Secret AIM Facility - Long Island, NY - Saturday Morning

[imafuturist]

After the complete clusterfuck that was yesterday, Tony was going for a tried and true method of coping called 'go beat up bad guys for touching his stuff.' It was super fun.

And he did promise to let this version of Steve hit the armor for stress tests, but hitting AIM seemed like a way better plan. So, hitting AIM it was.

"If you see anyone in ridiculous yellow outfits, they're the bad guys," Tony said, looking through the list of Stark technology on the premises that was helpfully listed by JARVIS after a quick scan of the place. He was going to blow up so much stuff today.

It almost made up for the fact that he was in Long Island.

[for the captain who would be confused if Tony said 'Assemble!']

Comments

[heroic_jawline]

"Well, I'm sure she was a great lady," Steve said. "And patient."

Soooo patient.

[imafuturist]

"She was. I started a couple charities for her." A beat. "Also because the team does not understand that collateral damage isn't always covered by insurance."

Seriously. 'Alien attack' is not covered.

[heroic_jawline]

"I'd kind of wondered about that," Steve admitted. "Can you get your car replaced because Hulk threw it or do they just laugh and hang up on you?"

[imafuturist]

"Well, some companies are starting to offer coverage, but it's a crapshoot."

He was going to end up starting a team on the west coast so everyone could be emo and weird because oh god the West Coast Avengers were the wooooorst. CLINT, HOW DID YOU NOT REALIZE TONY HAD BEEN REPLACED BY RHODEY FOR MONTHS? just to space out their disasters.

"I'm sure you were hoping to learn about the exciting world of insurance when you agreed to beat up AIM with me."

[heroic_jawline]

"Maybe I was," Steve said with a tiny smile. "I have a lot to catch up on, after all."

[imafuturist]

"You're doing great," Tony replied. Because this Steve had yet to be replaced by an alien shapeshifter. So he was already ahead on some counts. "No one expects you to know everything right away. Well, I don't. If SHIELD says otherwise, you can tell them to shove it."

[heroic_jawline]

"And wouldn't that just be a delightful conversation," Steve said dryly.

[imafuturist]

"Steve, you're Captain America. Most of those agents grew up idolizing you." A beat. "Fury, I assume, hatched fully grown, eyepatch and all."

Just kidding. In Tony's version, Winter Soldier is the one who caused Fury to wear it.

[heroic_jawline]

Steve chuckled. "Yeah, it's hard to imagine him little." He sobered almost immediately. "And I don't want to be idolized. It's..." He pursed his lips, searching for the right word. "Uncomfortable. Like I'm a prop, not a person."

[imafuturist]

Tony snorted at that, leaning against the counter and looking out the window. "That is exactly what it's like. I used to enjoy it."

Which was probably one if the reasons why he had a reputation.

"Some people will disappointed by the reality. I wasn't when I met him. Or you."

[heroic_jawline]

Steve's ears went pink again. "Thanks," he said, ducking his head down.

[imafuturist]

"What I mean is that sometimes that whole larger than life thing can be used to your advantage," Tony said, grinning as he kindly refrained from commenting on the pink ears. "You can wear it like, well, armor."

[heroic_jawline]

Steve nodded. "I used to do that when I was doing those newsreels. I just have to get back into the mindset, if that makes sense."

[imafuturist]

Tony nodded in agreement. "And the offer to sue SHIELD still stands. I'm already in am inter-dimensional lawsuit because of one of my employees, so why not see how much legal precedent we can set?"

[heroic_jawline]

"Why are you in an interdimensional lawsuit?" Steve asked.

[imafuturist]

"Jessica was trying to find out if her home is still there and Portalocity threatened legal action." So Tony told them to fuck off and threw his legal team at them. No one messes with his employees, teammates, or friends.

[heroic_jawline]

Steve scowled in outrage on Jessica's behalf. "Good for you," he said vehemently.

[imafuturist]

"She's from another of the world's with us in them. But they call the Avengers, the Ultimates." Tony made a face at how ridiculous it sounded.

[heroic_jawline]

Steve made a face too. "That's...not as catchy."

[imafuturist]

"It's horrible. Like a bad cartoon." With a terrible theme song.

[heroic_jawline]

"Avengers is catchy," Steve said loyally. "I mean, pretty sure my you came up with it on the spur of the moment just to make Loki twitch, but it's fine."

[imafuturist]

"Yeah? Jan came up with it for us. Weird how many things are the same between timelines." Like how much a tool Loki was.

[heroic_jawline]

Suuuuuch a tool.

"It's kind of nice," Steve said. "It'd be even harder to be here if the people I recognized weren't people I'd like."

[imafuturist]

A tool with daddy issues and bad hair.

"Yeah?"

[heroic_jawline]

And a helmet that made Thor's look dignified and restrained.

"You've made this acclimation a lot easier," Steve said, blue eyes big and earnest. "So thank you."

Bucky had made things complicated, but Bucky always made things complicated.