admission was accompanied with a self-conscious chuckle. "Unless having the bad guys laughing at me can be considered a diversion."

Steve considered Tony for a moment, thinking about that look he'd given him when he mentioned the psych evals. "I read enough to know that you aren't a maniac or one of those serial killers. The rest..." He paused, choosing his words carefully, smiling as he remembered how Doctor Erskine had offered him a chance. "Actions can be more important than an official's opinion of a person's worth. Sometimes all someone needs is to be offered a chance."

Shaking off memories, he patted Harley's neck, relieved that she had quit trying to make a snack out of him. "How do you know what kind of books I'd read? Used to read everything I could when I was a kid."

"In my defense... I'd try not to laugh." More like flail and try to make sure nothing was broken. After all, he'd seen paralyzed people after riding accidents. "But I'd rather you not. Adorable possibilities aside."

Tilting his head a little at the comment about the evaluation and his posture got a little stiffer for a moment. People didn't give him a chance to change. They didn't believe he could change. Which was why Pepper never could get passed who he was to be with him now. Shrugging his shoulders at that, he wasn't about to give into the hope that Steve meant that. "Maybe some people are destined to disappoint you." At least that was the impression everyone gave him.

His horse bumped him from behind and he grumbled a little. Animals and their strange affinity for emotions. As he was looking back at the animal, he let out a soft laugh at the comment about books. "Did you read a lot of books with sex in them? Because I'll take it back if you say you did."

Before he could stop himself, he was giving Tony a disbelieving look. Maybe Tony and the people around him believed that, but Steve had never allowed himself to think like that. If he had, he wouldn't have ever tried to enlist. Or done any of the other things that had led to Doctor Erskine offering him a chance. "If I believed that some people were only destined to disappoint you, then I would've been spent the war drawing recruitment posters."

The comment about the books made him blush slightly, but he managed not to stutter in surprise at the thought of reading stuff like that while coping with whatever lung ailment had been circulating around the orphanage. "Not when I was a kid." The words were accompanied by an exasperated shake of his head. "But I wasn't as sheltered as people think." Shyness and naive weren't always the same thing, no matter what most people assumed or what had been printed in those comic books about him. "And I've had six months to try to catch up on the times."

Tony had to stare at Steve a moment. Furrowing his brow, he was trying to do the equation here, but sometimes 2+2 really did equal 4 and he needed to stop dragging advanced Calculus into it. Reaching back to rub the back of his head, he fought for some answer to that and was coming up empty. "Well..." And slightly inarticulate. "Not everyone believes in every person..." He wanted to say that some people really were bad... but he found that he didn't want to say that to Steve at the moment.

Shaking his head, he wanted to clear those thoughts from his head and focus on less soul crushing topics. Like books. Questionable books. With sex in them. Now those were the interesting once and from the way Steve was reacting, Tony suddenly wished he could introduce him to it. "So you're saying you do read trashy romance now." Smirking, he just had to tease the younger man. "If we ever get home, I'll be sure and lend you a few."

Day 8 - Introduction [Open Log]

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