#[ overclocks ] after this life i'll find you in the next.

[shieldslingera]

steve rogers flirting ft. @overclocks

[shieldslingera]

a repost of some wedding stuff for steve and tony (@overclocks) in honor of their anniversary tomorrow

the week leading up to sept 25th, every hero in new york is extra alert and working a bit of overtime to make sure things are as quiet as possible that weekend

the wedding parties are as follows: natasha (@shespy), carol, and rhodey for tony; clint (@hitsharder), sam, and bucky for steve. rhodey and bucky are best men to their respective groom (who are also named james which is hilarious). halley is the flower girl. kate (@purplearchcr) is the ring bearer

bucky and rhodey are knowledgeable enough about their respective groom to know that trying to arrange separate bachelor parties is just gonna end up with both being sad the whole time that they don’t get to hold the other’s hand (losers). so they work together to plan out a day of events, likely involving coney island with carnival games and a restaurant crawl of so much good food

the wedding itself actually goes off without any villainous attack. it is deemed the miracle of the century

no but really it’s a fucking miracle. not a stilt, glue, or bald red head in sight

thor officiated. he kept it short and sweet (helped with the no attacks bit) and did in fact make a rainbow form at the end

steve and tony wore actual suits. steve has a picture of his mother in his jacket pocket over his heart

their color scheme is blue and gold with accents of white where appropriate

the cake is massive and also good tasting but also like, 5 minutes into the party, the toppers are swapped with captain america and iron man action figures. iron man carries captain america on top of the cake

there are disposable cameras for each guest to take their own photos. steve gets them developed and makes copies of the ones he likes most for his own scrap book. he makes little scrap books for everyone else out of their photos and some of the official ones and some favorites taken by other guests as party gifts. personalized thank you notes are in the back

their wedding song is betty hutton’s rendition of it had to be you. steve learned a dance just so he could sweep tony off his feet properly

food good. steak mainly, with fish and vegetarian options for their various friends. tables were painstakingly arranged to maximize friendliness and minimize conflict

[shieldslingera]

@overclocks liked for a starter

Steve looped his arm with Tony's--the one not carrying his precious coffee, of course--and helped steer him through the crowd. Halley and Jarvis had gone on ahead, doing the actual shopping as Jarvis showed Halley the particulars of picking out proper fruits and vegetables. Catching one of Tony's yawns, Steve bumped Tony's shoulder. "I said we could go to the one on Wednesday afternoons."

[shieldslingera]

@overclocks said: ❝ I had a dream, I’m sorry. A vivid one. ❞

Sven had been asleep when he felt something push against his side. There was a sharp movement, like something trying to push away, and his feral instincts--awakening faster than his normal sensibilities--instinctively pulled it closer. The thrashing only intensified, but Sven was awake now, and able to realize that the thrashing wasn't some dream-prey trying to escape his grasp, but his lover Tnathas caught in the jaws of a nightmare.

He scooched away and sat up, the covers falling down to his bare waist as he gently shook the mer's shoulder. "'Thas, love, wake up."

It took a bit more coaxing, but Tnathas woke with a start. Sven leaned back to give him space, watching the other man blink in the darkness.

The darkness! Of course. Not that Tnathas' night vision was poor, but it wasn't the same as his either. With a small wave of his hand, a few of the bedside candles lit, giving their bedroom a warm, flickering glow.

"I could tell. It seemed like a nightmare." He offered his hand, palm side up. It took everything within Sven to keep from wrapping himself tightly around Tnathas, but this perhaps was not the time for smothering.

"Would you... like to talk about it? Or... would you prefer distraction?"

[shieldslingera]

@overclocks liked

"I bribed the band, our song's up next."

[shieldslingera]

@overclocks liked

"Hey, Tony, could I have a small loan? I'll pay it back, I promise."

[shieldslingera]

"You didn't have to--your face said it all." Which probably made no sense to anyone else, considering the face in question was hidden by an emotionless steel plate with little more than soft blue lights for eyes. But to Steve, that might as well not even exist--he could see Tony's face, the arch to his brow and the thin line of his lips--just as if he were wearing no mask whatsoever. Which was somehow even more annoying, truth be told.

Steve sighed as his hand came up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I know, I know. I let myself get riled up after a few questions." His original plan had just been to give a brief overview of what had happened before reverting to his usual rounds of 'no comment.' But someone had asked just the right question, in just the right cajoling sneer, and off he'd went, before even really thinking about the damage that kind of answer could have. His hand dropped from his face. This was why he wasn't supposed to be the one giving interviews--knowing his luck, he already had calls waiting for him based off of whatever sound bite was being broadcast.

As Steve fell into step beside Tony, he continued. "I'm done waiting to act. I know this could put us--put our family--in a very bad position, but we're also one of the few that can make this stand, push back, and have people listen." People still believed in Captain America, and whether Tony shared the sentiment, there was more trust in Iron Man than he gave it credit for. The two of them were one of the few superheroes that had been there since day one and had continued to show up, time and time again--and that meant something. The people knew that. They trusted Captain America and Iron Man and listened when they spoke.

Steve put his hand on Tony's shoulder, his glove sliding a bit against the smooth metal until he squeezed, stopping their walk so he could look at Tony. "You know how I feel. I'm not against oversight. I'm not against responsibility. But government sponsored teams are only as good and just as the government they serve. And that changes far too often for this to end well." Luke was in charge for now, and he trusted Luke and his judgement. But who was going to be mayor when Luke was through with this job and moved on? What would they do with the Thunderbolts? Who would run the team then, and how would they interpret and follow the laws?

"I trust Luke and Clint--and America and Monica. But it's a short term solution to a long term problem that will only get worse. The Avengers were formed to take on problems bigger than one hero could fight themselves--the teams since then have been balanced on that principle, on a physical, emotional, and moral level. I can't say I see the same happening with the Thunderbolts, and I know Luke knows better." Steve's brow had furrowed, his lips turning into a frown as his jaw tightened. He was worried. The Thunderbolts could pull together as a team, he was sure--but that would take time. Clint had been on enough teams to know what he was doing when he picked out members. Though... that PR spin on the Thunderbolts that he'd seen plastered all over the mayoral webpages seemed... awfully convenient. But in the superhero world, time was a rare luxury, even among teams carefully chosen for their balance and organic chemistry. A team of partial newbies, unknowns, and publicly known experienced heroes was going to be a tough balancing act.

Which meant that people like Steve and Tony--a team of two, yes, but a team in their own right--that had operated in all kinds of circumstances and worked together like a well-oiled machine could react far faster with much less warning and far fewer casualties than a new team trying to get the hang of it. In his eyes, it'd be negligent to stand by and let someone else handle it.

"Bottom line: I'm not moving out of my home, and I'm not putting down the mantle."

"I didn't say anything." Though he supposed as well as Steve could generally read his body language, even in the suit, he hadn't needed to; the way he was standing, hands on his hips and head tilted ever so slightly probably said plenty. He dropped the pose, moving to fall into step next to Steve, as they moved away from the reporters still shouting questions at Steve's retreating back, and hummed a moment, a noise that was a tuneless buzz through the modulator of the helmet, until they were out of earshot.

"But you did go a little off the cuff there, Winghead." Surprising, but not completely unheard of; it was simply that usually all Captain America typically had to offer newshounds looking for a salacious bit of something to print was a terse no comment. Again, not unheard of, just unusual, and it had been a topic they themselves had revisited many times in conversations that walked in circles, weighing pros and cons of continuing to operate in the city, despite the fact that they were, essentially, vigilantes now, with no clearance - not even the cursory nod from the powers that be. What it would mean should it become another situation where superheroes acting in good faith started to get tossed into jail again. Devising plan after plan, debating if one of them should stay in the wind if the other managed to get caught - if it came to that again - so at least Halley had one of them with her.

"You sure that's a good idea? I mean, you know I agree with you, it's not a question of whether or not it's the right stance to take." It wasn't a question of whether they could stand idly by and do nothing while people were in need; it was, in a darkly humorous turn of events, the other side of the coin for him, from the last time they were faced with this conundrum. The law that was in place, outlawing them from acting as superheroes in the city had been repealed, but not revoked, and they were, technically, still under the authority of it, being told it took time to enact a rescinding of standing orders, but from where they'd been sitting, it looked like there had been a lot of dragging of feet, a lot of giving them the runaround for a timeline. And this was basically Steve telling them, and the rest of the city, as far as he was concerned, they could come at him or get out of the way. Classic Steve, really, one of the golden oldies from his (genuinely held) bag of tricks, but that put them at loggerheads with old friends - again - and there was the question to consider of how far things could be pushed before they found themselves embroiled in another friend against friend situation. "Clint's leading the Thunderbolts and they're the only group with the authority to act legally, and I'm not so sure we're going to get a pass if he decides we're getting in the way."

Then again, Luke had put Clint in charge, hadn't he, and it seemed like the mayor's pr department was working overtime, trying to paint the Thunderbolts as a viable alternative to the Avengers despite the disasters that had been well-publicized in the media. Maybe Luke was on the up and up - he typically was - but Tony couldn't say everything about the group actually managing the Thunderbolts themselves sat right with him.