#this beautiful little blip in the history of technology and i get to use it to watch the best movie of all time. Robots (2002).

[speakercrab666]

OH MY GOD SHUT UP U GUYS I AM THINKING ABOUT DVDS!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD. I LOVE DVDS. DISCS. HOLY SHIT U GUYS. HHHHHHHHHH.

GONNA BUY A PORTABLE DVD PLAYER AND THEN I’M GONNA WATCH BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN!!!!!!!!! I ALREADY HAVE BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN ON DVD BUT I HAVEN’T SEEN IT YET DUE TO NO DVD PLAYER.

AND THEN I’M GONNA FIND MY ROBOTS DVD AND I!!!! AM GOING!!!!!! TO WATCH!!!! ROBOTS!!!!!!!!!!! IT’S THE BEST MOVIE POSSIBLY EVER AND I REFUSE TO WATCH IT ONLINE. IT LIVES ON A DVD!!!

I CAN’T FIND MY ROBOTS DVD RN BUT OH BOY WHEN I DO!!!!! I WON’T BE ABLE TO WATCH IT BC I DON’T HAVE A DVD PLAYER YET. BUT ROBOTS!!!!! EXCITED FOR ROBOTS.

[sanktpolypenbourg]

Recently started watching 'Dinosaurs!' (1991) again and it's still as beautiful as ever. The bits about having a newborn baby in the house feel disturbingly and delightfully relevant to me now (though our little girl seems to be very serious, rather than a prankster).

What I want to talk about here is the worldbuilding. It is largely nonsensical, it rocks the the classic trope of all prehistoric life existing simultaneously ("dinos & cavemen" world), but there is still some really interesting stuff going on.

First of all: The Timeline

The show makes a great deal about how dinosaurs are ancient, but dinosaur civilization and society are very, very young - the creatures have existed for hundreds of millions of years, but houses and families only for decades. The FATHER of our bumbling dad character Earl Sinclair thought living in the forest, raising your kids in the mud and then eating your spouse is how one should live their life. That's just one generation.

The proportions are mindblowing.

- Except it's really just an exaggeration of how humanity evolved : as a species, we were hunter-gatherers and occasional farmers for hundreds of thousands of years. All of our History with the capital H has merely been the cherry on top, some measily 5000 years perhaps, not at all representative of what humans are as a species. There must be countless timelines were, right now, your alter ego is busy getting chased by something like an angry ground sloth rather than reading a tumblr, and the digital age is a pleasure their descendants will experience only in their equivalent of the year 29521... if ever! That we broke with tradition and started doing that whole technological progress thing is likely just a result of a sudden chain reaction that got started by pure coincidence, could have occured thousands of years earlier or later or not at all. If civilization is a fire, then humanity is just a patch of vegetation that is a little bit drier than others, but without the right conditions or trigger, it won't start burning any more than all the bears and seagulls will.

- The dinos clearly think this is only the beginning. Sure, they have been foragers for millions of years, but surely now that they have seen the light of the TV, they are gonna do sitcoms forever! Maybe they are even dreaming of spaceships and robots. They don't realize yet that in one or two years, they are gonna be extinct. Perish in a climate disaster of their own making, theoretically avoidable but in practice inevitable because of the stubborn, short-sighted foolishness of their consumerist-corporate culture. Luckily, that's where any similarity with human civilization ends :) ! Ultimately, their industrial civilization was really just a blip, a fraction of a second, and may not even leave much of a trace in the fossil record at all...

- With a timeline like this, one has to wonder how after hundreds of millions of years, it only took them a few years to go from wilderness to industrialized suburbia. It bears repeating that the FATHER of our bumbling dad character Earl Sinclair thought living in the forest, raising your kids in the mud and then eating your spouse is how one should live their life. My hypothesis, supported at least by a few bits of canon: inventions have been made all over the dinosaur age, technologies invented, lost and reinvented multiple times. I think it's implied they had the fridge before inventing the wheel! The problem is, for millions of years no dinosaur herd had ever bothered to put it all together and build a coherent civilization. I have yet to rewatch the whole series, but what I like to think happened was, some ambitious tribal leader, a Dino-Sauron if you will, decided to build an industrialized empire to unite all of Pangea. He (of course it was a "he") was ultimately overthrown, but the dinosaurs decided, why not use all of that concentrated infrastructure and technology and build something fun with it, rather then just return to the way things were. The fragments of the dark machine empire then became the big dino corporations such as Wesayso and Acme and made TV sets instead of tanks and guns.

Ironicaly, that's what ultimately doomed their people.

[elizabeth-mitchells]

(1/2)Andy being so old it's hard to write. Andy being so old that even trying to wrap my head around it in fics, I can at best use an equivalency of what happens with a human lifetime (lets say 80ish years) and how much happens even THEN. Which for Andy is such a blip on the radar! Thinking of all the experiences humans have, how much happens in history. All the revolutions, inventions, changes, etc. And to compartmentalize that into a single character who has seen it all (coffeebeannate)

(2/2) done it all aND THEN SOME. Like I've written I think one Andy centric fic thus far and some smaller Andy POV and centric mini ficlets and each time I can only think 'she's so old we can only barely put it into perspective' she's so old that if I compare what I know as a historian and writer, and then apply it I'll still NEVER comprehend her lifespan in real time and that's SO INTENSE AND I FEEL SO MANY THINGS? Like TL'DR Andy is a vast individual to explore I'm emotional (coffebeannate)

I’m emotional too!! she really is too old for us to comprehend. I mean... all of humanity. Andy’s been there for most of our history. She’s seen it all, she’s lived all of it. Technology is the least of the most impressive things for Andy. She’s been there to discover rivers, mountains, continents! and too many species of animals!! It’s a ridiculously long time. She’s seen humanity change so much and that’s not even all of it. She’s seen the Earth change. Cities, empires, languages, ideas, animal species, forests, it all comes and goes for Andy! The goddamned stars changed!

And there’s so many thing we could consider. I mean, she’s a women. In the big scheme of things, just now it’s barely getting easier for women to be independent. She’s had to literally fight her way through the worst ages, and she had to do a lot of it by herself. For thousands of years Andy couldn’t have family, friends, nobody at all, because she would inevitably watch all of them die. And she had to do that again, and again, and again. 

She has lived an eternity and she’s still going and doing what? Helping humanity. Doing the best she can to help others. She’s lived so much and still she’s found purpose in being good, kind, brave, doing the right thing for others. We are not prepared to understand how big Andy’s heart is. All of humanity, all her life, and she still wants the best for the world. Andy is basically God if he came down here to do the dirty work himself, so basically she’s better.

But one of my favorite things, and something that inspires to write so much of her, is that she’s still so human. She has all the experiences in the world but she shows her feelings just like everyone else. She laughs with her friends, she loses her mind over her favorite food, she makes heart eyes at her wife, she drinks too much, she jokes, she has regrets, she makes new promises, she cries when she’s sad, she’s stubborn, and in the end she’s as tired and fragile as any mortal human. She might have done everything a million times before but she still puts her heart into every little thing she does and i think that’s beautiful

[ohwereusingourmadeupnames]

Happy Birthday, Tony Stark

Pairing: Peter Parker/Tony Stark Rating: Mature (M) Word Count: ~11k Notes: Tony’s birthday is an important holiday in my life - so I decided to celebrate with this cute little fic. @stark-bb supplied the beauty for the end & I’m really happy with the way it turned out. Happy Birthday, Tony - this is how 50 should have gone for you!  Warnings: endgame fix-it (kind of), NSFW stuff, hurt/comfort, insecure!Tony Summary: 

It's Tony Stark's birthday - which means there's tons of reasons to celebrate. Check out his relationship with Peter over the course of two birthday's.

For his 50th, Peter goes all out - but is it really the night that Tony wanted?

Or, the one where Peter plans a party and all Tony wants is his love instead.

Read it on A03 here

In retrospect, after Thanos, actually getting to 50 was a miraculous thing.

It took him and Bruce 6 months to figure out how to bring everyone back after the snap. The easiest part of it all was going back in time to collect all of the stones – despite a couple of little hiccups, the job was well done. The gauntlet Tony constructed could easily be coined as one of his greatest technological masterpieces – and when Cara Danvers came back looking for Nick Fury, their answer to who would yield it was nicely answered.

There wasn’t much time between the stones being used and the gauntlet being stolen right out from under their grasp. With the total annihilation of Avenger’s tower, it didn’t seem all that surprising that they were all of the sudden looking down into the abyss of a full-on war. There were so many of Thanos’ troops that for the first little bit of the battle – it didn’t seem like they were going to get anywhere close to winning.

Then, the portals opened up and every single person Tony could remember ever hearing about or seeing stepped through. His eyes caught and kept Peter’s when Cara pulled him out of the ditch with the gauntlet held tightly in his arms. There were so many other things that were important in that moment – the world was on the cusp of decimation once again – yet, he couldn’t break the eye contact. He didn’t want to.

Pulling Peter into his arms the second he could felt like the most natural thing in the world – when the kid dusted in them not that long ago, the world felt a little less special. Now, the scale shifted back to normal. The picture of him and Peter they took when he put together his ‘internship’ was one of the biggest catalysts in his adamancy in figuring out how to solve the time travel issue and put things back to right.

He didn’t plan to press the kiss against his cheek – the adrenaline of battle and finally succeeding made it easy to override the thinking portion of his choice of actions. Peter melted into him and it suddenly felt more than okay. The mumbled “this is nice” drove home the point and Tony let himself have that – the embrace, the comfort, even the solace that came from having Peter back again.

The rage of battle swept them away from each other and for a while, Tony was focused on being the perfect distraction for Cara – her final move of sweeping and engaging just enough to get the stones off of Thanos and onto the gauntlet the single greatest in Avenger history. Watching Thanos drift away into nothingness felt more satisfying than Tony cared to admit – and when he fell to his knees, it was from being overwhelmed that maybe, just maybe, they saved the world for good.

Aftermath in the face of a tragedy that only half of the population remembered was a little weird. It took a lot of explaining to the ones they lost for everyone to make sense of the missing time – of the life that got put on hold because of a crazy vendetta. Tony tried hard to document the progress he and Bruce made through the construction of the time machine and their ideas about the stones so he could explain to anyone that asked. Though – it was unsurprising that Peter was the only one that even wanted to know.

So – Tony explained it to him. They talked through the schematics he initially drew up when solving the irregular blip that Bruce initially couldn’t. Peter’s questions were educated and the things he inferred before Tony could tell him were some that even Bruce did not conclude. He can’t help but be impressed by the kid’s true intelligence. Tony spent so much time trying to protect him, he never took the time to pay the closet attention to him as a person – to the extremely smart and talented individually Peter absolutely was.

In the end, the boy left with a much clearer understanding of the ins and outs of the journey to get him back. It appeased him a grand total of two days before Peter came knocking again. His excuse didn’t seem nearly as sound this time. He kept listening for May to come through the door even though he knew she was working the overnight shift – Tony could see it for what it was, a plea for distraction, for the company of another human being that wasn’t going to ask questions or wonder out loud about things that shouldn’t be spoken about ever again.

It quickly became a routine between them – Peter showing up later into the night with a feeble excuse to come in and spend time with Tony. Tony didn’t spend any time pretending, though – each time it happened, he opened the door and let Peter come in without worrying about the muttered excuse thrown his way.

Dealing with shit was a personal thing, the understanding of that was something Tony knew very intimately.

His own special way of dealing pulled him away from Pepper – their relationship crumbling at the seams when Tony refused to give up the suit. After everything, he felt it to be too big of a compromise – he loved her, but some things were bigger than ultimatums and their inevitable consequences. Losing half of the population made that pretty clear.

And though Tony hated to admit it, he came to rely on the kid’s presence – their late night tv binges one of the only things that chased the nightmares away. Despite seeing him on an almost daily basis now, Tony still dreamt about the way Peter faded from his arms, the impossible to hold feeling of dust running through his hands the worst part of it all. He figured they would stop when the world started to spin the right way again – yet, he couldn’t escape them. It took a lot more brain bytes than he originally thought to push away the few reasons he could come up with as to why that actually was.

No matter how much he didn’t want to think about it, letting Peter in all of those nights ago set the course for them. Tony couldn’t deny that he learned to heal a little more every single time Peter came through the door – the ease in their conversation slowly but surely becoming something that Tony couldn’t live without. They forged a closeness with every night that past – one that Tony quickly had to put in a safe category. There were so many times he found himself wanting to reach across the couch and grip Peter’s hand in his own. So quickly, Peter became a steady source of comfort.

Sooner rather than later, the Avengers were suiting back up – the idea of instituting regular rounds and patrolling schedules winning without question when Steve brought it up. If they were going to deal with entities like Thanos ever again, the need to be better prepared reigned supreme. Luckily, the rest of the group recognized his and Peter’s familiarity and always paired them up. It felt nice to work with him and Tony absorbed every single second of it. They were constantly learning together and when the time came to actually fight, they’d be prepared – some of their tag team moves way more than enough to truly debilitate an opponent.

Of course, being patrol partners meant dealing with the times that things turned to shit. Though there weren’t big time things forcing all of the Avenger’s to assemble, they still dealt with things that were dangerous. Peter, no matter how many times Tony shouted at him about keeping it on the safer side, refused to ignore intuition – even if it led him astray nine times out of ten. It was extremely frustrating, and the only downfall Tony could find with being back to saving the world so soon after the last time.

Things got interesting when Peter almost died taking down Mysterio. It took them a few minutes longer than they expected to get across the pond and into a position where they could help – so Peter handled a lot of it on his own. Tony was glad they spent all the time they did training – some of the moves Friday showed him were truly impressive and genuinely lifesaving. It felt shitty to find Peter broken and bloody – there was no mistaking the pure intensity of the battle that raged before him.

Tony pushed aside all of his personal feelings and helped solve the problem – the best thing he could do for Peter was get things under control, there wouldn’t be any need for the younger man to have to fight so hard after that. It took the two of them and some well-planned drop-ins from Steve and Natasha to put everything to rest. When things were finally over, Peter slumped over against Tony and howled, the tears just as much from frustration as exhaustion and pain. He didn’t let Tony detach the entire time Dr. Cho took a look at him – he stayed by his side and talked him through what happened – tried to keep him calm when a bone was reset and his body temperature worked off the sedative before it could actually numb anything.

It felt hard to separate Peter from the thoughts of caring, and protection, and on the weakest of days – love. He figured the idea of being a father figure wouldn’t be too bad. Tony wanted to believe that Peter leaned on him the way he would May or Happy. There were signs, though – signs that said the younger man’s feelings were way deeper than either wanted to think about at the moment. For the sake of allowing independence and growth, Tony didn’t pursue the obvious.

That mindset didn’t last very long  – Peter had a way of being pretty persuasive. His 49th birthday crept toward them without anyone really noticing. Everyone was trying to figure out what post-Thanos meant – and the simplicity of a birthday didn’t seem to be on the forefront of people’s minds. It didn’t matter, anyway – the older he got, the more meaningless birthdays seemed to be. The world continued to spin and need protecting and want things regardless of birthdays.

When the day came, it surprised him to see candles sticking out of a big pile of Belgian waffles that morning – a smiling Peter and Bruce carrying the plate over to him. He shook his head and blew out the candles, the cheesiness of it just that – cheesy – but also very thoughtful and way more than he wanted or imagined. The waffles tasted just a little bit better that morning, too – which was quite the feat, because Tony loved waffles; absolutely fucking loved them.

The rest of the day past in a haze of bowling in the alley in the SI building, eating disgustingly shitty food, and good company. Bruce begged out after the third game and left Peter and Tony alone to duke out games four and five. Peter’s incredible strength worked against him in the end, Tony grabbed both the games and the overall win count for the day. It wouldn’t have hurt his feelings if Peter let him win, either – it felt good to feel good for once.

Heading back to the penthouse, Tony wasn’t surprised when Peter followed him up. From the beginning, Tony made sure to keep May in the loop – and at this point, as long as Peter was somewhere safe, she didn’t seem to mind. Peter probably took more advantage of that little giving piece of her, but Tony wasn’t one to complain when it benefitted him just as much. He watched the kid go straight to the fridge, the massive quantity of junk food they consumed just hours earlier obviously not enough.

“What do you want to do for dinner, Tony? Your fridge is kind of empty,” Peter said after a couple of minutes of leaning over and looking, then stepping away – like if he looked enough times, things would show up eventually. Grinning, Tony sank into one of the stools tucked into the kitchen island, his fingers knitting together.

“I hadn’t thought about it – I’ve eaten more today than I usually do in a week. Want me to order something? I bet we can get that Vietnamese place you like to deliver out here,” Tony mumbled in reply. He brought a finger to his glasses and tapped into Friday’s interface. “Can you order the usual, doll?”

Peter stood on the other side of the island across from him, his cheeks flushed. “You didn’t have to do that. I found an egg in there,” he remarked, his thumb hiking over his shoulder towards the fridge. “It’s your birthday – we should be doing what you want.” Peter tried for a serious look in his direction but failed at the last second – the soft ‘for Tony’ smile he’d come to be very familiar with over the last few months spreading across his lips. He leaned down onto his forearms, the two of them closer than ever now.

“We’ve done enough, Pete. Let me be an old man for the rest of the night, huh? Besides, we’re almost done with The Sopranos – I’m ready to see how it all ends.” Tony wasn’t lying, either – there wasn’t anything else he’d rather do. The thought of getting dressed to go out or partying the night away made his head spin. After all of the bull shit of the life he led, sitting around with takeout and good company didn’t seem all that bad.

The boy seemed to understand, the softness in his eyes answer enough. He shrugged his shoulders and pushed away from the island – Tony watched as he went over to the bar on the other side of the room and grabbed a small rock glass. Without much effort, he poured two fingers worth of whiskey into it and walked back across the room, the glass being passed to Tony before he could even understand what happened.

“You’re going to need that, then,” Peter finally uttered, his face breaking out into a smile. Tony watched the grin grow and internally documented all of the lines and grooves that played across the boy’s face. Peter must have noticed because his smile grew a little bigger. “Want to go hangout in the lab until the food gets here?” The question was shy, despite what felt like millions of hours they spent there together already.

Slamming back the liquid in the glass, Tony let the burn clear his head – his mind in all sorts of places it probably shouldn’t be. He caught Peter’s eye and nodded, his own grin slipping across reluctant lips. “It’s funny that you even need to ask.” Tony got up then, his neck swiveling to crack the stiff joints. “Shall we?” he asked, his head tilting when Peter didn’t move or even say anything.

He didn’t expect the clumsy hands Peter answered with, the boy grabbing his hips a little too tight, the strength in his arms bringing Tony against his chest. Tony let out a breath, his secret wants and desires coming to life before him – his brain shortcutting with the responsible thoughts that tried to break through the haze. His arms wrapped around Peter’s shoulders on their own accord, Tony losing the fight against himself with every passing second.

“Pete – “ Tony tried, his arms opposing his words, the muscles in his shoulders, chest, and biceps tensing and clenching, every fiber of his being wanting to be that much closer. Peter tilting his head until they were looking eye to eye stopped him in his tracks, though – the boy’s eyes bright with many things unreadable, except for one. Slamming his own shut, Tony pulled in a long breath, the look too much.

Then, lips were on his, and all thoughts ceased to exist for the few seconds that clumsiness turned into the hottest thing he’d ever felt. Peter’s hands moved from his hips to frame his face, the tightness of them bringing their lips closer together – Tony tilting his head at the very last second to stop their noses from colliding painfully. He sunk into it and forgot for a second what he needed to do when they broke apart.

The soft moan leaving Peter’s lips when the kiss broke made him press back in for another couple of chaste pecks – Tony hoping more than anything that it was enough to engrain the taste of Peter onto the surface of his skin. Dipping his head, Tony pressed their foreheads together, his eyes closing.

“You figured out what I really wanted,” Tony whispered, a laugh leaving his lips at the sound of the words in his own ears. Up until that point, he hadn’t allowed himself to even think like that. With Peter in his arms – it was easy, though. Like their embrace on the battlefield, Tony couldn’t help what his lips did this close to Peter’s person.

“You’re just a couple months too early,” he managed to get out, the few seconds of hesitation before doing so just enough to soak this intimacy in a little bit longer. “You know we have to wait.” Peter’s head became a little heavier against his own for a second, then he felt the slightest of nods – the boy way smarter than Tony ever gave him credit for. Pulling back, he put a bit of space between them, the only point of contact now his hand on Peter’s cheek.

While his thumb brushed the sharp bone there, Peter leaned into the touch – his eyes shut, the storm inside them kept under control by the lids covering them. Tony let himself look his fill until Peter was the one pulling away – the saddest little smile on his lips. “I know – I just – I couldn’t wait. I – Tony, you’re everything.” The words were earnest and if this were anyone else, he wouldn’t have even given thought to believing him. Peter constantly showed how much respect he deserved, so Tony gave it to him.

“Save that for later, okay? We’ll make your 18th one to remember.”

“Okay. Happy birthday, Mr. Stark.”

----

And boy did they – even a year later, Tony can still remember the entire day they turned into a week rather vividly.

He told Peter to pack a bag and let May know they were staying in the city for the week. For the first time in almost two months, Tony was finally letting him stay over again. He knew if he gave either of them any opportunity to give into temptation, they would – and this seemed like too important of a thing to screw up before it could officially be a thing. He didn’t want to give anyone – including the person who trusted Tony to be a good part of Peter’s life – the ability to question anything between them.

The second Peter walked through the door; the boy was on him – Tony barely able to get his glasses off his face before they were kissing. It didn’t make it past the necking stage, of course – Tony had too many plans to lose his shit on the couch in his front room – but it was nice to finally let himself touch and feel, to give into the want that so obviously coursed through them both. He let Peter squirm against him until he let out a satisfied huff and finally came up for air. “Happy birthday, Petey,” Tony mumbled against his forehead.

Coney Island took up the rest of the day – Tony laughing and smiling harder than he could remember, especially since Thanos. The ride on the Cyclone threw them into each other and when they got off, Tony wrapped Peter in his arm and steered them back towards the line, the two of them riding the coaster two more times before moving on. Peter insisted they finish the day at the aquarium – the boy totally obsessed with the penguins and otters.

When they got back to the penthouse, Tony led Peter into the bedroom, straight past the bed, and into the attached bathroom. He pushed him down until he was sitting on the edge of the tub and went about putting the necessary stuff for a bath in it. While the water ran, Tony took Peter’s clothes off one article at a time, his lips following behind caressing the newly exposed skin. Getting down to his boxers, Tony had him stand up and pulled them very slowly down Peter’s legs, the tips of his fingers tracing the same path as the fabric.

He stayed on his knees and lavished the skin on the inside of Peter’s left knee, then nosed his way up his right thigh – his lips landing on his hip, eyes looking up. “Get in the tub,” he mumbled, his eyebrows raising in invitation. Peter didn’t waste any time complying with the request – a soft sigh leaving his lips when he sank into the warm water.

Stepping back, Tony started the actual part of the bath that was for Peter. He slipped the buttons out of the slots on the vest he was wearing and let it hit the ground. The shirt came next, his fingers slow in the way they moved from one button to the next. A light shimmy had the button down flowing off his shoulders to join the vest on the floor. Kicking off his shoes, he hobbled about for a second to get the socks off – then straightened back out with sexiness written on his face once again.

Peter’s eyes were glued to his every move, Tony happy to see red trail down his cheeks, neck, and onto his chest with each new piece of clothing that came off. The boy was fisting himself under the water, Tony could tell by the wave and ripple of it. Tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, Tony made quick work of his belt and the button on his slacks, the pants falling without much effort after that. His black boxer briefs stayed on for a second, Tony taking a couple of steps closer to the tub until he could lean down and press a kiss against Peter’s lips.

While they kissed, Tony pulled his underwear off, a little groan slipping out between them when his erection finally hit the coolness of the air around them. “Shift forward a little, babe,” Tony muttered, his body sinking easily into the water with the newly made space. Peter moved back and settled between his legs without any prompting, Tony’s chest now toasty from the combination of water and the boy’s warm skin. Wrapping his arms around him, Tony pulled him even further back – his cock trapped perfectly between his own stomach and Peter’s back.

Touching his lips to Peter’s neck, Tony let himself relax into the warm water and the sound embrace – the boy in front of him doing the same thing if the sagging weight against his chest was anything to go by. “Did you have a good birthday?” he spoke the words right beside Peter’s ear – the gust of breath having the desired effect as goosebumps launched themselves across his skin.

His head fell back against Tony’s shoulder, Peter’s hands moving until they were gripping the older man’s across his stomach. “It’s been great. This is the best part, though – finally getting to spend this kind of time with you.” It was obvious Peter meant each of those words, too; his voice took on such authentic tone when he was talking to Tony. “I love you, Tony. I have for a while.”

Though he suspected, Tony didn’t think he would hear those words for a long time. He forgot how mature Peter could be when he really put his mind to things. Tony moved his arms until he could cup Peter’s cheek, the boy shifting a little bit to look over his shoulder – their eyes meeting. “I love you too, Pete. I’m the worst possible choice for you, but I’m also incessantly selfish. You can have whatever you want from me.” Tony capped his words off with a soft kiss, his lips lingering just because they could.

“I just want you, Tony. I thought for a long time that I wanted to save the world, be a hero – and yeah, I still want that – but I want this, too. Simplicity. Your arms around me. I’m young, I know – I also know what I want, so don’t try and talk me out of it.” Peter practically huffed out, his last couple of words sounding a bit petulant. They made Tony’s heart jolt, regardless – the weight of them surprisingly heavy.

Who was he to dictate any of that part of Peter’s life? Tony did lots of questionable things in his youth – more than a few of them without thinking about it as thoroughly as Peter seemed to. There were no regrets in the pacing of their relationship and how very natural it occurred, so what was there to really hold him back? There were times Tony was selfish about much lesser things and at this point in his life, why hold now? Smiling to himself, Tony relaxed even further into the porcelain of the tub.

“I’m not going to try and talk you out of anything. It might suck for a little while – telling everyone and explaining ourselves, but I’m with you.”

That was about a year ago and while Tony was right – it was a hassle to constantly answer questions and defend a thing that felt so natural to them – things were also too good to really be that upset about it. They went about telling the team first, these people fought with them on a constant basis and needed to understand the decision they made. It took a bit of talking Steve from the tizzy he spun up and a few well placed “I know exactly how you feels” to get everyone to calm down enough to talk to Peter about it.

The old guy of the group grabbed Peter’s shoulder, Steve’s eyes seemingly trying to stare right into his soul. “He’s old, Pete,” Steve started – the rest of the group breaking out into varying degrees of laughter around them. Tony prickled for a second, his pride a little hurt from the implication – but what could he really do? When compared to Peter, he was old – generations older, in fact.

Peter’s hand grabbed Steve’s and dislodged it, usually soft brown eyes serious, his gaze just as sharp. “So are you.” Tony watched him bite into his bottom lip and unsuccessfully trying to stop laughter from bubbling in his chest. “I don’t care. I’m old enough to understand all of your concerns and appreciate them – but I am politely ignoring everything you guys have to say. I want this. He didn’t talk me into it, he didn’t groom me,” Peter stopped then, his eyes trailing over to Rhodey who spoke the traitorous words earlier. “He’s just my person, you know?”

After hearing that, Tony figured no one could stand between them. Not even May – who surprisingly didn’t seem shocked or upset about the situation. She glared at Tony for a long minute, then pulled him into her arms. “If you hurt him, I’ll do the same – got it?” she whispered, the arms “hugging” him tightening ever so slightly.

“Noted,” Tony replied instantly, his hands patting her back lightly. He caught the look Peter and May shared when they pulled away and had to try very hard not to burst out laughing in her face. They were both stubborn, the older man instantly understanding where Peter got it from. Wrapping his arm around Peter, Tony pressed a kiss to the side of his head, the boy relaxing into him.

“The hardest part is over,” he mumbled into Peter’s hair, the hand on his shoulder bringing him more tightly against his chest.

----

Despite being with one of the most caring humans on the planet, Tony’s 50th birthday loomed over him. For whatever reason, it felt like a big one. The age difference between him and Peter never played a part for either of them – yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about how glaring it actually was. Sometimes when he picked Peter up from HIGH SCHOOL, he felt incredibly old – and the closer his birthday got, the more ridiculous it seemed to be picking someone up from secondary school.

He didn’t give a shit about it – not for him, at least. The older person in the scenario always got the better end of the deal. Peter was loving and kind, young to the point where some of the shit he pulled out of his ass to refer to was adorably offensive. No – he didn’t really get what Peter saw in him. At least – lately. Maybe that mid-life crisis was finally sneaking up on him – the idea of that laughable after some of the crazy stuff that went on his life.

In the last couple of weeks, Tony felt some of his self-worth starting to diminish a little bit. Which was literally silly – Peter touched him, kissed him – practically worshipped him on a nightly basis. Feelings weren’t always rational, though. Every time Peter mentioned the big party he was planning for the occasion, Tony felt himself curl in a little bit – his affinity for not hurting Peter seemingly the only thing keeping him from shouting about how little he wanted to attend a party celebrating his old ass.

Peter flourished, though – so he didn’t stop him, not even when his heart started to race when his young boyfriend talked about all of the Avengers and their travel plans to meet at the complex. It was nice that they all wanted to come back and celebrate – he just hated the fact that they were celebrating such a long milestone on Tony’s account. He told himself to grin and bear it, though – it couldn’t possibly be that bad.

And since Peter was really wrapped up in all of the planning, he didn’t get the subtle hints that Tony tried to make. His “maybe it can be just you and me” wasn’t said early enough and when he thought to bring it up – his mind went to all of the plans Peter made; the way his caring, so very loving boyfriend thought every little thing out.

The night of, Tony went through the motions – he donned the suit (because let’s face it, Tony looked damn good in a custom Gucci suit.) The barber Peter paid to come in and clean them up did a good job on his facial hair and the slight trim of the longer strands on the top of his head made him feel the slightest bit better. Whenever Peter caught his eyes in the mirror, Tony could genuinely smile back.

They walked in together hand-in-hand, which Tony still felt a little giddy about. He milled around and did the right amount of small talk – his chest feeling a little warmer with each hug he got from his Avenger family. Tony did all the right things until he found an out, the anxiety that was building starting to clutch at him, the shininess of the night a little too bright for his tastes.

Walking into the lab, Tony breathed a sigh of relief, his muscles unclenching for the first time all night. He slipped off his jacket and got to work on a couple of modifications to the nanotech he was implementing into the suit – the response time still a little slow for his liking. For the first time the entire night, Tony felt the weight lift off of his chest. He got so zoned into what he was doing, he didn’t see Peter walk into the lab – or really acknowledge his presence until a hand was on his shoulder.

“I thought I might find you here. What happened?” His voice was soft – though, Tony also sensed the slightest bit of tension sitting under the surface of those words.

He bought himself some time by swiping across the holoscreen, his work dropping down into the folder to be pulled out at a later time. “It got a little crowded in there.” He mumbled with a shrug, his eyes nowhere near meeting Peter’s. “I got an idea and kind of had to run with it.” That excuse almost as lame as the first one.

Peter’s hands wrapped around his shoulders, the boy’s strength keeping him against his chest – forcing him to give up some attention. “What’s really wrong, though? You’ve been a little off lately.”

So, he did notice. Clenching his eyes shut, Tony gave in a little, his body leaning into Peter, letting the younger man take a bit of his weight. “I’m just old – I didn’t want to celebrate that. But, I didn’t have the heart to say anything.” He felt deflated as the words left his lips – the strain of it finally climbing its way down and off his heart. “I’ve been having a moment and I love the hell out of you for doing what you did. I’ve been doubting why you’d want me and it’s so obvious, isn’t it?” Tony leaned his head against Peter’s, so much defeat within him.

For a man that saved the world, he didn’t feel very strong in that moment. Being in Peter’s arms made him vulnerable and, in that moment, he couldn’t find a way to stop the avalanche tumbling him down the cliff. A couple tears streamed down his cheeks before Tony could even think to stop them. Peter’s thumb was there in an instant, mopping them up without a second thought.

“It is – but that’s okay. I should have noticed – I mean, I did, but I was excited. You did say you wanted it to be just you and me. Can we start that now? I’ve got a pretty decent idea,” Peter whispered, the leverage of his hands on Tony’s face bringing their eyes level. “I love you, Tony – today is about you, not me.” Peter let the words sit between them for a second, the boy giving him time to say no if he really wanted.

Instead of answering, Tony closed the space between them, Peter’s lips warm against his own. Tony gripped the side of Peter’s suit jacket and simply let himself go – the younger man taking control of the kiss without a single problem. Tipping his head to the side, a soft gasp left his mouth when Peter took advantage of the position and started to press his tongue in deeper. The tangle of heat there absolutely delicious.

He felt himself being pushed back, his feet moving on their own accord until the edge of the lab table hit his lower back, another moan leaving his lips. With the kiss broken, Peter put a little bit of space between them and went right for Tony’s belt – his nimble fingers getting the thing undone and his button open within seconds. The innocent Peter from a year ago did not exist – the younger man had no problems pushing his pants and boxer briefs down enough to get access to his cock. Lips wrapping around him pulled a “fuck” from deep within him, his control ticking down to nothing.

“Pete – “ Tony grumbled, his hand camping out on his boyfriend’s shoulder, fingers digging into the suit jacket there. Peter worked him over effortlessly, the boy’s tongue trailing down his length as the swallowed him whole. The tip of his dick hit the back of Peter’s throat time and time again – his hips pressing in that last little inch when the other’s hands reached back and used his ass cheeks to pull him forward. The tears in Peter’s eyes welled, but he pulled him deeper anyway – his mouth stretching obscenely.

The gulping sensation of Peter’s throat restricting against his already pulsing length brought him to the edge embarrassingly quick. He moved his fingers up Peter’s neck into his hair, his grip tight after a particularly delicious suck from the tip of his cock all the way down to the root – Peter’s cute little nose dirtily pressed into the nest of well-trimmed pubes. “Oh god – Pete. I’m going to cum. You’ve got to stop. Pete!” Tony spoke helplessly, his free hand scabbling at the table behind him.

Tossing his head back, Tony felt the snap of too much arousal in his gut – his hips pressing forward totally out of his control. “Pete, fuck!” He let out a series of groans with every hard suck against the head of his cock, Peter obviously very keen on milking him for all that he was worth. Tony forced himself to loosen the grip in Peter’s hair, a soft wince leaving his lips when a couple strands of hair caught between his fingers. Desperate for the feel of those spit slick lips against his own, Tony pulled Peter up off his knees and slammed their mouths together.

“What about you?” Tony mumbled against his lips a couple of minutes later, the taste of himself on Peter’s tongue almost enough to get him ready to go again. His fingers were desperate to get their hands on Peter’s skin – the older man hoping for just a little bit more.

Peter grabbed Tony’s hand and pressed it against the crotch of his pants – the wetness there apparent, the suits pants totally ruined by the mess he made. “I think we should head upstairs and see where the rest of the night takes us.” He grinned and gave Tony another kiss, his hands greedy in the way they helped him get his pants up – in the way he pulled Tony out of the lab and into the elevator.

Surprisingly, Peter didn’t try anything in the elevator – he kept Tony against his chest, arms slung tightly around him. “I love you,” the boy mumbled against the shell of his ear, the ride long enough for the intense zing to cool off a bit – the softness of his words perfect for the moment.

“I love you, too.”

That was just the calm before the storm.

Tony followed with hungry eyes as Peter started to take off his clothes the second they hit the penthouse – his bow tie hitting Tony’s cheek before the older man could process what was even happening. Eyes wide, Tony didn’t hesitate to stay on Peter’s heals and try to touch the newly revealed skin with hungry fingertips.

Getting into the bedroom, Tony expected to find a naked Peter in his bed – instead, the naked man was standing at the edge, an expectant look on his face. “Come here,” he beckoned, his long fingers hypnotizing enough to draw Tony in right away. His feet carried him over there – skintight with excitement of what was to come. “Get on the bed, Tony.” Peter’s grin was too good to ignore, so he complied immediately.

Lithe hands made quick work of his shoes and socks – Tony moving up a little further on the mattress when his feet were bare. Peter continued his exploration by moving to the button on is pants and pulling them and his underwear down his legs without hesitation. Soft fingertips explored the soles of his feet, nails running over the arches. “I love how strong your legs are. You’re not the tallest guy – but you’ve got these legs that carry so much weight.” Tony slammed his eyes closed, his brain not able to take the words and the sight of Peter all at once.

The younger man peppered kisses up his legs, over the ticklish part of his knees and across the long length of his thighs – his skin pebbling with the physical sign of arousal. Peter moved up after that, his fingers getting Tony’s buttons open without much effort – the boy touching the newly exposed skin with reverence – eyes glued to Tony’s. “Your stomach is my favorite. You’re stacked – there’s so much muscle there. And then you’ve got this slight little swell here,” Peter moved his hands to run over the littlest bit of stomach Tony hadn’t been able to get rid of over the years. “Reminds me that you’re human, you know?” He let his tongue swirl across the skin there.

A soft touch to his face had him blinking his eyes open, Peter’s face wide open – the heat there, totally encompassed by the lightness the other was trying so hard to portray. Tony nodded his head then, a little smile playing on his lips. Peter returned it, his exploring fingers moving once against to his chest – his nipples pebbling with their attention. “It’s hard to forget sometimes, too,” Tony whispered, chest coming up off the bed to press into Peter’s touch.

A couple minutes later, Peter urged him to turn over – his teasing touches starting up the second his flesh was on display. The younger man’s fingers pressed into the muscles of his shoulders and back, the touch just as soothing as it was arousing. He made a trail from the back of Tony’s neck down to the valley of his lower back with tongue, teeth, and lips – each nip and lick taking him apart inch by inch.

Stopping at his ass, Peter grabbed a cheek in each of his hands. “This is my favorite, though. You’ve taken to wearing those tight slacks and it’s a total tease. I want to take you apart, but then, I want to see your ass clench and flex in those pants,too. It’s distracting, Tony. And I think you know that.” Peter emphasized each of his words with sharp bites to each round globe – the stimulation of the skin there causing Tony to groan, his muscles clenching.

“I like the way you look at me,” Tony managed to groan out, his hips pressing back to get more of Peter’s touch, anything and everything the younger man could give him. Peter rewarded him with another stinging bite on the meat of his right ass cheek. “Fuck, Pete – “ his words felt a little slurred, each one dripping out with any consent of his own.

“I know – and that’s what makes it hotter. Your ass is kind of forbidden. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve had it over the last year,” Peter drove his point home with a not so subtle yank of Tony’s cheeks apart – the air hitting him cool, a sudden chill rushing over his already tender skin.

Fingers pressing against his hole brought Tony to mere whimpers – Peter was right, he didn’t usually do a lot of time in this position, the vulnerability usually making him uncomfortable. There was something in the way Peter was handling him that made him want to give in and let Peter take and give and bring them both to their fucking knees, though. The other seemed to take his noises as a good sign and got to work.

Despite being 50 years old, Tony never got used to the feeling of a tongue in, around, or up his asshole. A laugh fell from his lips – the feeling their foreign and overwhelming, his gut filling with shame and heat all at once. Peter wasn’t discouraged by anything and went to town – his tongue tracing Tony’s rim before pressing in, the tip absolutely devastating in the way it plunged and caressed. The looser he started to feel, the more Peter doubled his efforts.

Soon, fingers were joining Peter’s tongue, the rhythmic press of blunt fingers and a warm tongue a complete mixture of sensations and stimulus – the feeling absolutely fucking perfect. He didn’t feel old when he gave his cock a little thought – the length was raging, the hardness there throbbing with needy want. It felt good – Peter made him feel good. Groaning at a spectacularly good press of Peter’s fingers, Tony bit into the pillow below him – Peter made him feel so fucking good.

“Pete – I need you to fuck me, please. Show me. Show me how much you want me. Need it – need you, baby.” He couldn’t explain what he said or how he said it or even if it made sense; his brain was running on want, adrenaline, and the dopamine that made being delirious feel like the warmest hug – like it was the most exquisite thing in the entire world. His breaths were coming in pants, Peter’s last few thrusts glancing his prostate deliciously.

He felt the younger man move behind him, the bed shifting with his weight. Tony heard the drawer open and let out a sigh of relief – Peter’s weight draping over him the best feeling of the night. “I’ll take care of you, Tony,” Peter said, the words skating across his skin – Pete’s fingers already working the lube into him, the fingers there not nearly enough.

The party a few floors below them probably heard the loud groan Tony let slip from within him when Peter bottomed out. The stretch of not being all that used to the fullness inside him made all of his limbs break out in what felt like waves of fire – his brain stuck between the pleasure-pain of the feeling. The fact that Peter didn’t give him any time to think about it before bottoming out completely helped and the leering blaze of pain that tried to stick around went straight out the window – the heat in his core pooling once again.

Kisses against his neck and the hands running down his sides relaxed him enough to let Peter move – the younger man’s cock thick, his length the perfect combination of inches and girth. For such a young person, Peter kept amazing control over himself – his strokes long and lazy, the best part coming from the exquisite roll of his hips when bottoming out; his prostate getting a gentle nudge with each one. Tony didn’t do anything other than squirm below him – his mind was everywhere, filled with nothing but the things Peter was doing to him.

“You feel amazing, Tony. Fucking amazing,” Peter babbled, the boy’s strokes picking up without either of them noticing – the pace natural, the steady climb of their love making slowly getting to the ultimate crescendo. “I don’t know how you can do this for as long as you do – I want to cum already. I’m going to coat your insides so that every time you even think about not being enough – you’ll remember the way it felt to have me pulse everything I have so deep inside of you. Fuck. I’m so close – “

Tony shouted – Peter’s words and the increase of pace getting him from hot to completely bothered in no time at all. The other’s weight pressed him against the mattress, every thrust brushing his cock against the soft sheets below him. His eyes were clenched tightly, Tony determined to let his mind and body wander – Peter’s guiding hands the only thing that mattered in that moment. “I love you, Pete,” Tony choked out, his head turning to catch Peter’s glance over his shoulder. When they caught eyes, the look in Peter’s tossed him over the edge – the younger man’s mouthed ‘I love you, too’ way, way, way too much for him to handle.

Peter miraculously held on for another handful of strokes, the younger man keeping his promise – his overused hole clenching with every pulse he could feel. The repeated Tony played in his head like a mantra – Peter’s voice the only one he wanted to hear say his name for the rest of his life.

----

When the immediate fatigue of orgasming within the inch of his life wore off, Tony coerced Peter into the shower – the younger man still covered in sweat and lube. The stayed wrapped around each other trading kisses back and forth – Peter continuing his trend of taking care of Tony; the young man surprisingly thorough in the way he ran his fingers through long locks and scrubbed the dirt, grim, and cum off his skin.

The last couple of hours were exactly what he was looking for – and Tony told Peter so more than a few times between getting out of bed and finishing up in the shower. His boyfriend simply kissed him, the boy obviously not looking for any sort of praise. After all they did for each other, thank you’s were a little meaningless – both men more than capable of expressing their gratitude in many different ways.

Pulling on a pair of sleep pants, Tony got back into bed on Peter’s instruction. The younger man walked out of the room for a couple of minutes – Tony laying back against the mattress, the feeling of contentment lingering in his mind for the first time in a while. There were many things Peter did for him – but this, the never-ending feeling of comfort, that’s what Tony liked the most. Being the 50-year-old man that he was, having a person that could bring him that was the best birthday present Tony hoped to continue to keep on getting.

The snick of Peter’s bare feet on the floor brought him out of his thoughts – the younger man carrying a box with him when Tony sat up to watch him walk back into the room. “I know you said no presents, but I think you’re going to like this one. I only spent money on one part of it – and it wasn’t that much, so don’t be upset, okay? I’m 99% sure you’re going to really like this.” Watching Peter babble about it made up for the fact that his boyfriend once again ignored his wishes (though, the longer they were together, the longer Tony figured Peter did that on purpose – because it was a fun game between them.)

Tony reached out to Peter, his fingers beckoning the younger man into bed. “I won’t be upset – just come sit with me while I open it.” He didn’t care how needy he seemed – today was his birthday and Peter was hell bent on catering to him. Peter didn’t disagree, anyway, he easily slid into the bed next to Tony, the box still in his hands.

“So, I guess I should explain this a little bit before you open it,” Peter started, his fingers playing with the bow on top of the box. “You’re always talking about how you miss everyone – and how it would be a lot easier if you had tangible memories of things. I know you’ve got all the technology in the world and could make that happen if you really wanted to. I mean – you still use Friday to watch me sometimes, you can’t even deny that.” He chuckled then, his face a little red from nervousness – the emotion easily read on his face.

“Anyway – I wanted you to see that people love and miss you, too. That, despite what you might think, the world would not be the same with you and the 50 years you’ve been kicking around it.” Then and only then did Peter let go of the box – his eyes flitting back and forth between Tony and whatever was in the damn thing.

Taking a deep breath, Tony pulled the top off, his head tilting when he saw what looked like a photo album sitting there. He peeked up, but Peter’s eyes were staring at the album in the box, the expression on his face unreadable. Tony took a deep breath and dug in, his curiosity winning out over any other emotion that was vying for his attention.

Opening it, Tony’s breath caught – the cover page was one of the professional photos they got done a couple months ago. The smile on both of their faces was stunning, the love written there obvious. A few of those photos were in frames around the room. In big letters it said, ‘To Tony Stark’ and under the picture the words ‘from the people who love you’ were written there.

He flipped the first page and almost lost it – the collection of him and Rhodey during college making him want to cringe and rush back up to the party all at once. His hair cut during that time of his life wasn’t the greatest – an instant regret for the party in the back look he tried to pull off for a little while washing over him. On the far side of the page, a note was written.

Happy birthday, old man!

When Peter brought this up, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to embarrass the hell out of you. College is where you changed my life and it’ll always be one of my favorite times in life. Thanks for the memories, Tones – I love you, brother.

Rhodey

Tony glanced up, a few tears streaming down his face freely. Peter shook his head, his eyes moving back to the album in Tony’s hands. “You’re just getting started – keep going.”

He didn’t have anything left in him to argue – so he turned the page, his heart warming up a little further. The shots of him and Bruce in the lab were some he’d never seen before. There were a couple of more recent photos in there, too. The combination of Bruce and the Hulk still something that made Tony laugh to this very day – the symbiosis between the two entities just another thing to add to the long list of things that changed over the years.

Tony,

There’s too much to say and not enough space to say it. Learning and progressing and creating with you over the years is why I am the way that I am. We saved the world together, brother – that’s the ultimate bond. Thankful for you and your arrogantly brilliant ass.

Happy birthday, Tony – enjoy it.

Love you,

Bruce

There were so many pages filled to the brim with photos of him with various people – Happy, Pepper, Natasha, Clint, Thor, even Wanda and Vision. They each wrote individual notes and recalled shared memories and little thoughts and blurbs about his progressive old age and the notedly selfless way Tony could care about people. It was overwhelming – each new page eye opening, his perspective of himself and the relationship he had with these people progressively changing. This was how people saw him? He spent so much of his youth having people slander his name – it almost didn’t make sense that people could feel this kind of way about him.

When he got to the last couple of pages, Tony couldn’t stand it – he reached over and pulled Peter to him, his face settling into the safe confines of the other’s neck. “I can’t believe that you did this, baby. It’s – the best gift I’ve ever gotten.” Tony spoke the words so reverently, his entire being still a little bit in awe of what he’d seen – of the kind words that some of the best people he knew wrote about him, each one way more than he ever could have expected.

Peter wrapped his arms around him and held him close – the younger man pressing kisses against his hair and forehead every few moments. “You’re still not done yet,” the younger man reminded him – Tony pulling back to find a soft look on Peter’s face. “I think you might like these last couple the best.”

Suddenly spurred on by Peter’s words, Tony shifted his attention back to the photo album in his hand, eager fingers turning the page to find pictures of himself. The look on his face in every single one of them radiated love and excitement and pure happiness. He didn’t usually like pictures of just him – no matter how much Peter begged, he didn’t even send the man he loved selfies. Yet, he couldn’t peal his eyes away from these. Lifting them, he looked questioningly at Peter. “What are these from, even?”

Chuckling, Peter reached over and let his fingers brush across the ones within reach, the ‘for Tony only’ smile pulling his lips wide. “I took these, actually. When we first started dating, I got into the habit of snapping a picture of you when you looked happy. Then, it became a thing to catch those looks whenever I could. You’d be surprised by the number of pictures I had to choose from.” Peter spoke the words with pride, the creepiness of them not even registering with the younger man. Tony grabbed his hand and pressed a soft kiss to the knuckles – his eyes alight.

“I’m not surprised by anything that you do, Peter Parker. They’re beautiful – I didn’t know I could look like this,” Tony remarked, his voice carrying all of the awe that he felt. It warmed his heart to know that Peter was the one making him look like that – they were good for each other, but it was nice to get a real example of it.

The thought of what could come next had Tony moving on – the apprehension making his fingers tremble as he turned the page. And man did it completely knock the wind from him. The last page was a collection of pictures of him and Peter – some he’d seen before and a few he hadn’t, the candid nature of them making it seem like they were taken by other people. His chin dropped a little, the evidence that Peter felt the same way right there on the page. Some of these pictures were old – a couple of them obviously before they got together.

Reaching over, Tony grabbed Peter’s hands and tangled their fingers together – he would probably need the added strength to read the long note there. Peter’s words always had a way of bringing him to his knees, he doubted this would be any different. The other’s hand gave his a squeeze, Tony diving in the very next second.

Hey you,

When I first started this, I never thought I’d get to learn so much about you. I especially loved your college hairstyle – totally my favorite.

I know there’s not a lot you can give a person that is both a genius and a millionaire – but I figured memories are priceless and the easiest thing I could give  you. Not just memories between you and I, either. We’re just starting our journey.

I guess what I’m trying to say with all of this is – there’s nothing wrong with the years you’ve lived. They have given so many people things that are priceless. Friendship, love, mentorship, knowledge. All of those things are important. You are a manifestation of each one and that is the person I get to love on a daily basis.

Every single one of your years will always matter, Tony. I’m forever grateful that you want to spend the ones you fought so hard to get with me. That’s not something that I take for granted. You teach me things I’ll never be able to learn from anyone else. You care for me in a way that is devoted and careful – like I’m the most precious piece of china you’ve ever been given. And the way you love me, Tony, it’s something that is unexplainable and completely mind-blowing. You give yourself so fiercely – it just takes a little while to truly understand what that means.

You’re my hero, Tony. And I don’t think I’m the only one that feels that way.

I love you.

& I happen to think that’s inevitable.

Happy birthday, Tony

The tears were falling freely now – the day taking a completely different turn than he expected. Between the tenderness, spectacular sex, and this insanely heartfelt gift, Tony was out of his mind with feelings he couldn’t classify. He never liked his birthday. Whether it was a reminder of how lonely he was or a big spectacle for the people that wanted something from him – it never seemed to be the occasion that others could make out of their own special days. Though it didn’t change his opinion about the day in general, Tony wasn’t afraid to admit that the day with Peter by his side was substantially better.

He didn’t hesitate to use both hands to palm Peter’s cheeks and seal their lips together. His wet face made the kiss a little messy – but neither of them seemed to care. Feeling Peter give into it, Tony tilted his head and deepened the kiss, the closeness just right for the situation. “I love you, Pete. This is – I can’t believe you did this for me.”

Leaning their foreheads together, Peter rubbed his nose against Tony’s, his eyes closing as he leaned into the connection between them. “I love you, Tony. I’m going to take care of you for as long as you’ll have me.”

“Forever then?” Tony asked immediately, the words tumbling out on their own accord.

“Yeah, baby. Forever.” Peter answered, his lips finding Tony’s again.

“Happy birthday, Tony Stark.”

[that-damn-girl]

His

(Oneshot)

Pairing: Stucky (Bucky Barnes x Steve Rogers) (MCU)

First part of  my collection of oneshots/drabbles for Stucky in the same universe in chronological order - His. Could be read as a STAND ALONE since ‘His’ is NOT a series.

Type: Fluff, mutual pinning, best friends to lovers trope.

Words: 3800+

Summary: Steve couldn’t grab his hand once and lost Bucky for 70 years. Now that he had an opportunity, he wasn’t about to let go.

Warning: Ignore anybody’s death in ‘Avengers: Endgame’.

A/N: This is my first story ever! It is also a submission. I am really thankful of @the-omni-princess for giving me the chance to take part in her 1K writing challenge.

The world was greatly different than from what it was a decade ago. Progression through seven decades was a whole another story. One that the two hundred year old super soldiers were greatly overwhelmed with.

Bucky had accidentally clicked a few extra buttons when he was trying to navigate through Netflix on Tony’s why-the-hell-is-a-TV-curved-and-ridiculously-large-and expensive  television screen. Instead of various Disney movies that were displayed earlier, he saw a live feed of Gerald, Tony’s alpaca, grazing in the backyard.

He didn’t know until then that one could use the TV as a monitor to view feeds from different surveillance cameras. A few decades later they’d make it a fucking portal to go through, he thought. In all honesty, although confused, Bucky was throughly amused with all the new advancements he had witnessed so far.

He tried clicking a few more buttons to revert back to Netflix, but all that he saw was different parts of the house through the cameras. He kept it up until the feed from the kitchen pulled up, revealing Steve and Morgan making homemade cheeseburgers. Because ofcourse, this was Tony Stark’s house, with never-ending supply for making cheeseburgers, and they were dealing with Tony Stark’s child, a never-ending blackhole for cheeseburgers.

From after the “Blip”, who the fuck calls the most strangest event in the history that, old relationships were being mended while new ones were formed. Things between Tony and Steve were still rocky until everyone was brought back; until their final mission. They weren’t perfect by any means, but surely they were starting to get better with time, effort and understanding from both the sides.

In order to reduce the emotional distance between his former family members and his new ones, Tony wanted them to spend some quality time together. He wanted Morgan to have good people to look up to, good people to learn from, good people to guide her. Moreover, he wanted her have a good big family and to feel the love and adoration he always wanted as a child. And, as per Tony, what was better than babysitting for this?

Pepper and Tony would enjoy date nights once or twice a month, while one or few of the team members would babysit Morgan at their cabin. This time, Steve volunteered. Bucky, who wanted nothing more than to make up for the lost time with Steve, volunteered to tag along.

At the cabin, as Tony and Pepper prepared to leave for the night, Morgan was a little anxious. She knew Steve, but she hardly knew this metal armed stranger who accompanied him. She had seen various documentaries on all the avengers and she knew of Bucky as Caption America’s childhood best friend who fell off a train but was saved by some fellow human beings. Tony had shielded her from the dark parts in everyone’s stories for now. Although she didn’t know Bucky personally, she trusted him because Steve trusted him.

Bucky watched their dinner being prepared by Morgan and Steve…his Steve…

How he wished he could say that.

The domesticity of the look fluffed up his heart; it mesmerised him. Steve mesmerised him.

Back in the day, every young gentleman had more or less the same goals. A beautiful girl to wake up cuddled with, a decent enough job to support their family, unforgettable fun times with  their girls in their arms, a lively brownstone with their kids laughing and running in the backyard, and never-ending happiness in their lives. Like all others, Bucky wanted it all too. Except, he wanted it all with Steve.

At the moment, however,  he wanted to go back to Netflix. Cursing for not thinking of it earlier, he asked Friday to do so just at the moment Steve and Morgan joined him.

“What, I made dinner for three and you couldn’t even choose a movie to watch?” Steve said with humor in his eyes as he set the food tray on the center table and sat on the couch. 

“Just wanted the little princess here to have her choice. Again.” Bucky flashed a toothy grin to Morgan. She giggled at that.

“A princess, yes,” she said flashing her own toothy grin with one incisor missing, “but hey, not little! I am almost six years old. Mom and dad say I am a growing girl. A growing girl, not a little girl.” She tried to make a face as serious as an ‘almost six’ year old could with her hands at her hips. Both old men laughed at that.

“I apologise for the incorrect words used, my lady. How about I rephrase it? What would our brave and beautiful growing princess like to watch tonight?“  Bucky sat on the other end of the couch.

“Frozen, please!” She squealed with excitement as she sat between them. And so, ‘Frozen’ it was.

The movie progressed and the cheeseburgers had met their fate. All three of its occupants were slumped down on the couch, enjoying the movie and munching on fries. Bucky straightened his posture a bit and extended his arm to rest behind him, bent at the elbows, on the head rest of the couch as his body curved a bit towards Morgan. Having not seen the movie before, he was so engrossed in it that he failed to notice that another arm had already claimed the spot. The back of his fingers touched those of Steve’s, palm facing each other, a little proturded behind the couch. 

Normally, he would would have retreated his hand like all the other times he had. This time though, he wanted to know what would happen if he didn’t. The need to explore the boundaries rose within him. The want to  rebell, to ignore the illogical age old stigmas, and act on what he wants, what he thought was right. He didn’t know if he was defying society’s unnecessary made up rules. He had wanted a chance to be with the love of his life since forever. He planned on taking the chance. The realisation made him nervous.

All of a sudden he became too aware of his surroundings. The movie was forgotten. His heart beat loudly in his chest. He panicked, didn’t know what to do further. Would it be fruitful, he thought. He was very unsure of his newest decision to have what he had wanted all his life. He wanted to shift his arm, but at the same time, he did not.

Acts like these were considered scandalous in his time when men did it with other men. He was conditioned from his childhood days to not seek comfort in a man's touch. However, the twenty first century was different from the twentieth. The beliefs and practices in this age were different than those in his.

Peter, the rookie, along with Shuri, the genius, tried to keep him updated with the changes that had happened in the world while the time his freedom had not been his. He was slowly coming around to using gadgets on his own.

As time passed, HYDRA advanced it’s technologies. The Winter Soldier was not taught about using them though. He was the deadliest soldier in the history of mankind, and their greatest asset. The possibility of him going rogue anyhow was too risky for any of his handlers to entertain.

His teenage friends had introduced him to internet and many spects of it. The nerd in him was overjoyed. He learnt about vines and memes. Caught up with the new movies and all time classics he had missed. Got to know about PRIDE.

He loved how people were expressive in this new era. Although not totally eradicated, social biasey regarding gender, racial and religious discrimination plagued a much smaller population than in his time. People were more logical and radical with their thoughts in this regard atleast.  One could be with whoever they wanted, live a life however they wanted. People were supportive and respective of other’s preferences and choices. Bucky loved it all. But he didn’t know how to talk about it with the man he loved with all his heart.

Although he suspected it, he didn’t know for sure if Steve felt the same way about him. Sure there were lingering touches here and there and hugs that lasted a bit too long for best friends, but it was hard to decipher the intentions behind them. He knew he had to talk to Steve about it at some point or the other. Then why not take a step towards it then? That’s why he decided he would take charge then.

Slowly and meekly, Bucky took a deep breath lightly and nestled his little finger in the crook of Steve’s little finger. He remained as still as possible as he sensed Steve stiffen. He cursed at himself loudly in his head. Surely Steve didn’t want him like that. Bucky was just Steve’s childhood bestfriend, who had been with him through thick and thin, literally. He was a reminder to Steve of what his earlier life was, not the desire to look forward to a future with better improvements.

His thoughts paused when he felt a movement against his ring finger. He realised Steve had nestled his own third finger against his. His heart rate picked up again. He felt little spurts of confidence break inside of him which led him to join their middle fingers. His heart did a happy lil jump when when Steve moved forward his own index finger, soon their fingers were interlaced.

Warmth seeped through Bucky’s arm. He felt full in his heart, in a way he couldn’t describe. Just holding hands like this, the simplest of gestures of affection, was a big deal for these two men when doing it with each other. The only times they’ve held hands is to when one needed to drag the other or needed help being pulled up during mission. Bucky finally felt how it was like not holding hands for necessity but just because his heart desired it.

He felt a sliver of hope. His mind though, felt full and empty at the same time. Maybe his suspicions were correct, maybe not. He couldn’t think straight with the weight of the Steve’s hand encompassing, encircling, enveloping his. He preferred not to think too much and just enjoy it while he could.

Little did he know that Steve considered him as his childhood bestfriend, his buddy, the driving force to want to be better both before and after the war, and so, so much more. Steve couldn’t grab his hand once and lost him for 70 years. He wasn’t letting go now.

~

They were in the same position throughout the movie. Too afraid of any change changing the other’s mind.

As the movie ended, Morgan was hungry again. She wanted to have a chocolate milkshake before she could go to bed. Both men were hesistant about it, but couldn’t say no to her puppy dog eyes. Again.

As the men prepared it in the kitchen, she busied herself with finding a stuff toy she forgot where she last kept it. 

After the movie, both men weren’t happy with not having any physical touch anymore. Since they had had a taste of it, they longed for more. But both were too unsure of themselves to initiate.

Bucky once again saw Steve tinkering with the ingredients in the kitchen as his hip leaned against the counter. The domesticity of the look fluffed up his heart once again. He wanted to hold his hand once again, forever and never let go.

Steve lined the inside of Morgan’s cup with chocolate sause just the way he had seen Wanda do it once. A bit of it dripped on the back of his palm just below his thumb on the hand he was holding the cup with. So focused on the task at hand, he didn’t notice it.

He had an ithy feeling at the junction between his moustache and slight beard. Placing the cup at the counter he went to scratch the itch with the same hand smeared and the chocolate sause at the corner of his mouth rather messily. He noticed it now. Bucky did too.

While Steve looked around for paper napkins, Bucky leaned off the counter, turned fully toward Steve and wiped the mess with his metal thumb in two slow strokes as his metal palm lay against his cheek.

Steve stiffened again. Bucky cursed at himself again.

He shouldn’t have done that. Holding hands was one thing. Cupping cheeks was another. Not removing your hand when the requirement for the said action was fulfilled, was a whole another level.

Again Bucky wanted to remove his hand, because he feared he was stepping over Steve’s boundaries, but he didn’t want to at the same time, because his heart just wanted to do so.

His eyes moved from Steve’s lips to his eyes, oceanic blue just like him. Someone said the truth about being able to look into one’s soul through their eyes. Because right at that moment, he saw himself in Steve.

Both were simple men before the war. Both wanted someone to love, to be with them through their highs and their lows, to be with them and support them at all times, to trust and confide in them, to share the silliest and most important things with them, to remember them and be remembered by them. Both wanted this 'someone’ to be each other. Both longed for each other.

As they affectionately looked at one another, Bucky glided his thumb over Steve’s lips once, then twice. Despite it being his cold metal-arm, all Steve felt was sweet warmth.

Bucky’s eyes moved back to his lips. He leaned forward after gulping. Steve followed right after him.

Earlier, the societal norms were against them, then time. Right then, both were in their favour. However, they forgot an almost six year old factor.

Right before their lips could touch, just a centimetre apart,  Morgan came back in the kitchen yelling, “I found it. Finally!”

Shocked to the core at sudden intrusion, both men jumped apart is they had touched lava. A slight tinge of pink could be seen on both their faces. Suddenly feeling slightly embarrassed and not wanting to make eye contact, both looked at Morgan.

She held a cute red and gold teddy shaped Ironman. Steve let out a sigh and a small laugh simultaneously, dipping his head low. Bucky smiled.

Steve went back to making her milkshake and handed her the finished product. The hungry child drank it one go. They then took her upstairs, made her take a bath and brush her teeth.

When they tucked her under the cover and proceeded to leave, she quietly asked them to tell her a bedtime story.

“Sure princess,” Steve sat on one side of her bed, leaning against the head rest, legs half down and one hand behind her pillow.

Bucky just stood there, unsure what to do. Morgan looked at him expectantly. Steve nodded at him and he went to sit on the other side of her bed, copying Steve.

“What kind of a story do you want to listen?” Steve asked combing through her hair.

“A love story!” She looked excited.

Steve wasn’t great with stories for kids. He looked at Bucky, intially for help, but then he looked into his eyes and immediately smiling down at Morgan said, “Once upon a time, there were these two people, two friends, Stephanie and James. Best friends actually.”

He looked up at his best friend. It took Bucky a moment before he caught onto Steve’s play. He could only stare at his friend, with eyes a little wide and surprise on his face. He understood why there was a female character alongside James and not a male. He was anxious to hear what Steve had to say next.

Steve continued, “They had been so for as long as one could remember. Always playing together, running together, being together, no matter what. They cared for each other, always had each other’s backs.

“They protected each other, even from the meanest bullies. They took hits for each other if it meant the other stayed out of harm’s way.

“If someone needed to find one of them, they could as well search for the other since they always stayed by each other’s side.

“Where one went, the other followed. A friendship like theirs was so rare. Luckiest were the people who had even a fraction of what they had.”

Steve took Bucky’s hand behind Morgan’s pillow in his and interwove their fingers. He looked at him with a fuzzy feeling inside his chest as he said, “Their love for each other unparalleled by any other.” He squeezed his fingers.

Bucky’s heart swelled. He squeezed right back. Something burst inside of him. He didn’t know what, but it made him feel giddy like never before.

“Stephanie idealiesed James for his bravery, his confidence-”

“And James idealised Stephanie for her goodness, innate goodness.” Bucky intervened with a smile brighter than the stars.

Lost is the beauty of Bucky, both inside and out, Steve took a while  before he continued, “There was a group of bad people who wanted brave men like James for their own cruel intentions. They kidnapped him and Stephanie couldn’t stop them.

Like any other close friend, she missed him dearly. She was angry at herself. She hated the day James was taken from her. She hated her inability to save him. She regretted not trying harder.”

Steve was looking at his lap. Bucky tightly squeezed his hand and said, “She didn’t know that there was nothing that she could have done to save him. It wasn’t her fault by any means.

“There was Fate which played it’s tricks. Nobody is stronger than the turn of events undertaken by it. Nobody could be above Destiny, no matter how much they wished. Their pair was just an unlucky lot, unfortunate enough to be under Fate’s wrath.”

Steve stared at Bucky, not believing what he said. To an extent, he knew he couldn’t have saved Bucky from falling off the train all those years ago, but the guilt of not just trying harder ate him alive everyday. He replayed every decision he made that morning, every action he did. The 'what if’s never ended…

Nevertheless, Steve said with eyes on Morgan, “After a very, very long time, Stephanie found a way to rescue James from those bad people. She didn’t believe there was finally a chance she could be with her long lost companion again. She was determined to take that chance and make it happen anyhow.

“She did succeed in rescuing him. She had never been as happy as that day before. He returned to her a little broken and damaged, but she didn’t mind it since he was stronger in his own right more than ever. When she had said she would be with him forever, she meant during both his highs and lows.

“Even time was not able to break their preciy bond. Her affection for him had never faltered. Instead, it had increased tenfold.

“The sudden detachment, the longing, the way she felt after their reunion, it all made her realise…” He stopped speaking and looked at Bucky again, lower lip shivering.

He took a deep intake of breath and said, “She realised  she had loved him all along. She loved him in every sense of the word, in every possible direction, in any possible way. Together, they fought their way through the bad men, making sure they’d never take him away from her again.”

“Did he love her back?” Morgan asked him. Steve looked down at her before raising his questioning eyes at Bucky, who just beamed down at Morgan and said, “Of course, princess. That’s why it is a love story.”

Smiling then, she asked again, “Did they live their lives happily after?” Now it was Bucky’s turn to look at Steve, who replied, “It took a little while, yes, but their happily after was the most beautiful one out there.”

Content with the story, she thanked them. “It was beautiful.” She had said. Indeed it was.

Exchanging their good-nights, they made their way downstairs. As Morgan slept peacefully, they were left alone with their racing hearts.

The big question arose then. What would they do now? They didn’t need to hide or be evasive from anyone. They were away from prying eyes and judgmental minds.

Neither Bucky nor Steve knew how to proceed, still overwhelmed.

Daring to initiate, Steve softly called out to the other man in the house as they stood near the stairs on the ground floor. Bucky turned around towards him. They stared intently at each other without saying anything. Nervousness clogged their nervous systems.

Bucky knew now was the time to come clean. Everything was out in the open already. Their feelings were mutual. There was hardly anything to be afraid of.

Repeating 'You can do it, you can do it’ in his head several times, Bucky took a step closer towards Steve. “About upstairs,”

“I meant every word I said, Buck.” Steve quickly ushered before he could say anything else. “I-”

Bucky took a step forward, cupped his cheeks and crashed his lips with Steve. He didn’t need to hear anything else.

It was the same man for whom he had pledged to be strong and brave, to help and to protect at all times. To stick with forever. Steve had left his newfound family of superheroes for him, defied over a hundred nations for him. If it wasn’t for what Bucky hoped it was, he didn’t know the workings of the world anymore.

Steve responded in kind. He grasped the back of his neck and laid a hand on the small of his back, pulling him closer. His heart thumped in his chest. They kissed and kissed and kissed, releasing years of pent up emotions.

When they parted, Bucky rested his head at the crook of Steve’s neck, breathing his scent, basking in it. Even cloud mattresses could not make him as comfortable as he had felt in that moment.

Softly but confidentaly, without any doubts, since  They were way past liking each other, Steve whispered in his ear, “I love you, jerk.”

Goosebumps rose on his skin. “I love you too, punk.” Grinning madly, he kissed him again.

Steve pulled back a little to look at his love of his life. He was smiling too. Finally, finally Bucky was his, and Bucky could call him his. However, Bucky’s insecurities were still ever prerent.

“Hey, you… you’re… you’ll be with me, right?” He looked at the floor.

Pecking his lips strongly, Steve said, “Never apart.” He knew Bucky needed more assurance. Who knew him better than Steve?

“Yes Bucky, it’ll always be you. You’ll be in my heart. From this day on, now and forever more.”

With amusement in his eyes, Bucky said, “Don’t do anything stupid”

“How can’t I? We’re together till the end of the line, love.”

~~~

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[intothestarkerverse]

Time of Our Lives (Part Nine)

Based on a prompt from @geekymarvel  

Peter is tasked with an important mission that requires him to go back in time.   Finding himself at a gala for Stark industries in the 1990’s, he comes face to face with a young and incorrigible Tony Stark who considers Peter’s attempts to deny his advances a challenge.  Now, dogged by a horny young CEO who won’t take no for an answer, Peter’s task has become much more difficult….

(STORY CONTAINS ENDGAME SPOILERS)

Read on AO3

At first, Tony did not interrupt.  He wanted to commit every detail to memory, determined to learn where his future self had made mistakes and thereby avoid them completely.  He sat in stoic silence as Peter described everything he knew about Tony Stark’s life leading up to his capture by the Ten Rings and torture in Afghanistan.  It was a little sobering to hear Peter describing a lifestyle that was not entirely dissimilar to the one he’d been living right up to the gala where he’d first encountered Peter.  For some reason, he didn’t feel the same level of pride he used to feel at the use of the word ‘playboy’, and though Peter didn’t actually call him a jerk…because the kid would never, Tony got the distinct impression that everyone else in his life would probably choose that word first.

 Tony’s expression grew grim, darker and darker by degrees as Peter described his capture, his injury, and the operation performed by Yinsen to save him.  He found himself absently running a hand over his breast bone, flinching at the thought of the cavity that peter was describing, the small arc reactor.  Brow furrowed, leaning forward across the bed with a new intensity, he drank up the description of that first suit.  He had to bite back a grin at the thought and remind himself that he needed to hear the rest of his future before he ran off to the lab to try to duplicate the armor Peter was describing.  

It was good, really, that Peter had been such a huge fan of Tony Stark since he was a child.  He knew much more about Tony’s life than the average person from the 21st Century would have.  It made that familiar flare of jealousy flash through him, clenching his heart and making his throat feel obstructed.  He had to remind himself that the Old Man had just been training wheels to get him ready for the real deal.  He had pure, unadulterated Tony Stark now.  He didn’t need the old, watered down version anymore.

The betrayal of Obadiah Stane hit Tony like a physical blow, leaving him breathless and pale and clasping his hands into fists in his lap.  Sure, maybe Tony had depended on him just a little too much when it came to Stark Industries…apparently if he was going to be helping with the day to day operations all the way into the 21st century.  It was everything Tony could do not to immediately have the man removed from Stark Industries and detained for whatever crime he could prove and any he could frame him for…because he was guilty.  If not now, he would be soon enough.  At the moment, though, he wanted to hear more about his future than he wanted to put a stop to Stane.  For now.

The interruptions began with the birth of Iron Man.  Tony began to ask questions about the suit, about the heavy metal poisoning, about the Old Man’s escapades, his upgrades, and his enemies.  He was annoyed at the reappearance of Captain America.  “Oh, God, really?  That guy didn’t die, after all?  Too bad dear old dad bit the big one before he got to see Steve Rogers back from the dead.  He had such a hard-on for that guy.  I personally don’t see it.”

“Oh yeah, you’d never go for a super-powered goody-two-shoes on a mission to save the world, huh?”  Peter’s sarcasm was laced with a fair amount of self awareness that made the whole thing amusingly ironic.

Tony just scowled back at him.  “Please, Captain America is boring, and you, Beautiful, are anything but.  Now, back to the bedtime story, you little brat.”

The Avengers and the Battle of New York drew more interruptions.  Tony was a bit confused at the mention of Norse Gods and Incredible Hulks and, “21st Century Robin Hood sounds very counter-productive.  You really telling me he didn’t die on the first mission cause…that’s the most surprising thing you’ve told me so far.”

“Mr. Barton is pretty cool, Tony.  I mean…I don’t get the bow and arrow thing either, but it works for him.  And he’s got a sword now, which is also cool…”

“I don’t know if a sword is an evolution or a devolution, honestly.”

The wormhole drew a long sigh from Tony’s lips.  He pressed his fingers hard against his closed eyes and shook his head slowly.  “So, the Old Man…He just…I mean I get it.  I really didn’t know I had a latent Messiah complex, but I get it.  But that…that’s not where he died, huh?  Cause I didn’t hear any mention of you in that story.  Which means the Messiah Complex is an ongoing thing.  I blame Howard and the Captain America lectures.  I put no stock in psychology, but if I did…yeah, totally Howard’s fault.”

Peter just shook his head grimly and plunged on.  Extremis perked Tony’s interest more than it appeared Peter liked.  The kid seemed to be trying his damnedest to gloss over it…though those efforts were in vain.  Tony would be revisiting that particular piece of technology at some point very soon.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”  Tony’s exasperation was palpable.  “You’re telling me he blew up all of the Iron Man suits for the girl?  Seriously?”

“He loved Ms. Potts.”

“Well, if Ms. Potts loved him she’d have accepted that the Iron Man thing was important to him.”

“It’s not like it lasted long, Mr. Stark rebuilt them…”

“Good.”

Ultron drew a string of curses, all of them directed at his older self.  “I mean, sure, the concept sounds valid enough…but clearly the Old Man had forgotten all of the Asimov he’d devoured as a kid.  Basic Science Fiction folly, right there.”  Old Age was going to make him stupid.  Well, not stupid.  No matter what, no iteration of Tony Stark could or would ever be stupid…but he could definitely lose a few IQ points.

The Accords and ‘Civil War’ had Tony once more sitting in silence.  “Okay, it’s not that I don’t get it.  Cause I do.  If it were you…I’d do the same damn thing he did for the Winter Soldier guy…but…pretending that it was about the Accords and the world government so he could get the other goody-goody’s on his side…that’s the kind of self-righteous idiocy I honestly expect from that guy.  That they were all too stupid to see through it is really disappointing, honestly.  I hate that he’s every bit as holier than though as I always thought he was.  Ugh.  To fracture the Avengers just so he can save his friend…that’s so selfish that even I’m calling bullshit and you know it has to be bad, then right?  Why does the world think this guy is so awesome, again?  Ugh.  I’ve never even met him and I hate him.”

“He’s not that bad…”

“No, he’s worse.  Keep going, though.”

He sat up a little straighter when Peter entered the story.  Lips twitching in a smile at their first meeting, at the account of the battle on the tarmac.  “Ha!  You stole Captain America’s shield?  Kid, if I didn’t already love you…I’d sure as shit love you now.  The only thing I regret from the last six months is not seeing you kick more ass.  Honestly, Sweetheart, you’re a fucking bad ass and I find it so damn sexy.  When all of this is said and done, I’m going to figure out that Old Man’s armor and we’re going to have some fun making this world a safer place…cause I have got to watch you work.”

Peter turned a dozen shades of crimson, but his smile was very pleased.  “I’d like that.”

But first, they had to continue with the future history lesson.  Tony’s good humor was forgotten as Peter continued to tell his tale.  He gave the kid credit, though, he didn’t mince any words in the telling.

“So you had an entire fucking building dropped on you and fought some whack job on a moving plane in a pair of sweats because the Old Man was teaching you a lesson?  About what?  Responsibility?  That’s a riot.  You’re the most responsible person I’ve ever met.  Maybe if he didn’t have his head up his ass, ignoring your calls, sending you to middle management…Peter, seriously, the future is fucked.  I am not going to become this guy.  I don’t even think I like him.”

“I don’t think Mr. Stark liked himself very much, either, to be honest…so that actually…kind of makes sense.  But, you know, you’re not being fair to him.  He made a lot of mistakes, but he did a lot of things right, too.  Having a building dropped on me sucked, but it taught me a lot.  It was a lesson I needed to learn, honestly.”

“If you say so…”

“I do.  I do say so.”

They had to take a break before Peter delved into their trip to space and battle on Titan.  Tony poured him a glass of scotch that he sipped in silence whenever the story became too much for him.  Tony didn’t say a word at all until Peter haltingly described what it was like to vanish. Tony could do absolutely nothing to keep the tears from falling.  The idea of losing Peter was the worst thing he could think of, and though he didn’t much care for the Old Man or his methods…he knew that some part of him clearly cared for the kid.  Watching him vanish…that had to be soul shattering.  “The future is fucked, Peter, because I’m not letting any of this happen to you.  None of it.”  The promises were spoken through gritted teeth, a vein in his throat bulging at the sheer intensity of his determination.

Peter just gave a sad smile, “Too late.  Already happened.  Even if we change the future…I don’t think you can get rid of my memories, Tony.  Besides, if it hadn’t been me than it would have been someone else…maybe someone with kids or something.  I didn’t…I didn’t miss a lot when I was blipped out of existence.  May and MJ and Ned, they all blipped too.  Other people…they probably missed a lot,or they would have.  I wouldn’t…I wouldn’t want to stay if it meant someone else had to go in my place.”

“God, kid, forget too good for me, you’re too fucking good for this world.”  God, he loved the way Peter blushed when he got the compliment just right…

It was Peter’s turn to cry as he recounted what happened to the Old Man in the five years that Peter missed, about his marriage to Ms. Potts and his daughter, about the invention of time travel and the hunt for the stones, about Peter’s return and the final battle against Thanos.  “I’ve never…talked about this with anyone.  May tried to get me to…and Happy…but I just…they wouldn’t understand.”

By the end, Peter was on Tony’s lap, tucked against his chest, head resting on his shoulder as he cried and Tony whispered soothing words in his ear.  “It’s okay, Baby.  You can cry if you want to.  Long as you want to.  Cry.  Scream.  Whatever makes you feel better.  I got you.”  

“Still think I’m a bad ass?”  Peter’s voice was stuffy and muffled against his chest, but Tony heard him clearly enough.

“You’re the toughest, bravest, most amazing person, Peter.  So good.  Best person I’ve ever known.  Dad always thought Steve Rogers was the best a man could be, but that was because he never met you.  Steve Rogers volunteered for everything that was done to him.  He signed up for it.  You?  You had it thrust on you, accepted all of this responsibility that should have never been put on you…and you just carried it.  Gracefully.  You’re the definition of the word hero, Peter Parker.”

Peter let out a muffled laugh that turned into a sob that devolved into him clinging to Tony like his life depended on it.

Gently stroking a hand through the boy’s curls, Tony continued to whisper into his hair.  “The Old Man needed to be tortured and almost killed to want to become Iron Man, but all I needed to do was meet you.  You understand that, Beautiful?  The future, my future, is going to be better because you’re in it.  You’re the missing piece.  My missing piece.  Honestly, I feel sorry for the Old Man.  He had to go through his entire life never knowing what it felt like to be whole…”

—

Work continued on the Nullifier.  Tony was right, for once they did appear to be making headway.  After two more months of intense work. Two months of Tony secretly trying to compose a plan to keep the two of them together despite whatever these Stones might do to rip them apart.  Two months of Tony sketching plans for that armor whenever he thought Peter wasn’t paying close attention to him.  Two months of them savoring every moment together as they both secretly believed that it might be their last.  When the final simulations came back successful, there was nothing to do but stand in front of the computer and let the realization soak in.

“So that’s it.  We…fixed it.”

Tony gave the boy a sidelong glance, noting that he had not even attempted to hide his disappointment about that.  “Guess so.”

“So…it’s probably over, then.  Tonight…he’ll probably come and he’ll…take me away.”  Peter had his arms wrapped around his stomach, his tone grim, his face pale.  The sight was like a dagger to Tony’s heart.

“Hey,”  He turned around, tugging Peter closer and embracing him tightly.  “What did I tell you, Beautiful?”

“You’re gonna fight…”

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course, but…”

“Nope,”  He tilted Peter’s head up for a kiss.  “If you trust me, then trust me.”

“Do you…do you have a plan?”

“Don’t worry about that.”

“So, no, you don’t.”

Tony just chuckled, “Baby, my plan is to stay with you, okay?  Don’t know how I’m going to do that yet, but I will.  When opportunity presents itself, I will.  We just fixed a machine that should have never worked, Kid.  We did something I thought was impossible six months ago.  Next to that…defying all of space and time to be together is going to be a cake walk.  Promise.”

But that night, when the two men were finally able to drift off to sleep, it was not Peter who found himself face to face with Tony Stark and the Infinity Stones.  

Not Peter at all.

There was no mistaking him.  It was like looking in a mirror.  An older, but no less attractive reflection of his own face staring back at him.  With a grimace of righteous fury, Tony charged the distance between them and threw a mean right hook directly into the other man’s face.  Too bad it was a dream and he wasn’t real, because there was nothing Tony wanted to see more than a black eye on that old, handsome face.

“What kind of sadomasochistic bullshit is this, Old Man?  Was this your plan all along?  You put the kid right in my fucking path.  Line of sight.  I couldn’t miss him, even if I wanted to.  And you knew!  You knew he had a thing for you all those years, you knew I wouldn’t be able to fucking resist that beautiful, perfect boy.  You determined to finally get to fuck the kid one way or another?  Was that plan?  Well guess what?  You monumentally fucked up…which, given your history is par for the fucking course with you, isn’t it?  Cause I love that kid.  I didn’t want to.  I tried not to.  But I love him.  For Peter…to keep him, I’d do anything.  I will do anything.  You and your fucking magical stones don’t have to give me a happy ending with him because I’m going to fucking take it myself and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

“Are you done?”  God, was it possible to hate even the sound of your own voice?  Tony scowled at the older man, at the sarcasm and the irreverence in his tone.

“You’re a piece of shit, Old Man.”

“Yes, I am.”

“I hate you.”

“Self hatred is nothing new to us, Kid.  You’ll find out soon enough.”

“Except I won’t, because I’m never becoming you.”

“We’ll see.”  The Old Man crossed his arms, eyebrow cocked, waiting in the silence.  When Tony didn’t venture to fill it with anymore bile, he continued.  “The Nullifier is done, so now we need to use it.  Peter can’t do that alone.  It’s too dangerous.  He’s going to need back up.”  As Tony inhaled, the Old Man held up a hand to silence him.  “Let me finish.  He needs back up, and while I know you think you can be that back up…you can’t.  You’re not Iron Man, yet.  You’re not Earth’s Greatest Defender, yet.  You haven’t fought aliens, yet, and me…I’ve done all of those things.  I am all of those things.  So, you’re going to let me hijack your body for a field trip to the Heart of the Universe.  That way, the Nullifier can be activated, the universe can be saved, and Peter doesn’t have to die in the process.  Everyone wins.”

“Like hell!  I’ve seen how possession works, Old Man, and I’m not letting you anywhere near me…”

“Than Peter is going to die.”

“What…”

A simple shrug of the shoulders and Tony was exercising a conscious effort not to slug him again.  “He does this alone and he dies.  Simple as that.  No way he can do this and come out the other side unless he has me at his back.  You can’t use the armor yet.  You don’t know how any of it works and REM is not enough time to teach you.”

“I can…”

“You can’t.  Believe me.  You can’t.  So what’s it going to be, Kid?  We’re running short on time here.”

Tony stood in silence, mind spinning.  His options did appear to be severely limited, but it was possible…however unlikely, that this was his chance to do the very thing he’d promised Peter he’d do.  Outsmarting his older self seemed incredibly unlikely, and from the look in the older man’s eye, there was already a great deal of suspicion between the two of them.  Wouldn’t a shrink have a hay day with that?  Maybe Tony had more issues than he thought he did?  Soft science or not, a therapist might not be a bad thing if he wanted to avoid becoming just like the Old Man in a few decades…  “All right, but I have two conditions.  No negotiations.  I want to remain fully aware and sentient to everything happening around us, complete access to you and what you’re thinking,…and I want a manual override.  Just one.  So that if at any point I feel like you’re doing something that could get us fucking killed, cause let’s face it…you’re really good at that, than I get to take over and exercise self preservation.”

The Old Man narrowed one eye.  “Don’t do something stupid, Kid.  You were never meant to meet him.  I gave you a gift…”

“You get to keep gifts.”

“Well, you don’t get to keep Peter.  He has a life.  He has a future.  Neither one of those involve us.  I’ll give you your awareness and your one manual override, but it won’t do any good.  When this is all said and done, you’re going to end up exactly where you belong and that’s not with Peter Parker.  You’re right, I did fuck up, I didn’t expect you to fall for him.  I thought you were too much of a self-obsessed asshole.  My mistake.  But Peter is going to back to 2023 and he’s going to become a hell of a hero without us.  Either one of us.  Keeping him with you in 1992 is not an option.  People need him…and in the future, you need to die.  It’s literally the only way there is a future.  It’s you against me.  You against the Stones.  You against the Universe.  This is one battle you’re going to lose, Kid.”

“We’ll see.  I’m not giving up just because you tell me to, Old Man.  I’m Tony Fucking Stark, and nobody tells me what I can and cannot do…not even Tony Fucking Stark.”  Because the Old Man had given him an idea.  Without knowing it, midst his self-righteous sass, he had given Tony the answer to the problem.  He’d been looking at things all wrong.  The Old Man was right about a lot of things, and that just meant Tony was looking at this the wrong way.  With a new outlook on the equation, the answer didn’t seem quite as hopeless.  What was it Peter had said to his parents, something about things only being impossible when you stop believing their possible.  

He knew what he had to do now.

He just had to figure out how the hell to do it.

—

Peter stirred in the bed, frowning in his sleep as his hands slipped across the silk sheets in search of the body he was now so used to finding himself tucked alongside in the morning.  When he encountered nothing but cold, empty bed, he forced his eyes open and peered around the room blearily.  When he spotted the figure in the chair beside the window, his frown only deepened and he pushed himself into a half-seated position, now fully awake.  “Tony?”

“Morning, Kid.”

Peter felt a chill prickle down his spine and he instinctively reached to pull the sheet up higher on his chest.  “Mr. Stark?”  There was no hiding the wariness in his tone.

“Gotta say, Underoos, I much prefer the last greeting to this one.”

“Lot’s happened since then.”  Peter’s gaze shifted to the floor beside the bed and he reached out to scoop up Tony’s shirt where it had been haphazardly discarded the night before in the throes of passion.  He felt better once he’d slipped it on.  A pair of boxers were scavenged from the floor as well and after contorting a little under the sheets, he no longer felt completely vulnerable in his mentor’s presence.  “How are you doing this?  How are you in Tony’s body?  What are you…what are you planning?”

“Baby Stark and I came to an agreement.  You need my help to finish this.  Neither one of us want you dead, and since you can’t do it without me…here we are.”  He made a half-hearted gesture to body he now inhabited.  Peter still looked pensive, regarding the man with more than his fair share of mistrust.  

“What…what are we going to do now?”

“Deliver the Nullifier to the Heart of Universe and reconstitute the Stones before the universe ends.”

“Wouldn’t you be better off with someone who’s good at space stuff like Starlord..”

“That guy’s a jackass.”

“Yeah, but he knows space ships and space and aliens…”

“You’re the only one I trust, Kid.  It’s you, or no one.”

Peter could no longer say the same.  He let out his breath in a little huff and nodded slowly.  “Okay…so…why can’t I do this alone?”

“The Heart of the Universe is a dangerous place.  It’s where the Infinity Stones were created, where life and the universe began.”

“The Big Bang?”

Mr. Stark nodded solemnly.  “We don’t do this just the right way…the energy from the Stones manages to pierce the Heart of the Universe and what we get is the opposite of the Big Bang.  Universe is over.”

Peter grimaced, “Than why are we using the Nullifier there…”

“Because the energy is almost there…and the space station is the best place to work from…”

“Space station…”

“The Heart of the Universe was discovered thousands of years ago by a race of aliens who called themselves the Celestial Order.  They constructed an entire civilization around it’s containment field and spent the last several millenia trying to harness it’s power so that they could force peace upon the universe and dispose of chaos once and for all.  They never succeeded in breaching the containment field…which is good for us, because they could have done some serious damage to the universe if they had.”

“Peace doesn’t sound so bad.”

Mr. Stark could only give a wry chuckle.  “It never stops at peace, Pete.  People always have good intentions, but they always end up giving in to selfish desires…”

“Kinda like you?”

“What did you just say to me, Kid?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Stark, it’s just that…there had to be a better way.  Putting me here with him…you had to know how I felt about you.  You had to know how I’d feel about him.  I just…it’s not fair, is it?  Because now I have to decide and, Mr. Stark, I have decided.  Hard as it is.  I’m staying here.  With Tony.”

“Like Hell you are.  What about May and Ned, hmm?  How are they going to feel if you don’t come home?”

“I’ll come home.  I mean, I won’t be dead in 2023, will I?  I’d just be…well, I’d be a lot older, but I wouldn’t be dead.”  Peter had given this a lot of serious thought.  He knew what he wanted and he didn’t intend to take no for an answer…

“And the future?  If you’re here with him through all of that the future is fucked.”

“The future is already messed up, Mr. Stark.  Tony’s already so much different than you…”

“Is that so?  You really think you can change me that much, Peter?”  His laughter was actually bitter now.  “And what about Morgan?”

That had Peter lapsing into uncomfortable silence.  “I…I don’t know…”  He’d tried very hard not to think about her, because he couldn’t bear the thought of her not existing and for her to exist…

“You’re going back where you belong, Peter.  Back to the future.  Whether you like it or not.  You don’t get a say in this.  It isn’t a choice you get to make.  You don’t belong here.  You don’t get to be in his life because you were never supposed to be…”

“Than why did you put me here?  What good is it going to do to put me back when Tony has already changed?”

“Because Baby Stark won’t have changed, Peter.  Not when everything is said and done.  As soon as the Stones are reconfigured, as soon as they’ve been properly hidden, they’re going to enact a latent protocol I put into place to make sure the future remains unaffected.  The Tony Stark of 1992 is going to have his memory wiped, him and anyone else you had contact with that could alter the course of the future.  To Baby Stark, the last six months will have been a blur of sex and drugs and nothing else.  When he meets you recruiting for Germany, he’ll have no memory of ever seeing you before.  Jarvis, Fury, Happy…no memories of you that could alter the future.  It’s like you were never here at all.”

Peter felt as if he had been punched in the gut.  He struggled to catch his breath, bracing his elbows against his knees and resting his head in his hands.  He didn’t even realize he was crying until he felt a hand on his shoulder.  Jerking away from the touch, he shot an angry glare at the man.  “You don’t get to touch me.  Not looking like that.  Not after what you said you’re going to do.”

“I fuck things up, Kid, that’s what I do.”

“You know, I never really believed that until now.”

[gracespilkerr]

How To Become A Firefighter In Utah

Known for its beautiful landscapes, Utah is a desirable destination for many.  It’s no wonder many ask how to become a firefighter in Utah.

The state of Utah is also one where there are still strong views on the right way to conduct yourself in society and on certain vices. If there are high expectations for citizens to do right, then you can expect even more from their emergency personnel.

It takes the right personality, character and skillset to start out as a Utah firefighter – and that is before all the recruit training and advanced courses. So, how can you become a firefighter in the state of Utah?

How to Become a Firefighter in Utah

18 years old

US citizen with local residency

High school education or higher

Valid driver’s license

No criminal record

EMT and Hazmat training recommended

There are sure to be many hopeful applicants that look at this list and appreciate that this is not the full story. This is a state where faith, moral character and a clean record are very important and this needs to be reflected in Utah’s public servants.

You can apply at this age and education level. But, any blip in your criminal record, driving history (especially a DUI) or any drug use could be an issue.

In this guide, I want to talk more about this hiring process and the other challenges of firefighting in Utah. I will also talk about the state’s best training facility and some of the major fire departments.

Firefighting in Utah

Most of the departments in Utah will have the same expectations and standards when it comes to finding the very best recruits for their departments. They will start with the basic application and then move onto the tests, firefighter interviews and screening processes.

There will be variations between departments in terms of processes and specific scores. However, Utah is a state that places a strong emphasis on the character of its crews and the way they conduct themselves.

As a result, they look for some of the following skills and traits during tests and interviews. Candidates must be a people-person with good control of their emotions, especially in a crisis. They must show initiative and integrity at all times while communicating effectively.

While there is great emphasis on the mental and personal side of the screening, you can’t forget about the physical side.

Candidates must be able to handle the fitness test, pass the medical and pass the drug screening. The latter is essential here because of the stricter laws on alcohol, drug and tobacco use in the state.

The UFA physical test is a good example of the process. Here you will be expected to showcase strength, endurance, balance and coordination in specific parameters.

Challenges for Utah Firefighters

The risks in Utah are much the same as in other states with large rural areas and national parks. Anywhere with vegetation and dry spells is at risk of wildfire. Therefore, trainees in these areas must gain experience in wildland fire management as they progress in their career.

Another natural factor here is the lake system, especially the vast area of the Great Salt Lake. This region is popular with tourists and thrill-seekers that want to head out on boats or kayaks.

The problem is that many people here underestimate the scale of the lake and get into trouble. This is where fire departments need individuals skilled in water rescue to help save lives.

Then there are all the risks in the more built-up urban areas. The bigger towns and cities are home to the majority of the state’s population, commerce and industry.

That means lots of homes and business at risk of fire or structural damage. Vehicular accidents are also a common problem here. City fire crews need to be ready to handle the worst-case situations in medical emergencies, fires, accidents and more.

The more skills that you learn at the start of your career here, the better able you will be to help those in need.

Some of these departments will be small-scale with volunteer firefighters, others will be larger career-based departments and the rest could be combination departments.

Wherever you go, you need to be sure that you have the right certifications. Firefighter 1 and 2 are a must, as is EMT training. Some departments will also insist on Hazardous material training at some point. So, you need to go to find the right fire academy.

Fire Academies in Utah

There are different approaches that you can take when learning how to become a firefighter in Utah. Some volunteers will learn all their basic skills for their firefighter 1 and 2 certification through their department.

From there, there is the chance to take further courses in advanced disciplines. Others will join community colleges and similar programs in academic environments. This provides certificates or associate degrees in fire subjects.

Provo: Utah Valley University

Kaysville: Davis Applied Technology College

Logan: Bridgerland Applied Technology College

One of the best facilities in the state is the one found at Utah Valley University. Here students can take part in a UFRA accredited program that provides the right certification to get started.

The main goal is to gain firefighter 1 and 2 certificates via the skills and knowledge taught at the facility. This comprehensive education looks at fire behavior, suppression and prevention while also discussing materials, equipment and strategies. It does so in both a practical and classroom setting. This means a chance for personal growth but also teamwork and practice for the real thing.

One of the reasons that this facility is so popular and well respected is that it has everything that students need to get started.

The Recruit Candidate Academy is a huge facility with over 4,700 square feet and 2 floors. This includes rooms with specific functions like ventilation training, ladder rescue, self-rescue and the fire evolutions lab.

It is the most advanced facility in the area with everything that students need to practice and learn.

The other benefit of learning here is that they don’t go easy on the new recruits. They use a para-military approach with tough rules and expectations.

There are 300 hours of college-level coursework, 350 hours of fire ground training and other fitness requirements. Those that can’t keep up will fall behind.

In addition to this, there is the community outreach where students work with local children to teach them about fire safety. Find out more here.

Major Fire Departments in Utah

The following is a list of major fire departments in Utah.  While it isn’t comprehensive it’s a great place to start if you’re interested in learning more about how to become a firefighter in Utah.

How to Become a United Fire Association Firefighter

18 years old

US citizen with local residency

High school education or higher

Valid driver’s license

No criminal record

EMT and Hazmat training recommended

This fire department has the same work rate as Salt Lake City but does things a little differently. The cover a much wider area with support over different counties and towns.

This means that they can provide the same level of care from their 25 stations with a cohesive, professional response to every single call. Again, there are lots of different specializations here that the department can utilize to help residents in need.

They are part of the Utah Task Force 1, have a search and rescue team, wildland fire team, water rescue service, bomb squad and more. This is all made possible with a skilled team of 600 firefighters.

A positions here could prove to be one of the more interesting opportunities in the state. You can find out more here.

How to Become a Salt Lake City, UT Firefighter

18 years old

US citizen with local residency

High school education or higher

Valid driver’s license

No criminal record

EMT and Hazmat training recommended

We need to talk about the largest metropolitan area in Utah and the different responsibilities here. Salt Lake City has the largest population with just over 200,000 people living and working in 109.1 square miles.

That is why the department has 14 stations across the area running an ISO Class 1 service with 350 employees. The team here is trained to handle lots of different situations because of their proximity to the busier districts, the highways, the airport and the lake.

This means divisions in aircraft rescue, swift water rescue, hazardous materials and more. It is essential that all fire crew members in this city continue with their training and education to provide the best possible service.

In 2018, the department dealt with 30,000 calls for medical aid, fire suppression rescues and more.

Job Prospects for Utah Firefighters

As of 2018, there were 2000 firefighters employed by the state to handle calls across all the districts. This equated to 1.37 posts per 1000 jobs.

The annual mean wage for firefighters in Utah is $37,960.

Those working in Nevada at the same time could expect to see almost double that as their yearly average with $66,830. Of course, rates of pay will always depend on your location and role.

For example, Unified Fire Authority entry-level firefighters can now expect $45,112 per year. Those that are also paramedics make $48,938 respectively. This will increase with experience.

It may seem as though it is too difficult if you’ve been wondering how to become a firefighter in Utah because of the high standards, state laws and the intense training.

This is all necessary to ensure that communities have precisely the right type of firefighter working for them. It will take a lot of hard work and studying to get into a career position, especially in places like Salt Lake City.

However, there are lots of opportunities to learn and grow and different responsibilities across the state. That is why firefighting in Utah is also highly rewarding.

The post How To Become A Firefighter In Utah appeared first on FirefighterNOW.

from FirefighterNOW https://firefighternow.com/how-to-become-a-firefighter-in-utah/

From https://catherinelee4.blogspot.com/2019/10/how-to-become-firefighter-in-utah.html

source https://catherinelee4.wordpress.com/2019/10/28/how-to-become-a-firefighter-in-utah/

via Blogger http://pppearlyn.blogspot.com/2019/10/how-to-become-firefighter-in-utah.html

[outdoorsgolden]

Q: Tell me about yourself and how the outdoors Golden project came to be.

I guess the story begins in 1975 when a friend and I decided to hitchhike from San Francisco to Michigan and then go back by way of Canada. The pivotal ride was when a guy in a bus picked us up outside of Brandon Manitoba and we rode all the way to Golden where he was just starting the building of a log house. Of course the story is much longer than that but I returned the next winter and soon adopted Golden as my home town.

Now 40 plus years later as I began to reflect on that time and where Golden is now with a well-developed outdoor scene, I realized that it might be important to capture that history beyond whatever a person might be able to dig up in old newspaper archives or the very few published books about the area.

There are rich stories waiting to be mined, like that of the first person to take a raft down the crazy rapids of the Kicking Horse River or the community members who dedicated themselves to creating Whitetooth ski hill which is now the world renowned Kicking Horse Mountain Resort or the first person who jumped off Mt. 7 with a hang glider. These are not even the tip of the iceberg and I feel like if I get this started, others will jump on board and take the project to amazing heights.

Q: Explain for the listeners the role you see for the podcast to the bigger project?

The podcast is really about hearing the stories directly from those who were part of the development of the outdoor scene, especially from the early 1970’s but hopefully from a few old-timers who were doing things like skating and ice fishing on the Columbia Rivers sloughs or trekking on foot or with horses into the back country. Many of those people are still around and their stories are valuable historical resources.

Q: You have told me that you wanted to highlight the First Nations tenure on the land early in the project, why is this important to you?

As is true in so many other places in Canada and throughout North America, people in Golden like other settler communities and newcomers, have little to no knowledge of the local First Peoples, their knowledge and active care for the land or for the original and ongoing influence on how we behave on the land in this day.

Most of us who now call Golden home are only a minor blip in the celestial record of this place but are immeasurably influenced by those who know the stories that name the land.

Drones, peeps, oxygen tanks, helicopters and satellite GPS along with many more technological gadgets are things that have become essentials for adventuring in the outdoors in the extreme terrain and climate around the Golden, British Columbia. So as we partake in this beautiful and daunting place we can always be thinking with respect of the ways that the Ktunaxa and the Secwepemc peoples continue to care for this land, and did long before European explorers and newcomers came. We can honour what we as settlers had, and have to learn in order to survive here as the First Peoples always have. We are still strangers in this place we call home.

There is no doubt that the First Nation’s tenure in, and knowledge of this place has an impact on all our common outdoors uses to this day. Some of the activities that come easily to mind are exploring, guide/outfitting, travel, search and rescue, trapping, use of waterways, berry-picking, food and herb gathering, outdoor games and skills, soaking in hot springs, and general enjoyment of both back and front-country. There are other activities such as spiritual ceremony and social connections that may not be first thoughts but are very much a part of this land.

Q: What are your visions for the future of the project?

Right now the Outdoors Golden project has a website with links to a variety of social media platforms where the public can find links to articles, books, photographs, museums, videos and websites where bits and pieces of Golden Outdoors history can be found.

As is the nature of who gets to tell the history, many links identify the first Europeans encroachment such as the travels of David Thompson or the mapping and surveying by James Hector and Walter Moberly (all of whom were guided, assisted, and often had their lives saved by First Nations peoples).

These links are by no means exhaustive and I hope that anyone interested and anyone who might have a story to tell will contact us through the website outdoorsgolden.ca.  

Ultimately and ideally there will be a whole team of people tracking down and recording stories that need to be remembered so if this sounds like fun, we want to hear from you.

[newidaho]

3.  FuTech Virtual Home School

Don’t have the time/patience/desire to read with your eyes? Don’t have eyes? Well, have your friend read you this:  You can check out the audiobook for free on Apple, Google, Stitcher, or Spotify.  Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday!

12 December 2054

This was one of the most beautiful classrooms Charlie had been in all year.  The beach scene was especially nice considering it was winter in New Idaho.  Of course, it never got too cold by the Jungle, but if he ever happened to visit the mountains on the edge of town, Charlie had to wear at least a couple layers.  It was nice to be on a balmy beach in the middle of December.

Of course, most of the heat was in his head.  Though his visual environment showed him sitting on a beach in a group of about 50 other kids, looking out at the sun reflecting off the crashing ocean waves, the actual temperature he felt was no hotter than the room he sat in.  After four hours of class, however, it was easy to forget that this was a simulation—even though the sand underneath him obviously felt like carpet.

‘So, to recap.  If you see a number next to a letter, what does that mean?’  Mr. Carlson stood at the front of the classroom, the dark-skinned math teacher Charlie had met earlier that fall.  He had never met Mr. Carlson in person, of course, so it’s hard to gauge whether this was what he actually looked like.  It was always easier, however, to just believe that nobody doctored their looks in the Virtual Environment.  Charlie himself certainly hadn’t changed his avatar.  Even if he had the money to spend on a decent app for that, none of the students at FuTech were allowed to alter their appearance.  Technically, the same rule went for teachers.  There were rumors, however, that some of the richer students were able to get around this rule.  And it wasn’t hard to believe that the more popular teachers could get around it too.

‘Multiplication!’  The response was voiced with varied excitement by about 20 students.  At FuTech VR HomeSchool, it was drilled into the students to be grateful for their opportunity to have an education, and especially to have an education at FuTech.  After all, it was God’s Will that His children be educated, and the FuTech community was put here to train children and adults alike to carry out this Will in this next generation of Virtual Reality.  What some might call “Displaced Humanity,” FuTech called “Empowered Humanity”.  These new worlds, went the idea, were put here by the Lord Himself.  The Devil was in these worlds too, of course, but FuTech vehemently denied that Satan had any but the smallest influence in any of their students or simulations (for they oughtn’t deny original sin).  They prided themselves on their acknowledgement of God’s gifts.  That’s why all the freshmen were trained to respond with vitality to all their lessons, even though many were quite tired after four hours of classes.

‘Great.  That will do for today.’  Mr. Carlson started to put his belongings in order.  Charlie always thought it was funny when Mr. Carlson cleaned up—he could easily

program his papers to organize themselves.  Of course, part of the responsibility of Empowered Humanity was that they mustn’t forget the history of humans on Earth—Jesus had left them to act without such technological shortcuts for at least 2025 years, after all.  Mr. Carlson put his papers into his briefcase and continued, ‘Why don’t we stand for prayer.’

With a smile, Mr. Carlson motioned for everyone to stand up.  A breeze blew the palm trees around them, lending ambiance to the situation even if Charlie couldn’t feel it.  He noticed, however, that a couple of the students around him shivered.  This implied a couple possibilities.  First, they were likely in a sensory chamber, whether rented or owned.  Second, they had the money to rent or own a sensory chamber.  Charlie knew jealousy was a sin, but he couldn’t help but wish he could have felt even more present on this beach.

‘In the name of the Father and the Son we join hands in the Other World.’  The students moved into a circle and joined hands.  It wasn’t quite like holding hands in real life, but Charlie at least felt a pressure somewhat resembling a human hand due to his Lucid Gauntlets.  His were a couple generations behind, but at least it didn’t feel like he was holding onto nothing.

‘Heavenly father,’ Carlson started, ‘We gather here today, blessed as ever, under your watchful eye.  We thank you for this entrance into a whole new world, and we thank you for watching over us not only in this world that we share together today, but in the world that we all return to when we remove our Masks.  We pray that we may stay ever grateful for this new opportunity for education, and as always, for these new tools that you have inspired humans to create.  We thank you for the community these tools inspire and for the sense of belonging and kinship they allow us to feel toward each other and You.  We ask that you may further guide us in our pursuit of knowledge and that we may continue to learn and prosper with these new technologies.  We ask this in your name, and in the name of the Virtual Savior to come, Amen.’

‘Amen!’

‘We will have 15 minutes until the lobby closes.  If you wish, please stay around and speak about what you learned today.  I will be here if any of you have questions about the final.’

About a quarter of the students walked into the palm trees, out of sight.  Another quarter dove into the waves.  This representation of logging out provided a more realistic visual than the flash of light that might have been imagined by science fiction writers in the early century.  The remaining half of the students either went to talk with Mr. Carlson in a small group or stayed behind to talk with each other.

Charlie already knew how he wanted to spend his Extra Time.  As soon as the prayer circle finished, he had smiled and waved at a beautiful dark-skinned classmate across the circle, effectively welcoming her to talk with him when the day had finished.  Charlie, at 13, was admittedly awkward around girls, but something about the simulation gave him some extra confidence.

‘Hey Gamma,’ said Charlie when they finally met.

‘Hi Charlie.  How was your day?’

‘Oh, you know.  It’s school.  It’s not always fun, but the Lord provided this beautiful beach for us to learn on.  And we get to use what we learn to do the Lord’s work.  So it’s good.’

‘You sound like Mr. Carlson.’

‘Well, good!  Mr. Carlson is very smart!’

Gamma smiled.

‘So what are you going to do the rest of the day?’ Charlie asked her.

‘My dad wants me to help him outside.  It’s starting to snow, and he wants to put little sweaters on some of our trees.’

‘That’s cute.’

‘It’s a little silly—like, why have trees if they can’t grow on their own?  Isn’t that something trees are supposed to do?  But my dad tells me that even though God makes the weather we need, we still can’t assume it will be good for our trees.  He says that he wouldn’t put me out in the winter without a sweater, and the tree is like another kid, in a way.’

‘It’s really that cold where you’re at?’

‘Oh, you know, it’s not that cold.  But we get a little bit of snow around this time of year.  Especially over on the other side of the valley.  But it only really happens at night.  During the day it hardly ever goes below 50 degrees.’

‘It’s not cold at all where I live.’

‘Oh, where do you live?’

‘&^%#))@$!.’  Charlie could feel his lips move, but what he heard was a symphony of computerized beeps and blips.  It was one of the failsafe measures of the FTVRHS—you couldn’t swear and you couldn’t give away any personal information.

Gamma laughed.  ‘Oh yeah?  Sounds like a pretty tough place to grow up!’

Charlie laughed with her, but he had a feeling she could guess where he lived.  Just as it was obvious to him that she lived on the edge of town.  It made sense.  Gamma was beautiful in that way that he had noticed rich girls generally were.  And if she had indeed guessed he lived in South Jungle, he doubted he would ever have a chance.  But maybe, if it was God’s Will….

‘Oh!’ Gamma said, ‘We’re getting the five minute warning!  I think I’ll probably head out anyway.  My dad is waiting for me on the other side.  But it was nice talking to you, Charlie!  Maybe we can hang out sometime if we ever get play-date permission!’  Gamma squeezed Charlie’s hand goodbye, then ran into the waves and dove into the ocean.

Charlie accessed his own in-simulation menu by holding his arms out straight in front if him with his palms together, turning them ninety degrees, and spreading his arms apart vertically.  He placed his hand at the bottom of the menu, waving it over ‘Exit’.

Charlie’s screen went black and he removed his Lucid Mask.  His room was a much less attractive backdrop than the beach, that was for sure.  For one, he only had one small window—not much natural light.  He had a small bookshelf in the northeast corner of his room and a desk in the northwest corner.  His bed was leaned vertically against the wall, a measure he needed to take whenever he went into the Virtual Classroom.  Otherwise there just wasn’t enough room to walk around.  He slowly lowered his bed to the floor, lay on it, and looked at the ceiling, ready to contemplate the world.

Charlie had just barely begun his meditations when his mother simultaneously knocked and entered his room.  Charlie’s mother was still rather young, but she looked older than her age.  Though she had never been much for exercise, she certainly hadn’t treated her body well since Charlie’s birth, and at thirty, she was experiencing significant sagging in her gut and jowls.  She had kind eyes, but a hardened demeanor, and it was obvious she hadn��t come into Charlie’s room to catch up on his day.

‘Hey mom.’

‘Hi Charlie.  How was school.’

‘It was good.’  Charlie paused, planning to elaborate, but his mother continued before he could.

‘That’s good.  Hey, take five minutes or so, but then I need you to play some Mineshaft before dinner.’

Charlie liked video games, but after four hours in Virtual Reality, his eyes were rather tired.  Plus, even the most enjoyable activities feel less fun when they are forced upon you.

‘Hey!’  Charlie’s mom said.  His face must have given him away.  ‘How do you think we can afford a Mask for you in the first place?  How do you think we pay rent in here so you have a roof over your head?  And all I’m asking is an hour of your time, to play a video game.  Do you realize how lucky you have it?  This was not a thing when your grandfather was growing up, I’ll tell you that.  You couldn’t get paid to play video games for an hour.  But now that hour will buy us two nights of dinner.  So be grateful.  Okay?’

‘Okay,’ Charlie said.  ‘I am grateful, mom.  I’ll see you in an hour.’

‘Okay,’ his mother said and walked out of the room.  Charlie took a breath, tilted his bed back again the wall, and put his mask back on.  In his home menu, located in a room Charlie had set to a Japanese Dojo, Charlie waved his hand over the green cube with a big dollar sign over it.  The cube opened up, and three objects floated out.  He waved his hand over the one shaped like a pick-axe.

The Dojo disappeared, and Charlie was in a dark mineshaft.  About 200 feet ahead of him was a wall made purely of Gold.  So that was what he would be handling for the next hour, he thought.  A girl greeted him with a small cup of ore.  He took the cup from her and passed it on to the girl behind him.  He then received an empty cup from another boy behind him and passed it to the girl in front of him, who passed it up to the wall, where about 50 other individuals mined with pick axes.  This is what he would be doing for the next hour.  It wasn’t the most enthralling video game in the world, but at least he got paid for it.

Five people away, Charlie saw another boy remove a small sword from his back and decapitate a rat half his size as it pounced toward him.  Charlie shuddered.  There was something real about that aspect of the game.  He hoped he wouldn’t have to kill any rats today.  He took another cup from the girl in front of him and thought about Gamma, out in the sun, wisps of snow around her, putting knitted sweaters around young trees.