Stark Industries, Early Sunday evening

[heroic_jawline]

After Steve made personally sure (via taking the other version of him none-too-gently to the nearest tentacle...portal...thing and tossing him through) that he was the only Steve Rogers left on the island, he took a long, long walk around the island and finally returned to the shop.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and blew it out. "Tony?" he called out as he came back inside. "We need to talk."

[OOC: For alllll the SP.]

Comments

[imafuturist]

"Yeah, we, uh, probably do."

He said from The Lab Pit.

[heroic_jawline]

Steve squatted at the top of it and gazed down. "You back in your right mind again?"

[imafuturist]

"I think so," he said, not moving because, well, his suit was still grounded. So it was a bit like a very expensive coffin at the moment.

[heroic_jawline]

"Finish this sentence for me," Steve said. "I think destroying the world is--"

[imafuturist]

Tony sighed. "Bad, Steve. It's bad. I'm me again."

[heroic_jawline]

"Uh huh," Steve said, dropping easily back into the pit and heading over to the suit. "And kissing people who are me but not really?"

[imafuturist]

He wanted to joke that he couldn't help being so irresistible, but he didn't really have it in him today.

Weirdly enough.

"Bad."

[heroic_jawline]

Steve took a deep breath, ghosting his hand gently along the suit. "Override, Rogers: 040718," he murmured.

[imafuturist]

Tony made a small noise as he regained control of the suit, forcing it to peel away so he could finally breathe unfiltered air again.

He'd move as soon as his stiff muscles would allow it.

[heroic_jawline]

Steve leaned against the wall of the pit as a thousand things he wanted to say whirled through his mind.

He settled for the moment for looking disappointed and exhausted, which happened to both be true.

[imafuturist]

Tony pushed himself up into a sitting position avoiding his eyes for a moment to steel himself for this. "I'm sorry. For everything."

He should have had more protocols in place for these situations. They happened enough.

[heroic_jawline]

"Yeah," Steve said, rubbing the back of his neck and not meeting Tony's eyes. "We'll talk about it later. Need help standing up?"

[imafuturist]

Tony shook his head, not quite trusting himself to say the word 'no'. Because what he wanted was to hold onto Steve and know for certain he was okay. Buuuut he wasn't and that wasn't gonna happen anytime soon and it was all Tony's fault.

He forced himself up despite sore muscles and popping joints. Yep, getting way too old for everything.

[heroic_jawline]

"Don't suppose you built a hidden staircase into your pit?" Steve asked, sounding a little more bitter than he wanted to.

[imafuturist]

Yeah, Tony winced at that, looking down at the ground as the armor reassembled--not around him--and stood up to go down on one knee to boost Steve up and out of there.

If he wanted to use that.

[heroic_jawline]

Steve bit his lower lip, then turned without a word and took the boost from the suit, landing easily back in the lab.

[imafuturist]

Couldn't even keep a relationship going for a month! That had to be a new record for him, right? Right.

Tony took a breath and followed after him with less grace or ease. The armor flying up after him and everyone's favorite pit slowly closing once it was empty.

[heroic_jawline]

Steve gave that spot of floor an extremely dirty look before finally meeting Tony's eyes. "So. How long's the pit been here?"

[imafuturist]

"Since I've been here? I have security measures in most of my labs." Like the one that exploded when someone tried to access it.

[heroic_jawline]

"Were you going to tell me about any of them?" Steve asked.

[imafuturist]

"I--" This had not been the main sticking point in his head, but he could roll with it. What with the murder attempt and all. "You want to know my security systems?"

[heroic_jawline]

Steve nodded. "I think it would be useful."

In case there was a next time.

[imafuturist]

"Alright," he replied, giving him an ever so slightly wary look. Because that was too easy. "I can so that."

[heroic_jawline]

Steve held his hand out like he wanted to touch Tony's shoulder, then let it drop. "We don't have to do it this second," he said softly. "You probably need a shower and some coffee more."

[imafuturist]

"I just have to unlock JARVIS and you can have access," Tony replied, immediately making for a computer console to sift through layers of encryption and firewalls he'd placed JARVIS behind.

He honestly preferred Steve looking disappointed and bitter to all that there. Just rip the bandaid right on off.