Thanks to everyone who read and not paranoid enough, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, Qweb, TheShadowArchitect, WolfishPennings, Mama May-Eye, 1983Sarah, Harm Marie, AB Feta, AlienTourist, Ratiqu, Book girl fan,3DY3Namite, sunsethill, RAGA, and aljanny for reviewing.
I still haven't seen the new Captain America movie (thank you real life, and for the record that's also been why I haven't been able to update in a while)…based on what I've heard this is officially AU at this point, but then, it's fanfic so it pretty much was anyway. Whenever I do get a chance to see the movie a few details might get worked in, but it just depends.
"—orrow," Tony was saying as the elevator door opened. "Hold, please." Whoever was on the other end must have agreed because Tony raised a hand and tapped the device attached to his ear. And then turned to them with a grin. "Brucie! What'd you bring me, what'd you bring me?"
"The dirty clothes from the first leg of my flight and a binder half full of notes," Bruce responded dryly. "And a few of the kids wanted me to give you hugs and kisses for the teddy bears, but you'll have to forgive me if I pass."
"Teddy bears?" Steve asked, looking back at Tony.
Tony scowled. "No idea. He's clearly brought back a fever, too."
"Don't you have a phone call you're supposed to be on?"
Steve was pretty sure he had a meeting he was supposed to be in, or at least he'd thought that Tony was working today hence Steve being the one to pick Bruce up, but then, maybe his meeting was on the phone. These days they could do that pretty easily.
Tony made a face at Bruce but turned away. And then turned back abruptly. "A binder? Of paper? JARVIS, Bruce needs—"
"See you later, Tony," Bruce said as the elevator stopped on their floor, leading the way out.
Steve followed, grinning at the squeaking noise Tony made as the door shut behind them. "I think you traumatized him."
"Tony has a hard time understanding that there are place where pen and paper are still more convenient than computers. Or possibly that just traumatizes him."
"And the teddy bears?" Steve asked again.
"Mysteriously enough there always seems to be a box or two of toys that ends up mixed in with my medical supplies when I arrive at the clinic. Tubs of legos, dolls, wind-up cars… Tony, of course, knows nothing about any of it, but this time it was teddy bears in Avengers costumes."
"They make those?"
"Oh, yeah. With little plastic Iron Man helmets and Captain America shields and Hawkeye bows."
"And Hulk…what?"
"I'm pretty sure those were the green bears. I'm surprised you haven't seen any of them, they were pretty popular for a while after the battle."
"I wasn't really spending a lot of time in toy stores." He still didn't.
"Suppose there is that," Bruce agreed. "Anyway, I've got some pictures—" A yawn cut him off and he shook his head. "Sorry, I've got some pictures if you want to see. They are kind of cute."
"I would, but maybe tomorrow?" Steve suggested. "You look like you could use some sleep."
"Yeah, I'm starting to think that that nap I took on the plane wasn't a restful as I thought. I'll see you tomorrow, all right?"
"See you tomorrow," Steve agreed, turning for his own rooms. Once he was there, he was a little at a loss, though. He'd already eaten so dinner was out, he'd eaten enough that heading to the gym for a workout before he'd had some time to digest would be a bad idea even for him, it still rush hour—rush several hours, the way New York was these days—so going out for a walk would be less than relaxing, and he really wasn't in the mood to sketch right now even with his new pastels. He turned and headed for the door. "JARVIS, would it be all right if I visited the private library? The one on the same floor as the private gym?" If not he could always go to the public one in the tower, but that had been mostly full of journals from what he'd seen and JARVIS had told him, and he doubted he'd find much of interest there.
"Of course, Captain Rogers. Is there anything in particular that you're interested in researching? If so I can have articles downloaded directly to your computer."
"No, there's nothing special that I'm looking for, I'd just like to look around." And it wasn't his computer, either, he was just borrowing it from Tony, but he doubted that telling JARVIS that would get him anything but an 'Of course, Sir' that didn't actually mean anything.
The elevator came to a halt as he reached them, the doors sliding open smoothly, and Steve frowned as Tony stepped back to allow him in. He wanted to ask if Tony was riding the elevator up and down for a reason, but Tony was still on the phone and that would be rude so he stayed silent and tried not to eavesdrop too much on Tony's side of the conversation until JARVIS let him off.
The library was just across from the gym, and for a few minutes when he stepped inside he felt lost, but he had come here to look around so he picked a shelf to his left and started browsing. There were a lot of technical journals up here too, but nothing particularly interesting…in first the one he opened didn't even recognize any of the symbols in on the first page of equations. He put it down and kept moving. For a while he thought the trip was going to be a waste, but then he hit the back wall and finally found the sort of books he could get into. They weren't the history books he'd been reading on his trip when the rain meant that being on his bike wasn't the best place to be, they were fiction…bright covers and imaginary creatures and all of that. He'd seen books like this before, but since he hadn't been able to check them out or take him with him on his travels, he hadn't looked too closely. He'd ask before he borrowed any, of course, but he doubted that JARVIS—Tony—would mind.
Spaceships looked a little different these days, he noted as he pulled one book down and then put it back. Not just pointy noses and fins. Dragons, on the other hand, looked pretty similar, and he frowned at the cover of the next book he'd selected. "Tolkien…I remember that name." It took him a few minutes, to place it, but when he did he smiled. A book called The Hobbit that had been passed around the USO group he'd been touring with. He'd read through it twice before one of the girls had claimed it, and if Tolkien had written more books about Middle Earth he definitely wanted to read them.
"Capsi—ha, there you are," Tony declared triumphantly. "JARVIS said you were down here. Tell me something. You'd help a little old lady cross the street, right?"
"I…yes," Steve agreed. He wasn't sure who wouldn't help an elderly woman if she needed the assistance. "Why?" Because it was Tony and Steve was pretty sure that he wasn't asking for his general edification.
"I knew it," Tony said with a grin. "And if there was a group of old ladies, you'd probably help all of them cross the street, right?"
"Yes," Steve agreed for a second time. Of course he would. "Again, why?"
"Because tomorrow the Daughters of the American Revolution are holding a special dinner to honor the service of women in World War II."
"And they have to walk there?" That made absolutely no sense whatsoever.
"What? No," Tony shook his head. "That's ridiculous. There are limos and escorts and all of that already arranged. But an hour and a half ago I got a call from the head of our philanthropy department and three of the gentlemen who were supposed to be giving speeches were in an accident on their way from the airport. Apparently I should have gotten you to pick them up too."
"What? Are they okay?"
"They'll be fine, but at this point it doesn't look like any of them will be out of the hospital in time to attend tomorrow. Something about being over sixty and hips and I don't know. Other things. Now, Geraldine has already arranged to shuffle the remaining speakers around, and a Colonel will be coming down from West Point with the cadet escorts to fill in one of the open slots, but that still leaves us without someone to give a welcoming speech. It occurs to me that you are not only appropriately wholesome and all-American and all of that, you're probably capable of making a speech with 40s references and jokes and whatever that those of us who aren't senior citizens won't understand."
"Wait, you want me to give a speech?" Steve asked. What had happened to the ladies crossing streets?
"Well, no one wants me to give it. Pepper already sent me a memo." He made a face. "I'm not allowed to say anything until the official farewell, and then I'm not allowed to say anything except the official farewell."
"I…." When he'd been traveling with the USO things had always been scripted, and orders in battle were spur of the moment things. He was good at spur of the moment things. This…Steve had no idea how well he'd do writing an actual speech. "I still don't understand what this has to do with crossing the street," he asked after a minute, stalling for time despite himself.
Tony waved a hand. "It's kind of the same thing."
"No, not really. If you needed another escort, that would be kind of the same thing." And, for the record, something he'd feel much more comfortable doing.
"Details, details." Another dismissive handwave. Come on, Spangles, do you really want those ladies to have no one to welcome them? This is a big deal."
That was obvious if they were arriving by limo, and of course the women who had served and who had supported those who served deserved the highest honors, but…. He sighed. "It's tomorrow? What time?"
Tony grinned triumphantly. "They arrive between eleven and eleven thirty, and you welcome them when they're all seated. After that lunch will be served, and then comes the keynote and then the official awards presentation is spread out between a couple different speakers. Does this mean I can tell Geraldine that we have a welcoming speaker?"
"I…sure," Steve agreed. "But could you maybe help me with the speech? I haven't exactly done a lot of that." As soon as the words were out of his mouth he braced for ridicule—well, teasing, at least—but it was the truth, and unlike him Tony seemed to give speeches as a hobby. Occasionally without regard to whether anyone else was listening or not.
"Of course, I am an excellent speech writer. Have you ever seen a recording of when I announced I was Iron Man? It was epic."
Steve stared for a moment and then looked up at the ceiling. "JARVIS, can you help me with the speech?"
"Capsicle, I'm hurt," Tony announced, his words overlapping with JARVIS' 'Of course, sir.'
"I don't think announcement that I'm Captain America really belongs in a welcoming speech, Tony. Unless…am I supposed to be Captain America during the speech?" The idea of getting up in front of a crowd in his suit didn't exactly appeal to him, not to mention that it seemed awfully inappropriate for a formal luncheon.
"I think Captain Rogers would be fine," Tony said. "Or whatever you rank ended up being. But you don't have a suit or dress uniform or anything like that with you, do you?"
"No." He hadn't seen his formal uniform since the 40s, and it wasn't like he'd attended a lot of formal events recently that had necessitated replacing them.
"JARVIS, have something appropriate ordered in Steve's size and make sure that it's delivered to the tower by this evening. And let my tailor know that we might need some emergency alterations."
"Of course, sir. Captain Rogers, would you prefer a suit or dress blues?"
Steve almost objected—he was in the habit of paying for his own clothing, thank you very much—but he supposed that this was kind of a favor to Tony, and if it was left up to him he'd never have something appropriate before tomorrow. "Dress blues, please." He wasn't currently an active soldier, and but it was perfectly permissible for him to wear them as veteran, and while his age would almost certainly mean questions…well, his face had already been plastered on televisions across the country. A suit wasn't exactly much of a disguise. Besides, he'd feel more comfortable in a uniform.
"I will notify you when it arrives," JARVIS said.
"Now, for the speech you should open with a joke. I'd say nothing racy, but really, I'm pretty the old ladies could manage something much racier than you anyway."
"Tony."
"What have you got there, anyway?" Tony asked, apparently noticing the book in Steve's hand for the first time. And for some reason deciding it mattered. "Two Towers. That's a good one, but if you haven't read Lord of the Rings you should really start with The Fellowship first."
"Okay," Steve agreed. It was probably good information, and he filed it away for later, but it wasn't exactly his most pressing concern. "But, speech?"
Steve fiddled with his cuffs and checked the notecards tucked in his jacket and tried not to notice the eyes on him as the women trickled in. He was still pretty sure dress blues were a better choice for him than a suit, at least comfort-wise, and when he'd seen the other soldiers scattered around the room—apparently the women who didn't have husbands or other family to escort them had been assigned escorts from the military academy—he'd felt a sudden surge of hope that maybe he wouldn't be recognized after all. Well, at least not until he got up to talk. He hadn't missed the eyes that kept drifting back towards him, though…no one expected to see Captain America sketching in the Painted Desert, but attending a luncheon in honor of ladies involved in the war was a much more reasonably place for him to be. And since he wasn't escorting anyone, he felt a little at a loss.
"You know, it's bad form to sprain your own wrist to get out of giving a speech. Plus I don't think it'll work." A pause. "If it does, let me know, I want to try it for my next board meeting."
Steve released his cuff quickly. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Tony, looking entirely too comfortable in his suit and apparently completely at ease with the glances he was getting, grinned and didn't seem particularly repentant.
Steve hadn't understood why Tony was giving the farewell speech here—or any speech at all, or why he had been the one to recruit Steve for the welcoming speech—until he'd seen Stark Industries first in the sheet thanking the sponsors of the event. And philanthropist did show up in Tony's list of what he was, even if he tended to downplay it. Steve still hadn't gotten to see any pictures of teddy bears. "What are you doing?" he asked. He'd ridden here with Tony, but Tony had disappeared immediately afterwards, and he hadn't been sure to where.
"Oh, the usual. Meet and greet with the other sponsors and mingling and looking pretty until it's time to say a few words in farewell. You could mingle too, you know. Pretty sure the wall can hold itself up."
Steve shrugged. Tony had asked Bruce about coming along as well this morning and Bruce had declined—not his kind of thing—and despite agreeing to give the speech Steve had almost wanted to point out that it wasn't his kind of thing either.
"Come on, you must have had to play nice with the crowds when you were touring."
"Of course, but…." He'd been in character when he was touring, and most of the talking he'd done had been in support of war bonds. No one had wanted him to talk about anything else. That wasn't exactly appropriate here.
"You'll be fine, Steve. Just relax."
It was rare enough that Tony used his actual name and not Capsicle or Spangles or whatever else that Steve focused fully on him for a moment. And then rolled his eyes when Tony smirked. So much for serious conversation.
"Besides, you've got at least one fan here. I mean, besides the little old ladies." Tony tilted his head, and Steve followed the motion and was surprised to meet that gaze of the young woman from the café. She flushed and looked away, and Steve ducked his head quickly, and Tony's grin grew. "Well, now, does Capsicle have a girlfriend he hasn't told us about?" He clicked his tongue.
"Tony."