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Disclaimer: I do not own The avengers or Pacific Rim.
Steve found Tony in one of the J-tech labs. He was perched on the edge of a table working on his tablet.
Steve knocked on the closed door. Stark looked up, went still for a scant moment and then walked over. He hit the intercom and said through the door.
"I don't think you have clearance for this room captain."
Steve shrugged. "I won't touch anything."
"You follow the rules huh?" said Stark a note of disdain in his voice.
"I am still asking you to let me in," Steve pointed out.
"Fair enough. You like to live dangerously."
"He knew Stark was teasing him but he said. "I'm a soldier and a ranger. Which part made you think I like to play it safe?"
Tony gave a startled laugh and the door hissed open.
"Don't touch anything," he ordered, teasing, yet utterly serious. Steve raised his hands to indicate that he would do no such thing and entered the lab. It wasn't like the labs they'd had in his time. Everything was much more futuristic; sleek, blinking things with holograms and tools made out of graceful lines.
"So what's up Cap?" says Tony.
"I'd like you to co-pilot with me," Steve said bluntly looking away from his surroundings and focusing on Tony.
"Uh, no," said tony equally blunt.
Steve frowned. "I won't push," he said "but you are the most drift compatible person I've sparred with here. And you are a ranger. Don't you want to pilot?"
Tony let out a seemingly harsh laugh. "Did you know I was the first person that they approached when they were contemplating a copilot for you? You know back before they realized that you wouldn't just take any list they handed you."
"What?" Said Steve frowning.
"Why do you think I showed up? I wanted to see you lived up the hype and I wanted to see why on earth Fury thought we could be drift compatible." There was a funny, acid tone in his voice that Steve couldn't quite understand.
"I mean," Tony continued, "I understand that your enhanced healing would give you an edge when drifting with me but it wouldn't matter if we weren't drift compatible."
"Wait," said Steve confused now, "why would my enhanced healing give me an edge when drifting with you?"
Stark's eyebrows raised. "And here I thought you read my file." He put down the tablet, leaned back on the table and explained flatly.
"People don't survive drifting with me."
Steve blinked. "What?"
"Well so we assume since they've never let anyone actually die from it," he continued. "The longest I think I've ever drifted with someone was 4 minutes and 3 seconds. And I think she stayed in the med bay for three weeks after."
"Why?" asked Steve feeling unable to articulate anything more.
Stark shrugged. "They can't handle the neural load."
"But the neural load refers to working with the jaegers," Steve objected.
"Sure," Stark agrees carelessly, "but my brain literally works too fast for anyone to handle."
"Then how did you get through the academy?" asked Steve in genuine confusion.
"I can drift with the simulation A.I. just fine," said Stark.
Steve blinked once more, feeling like a cartoon character as he took it all in. Anthony Stark was literally too smart to drift with anyone. He was literally as smart as a computer and his brain whirled just as fast. Drifting with him was as trying to drift with the control units for a jaeger on your own.
"Does that mean you can drift alone?" Steve asked in curiosity.
"Not for long," said Stark. "The neural load will be too much for even me after a time because I'll be drifting with two AIs instead of one. But I've done it," he shrugged, "in something much smaller and classified."
Steve contemplated this new information. Then he said in perfect seriousness, "Will you be my co-pilot?"
Tony stared at him. "Did you not hear one word that I just said?"
"I thought you read my file," Steve threw back at him.
Stark gave him a startled look and then his mouth twitched.
"If you want to fry your brain, who am I to argue," he said eventually.
"9 o' clock?" said Steve.
"Make it 10," said Stark, "The techs will kill you if you make them set up a test that early. It'll run into their maintenance."
"Done," said Steve.
"Good," said Tony, "Get out." Steve obliged.
Steve slept badly that night. The thought of drifting with someone else, even someone he chose was awful. He felt like he was betraying Bucky. It was as if it had been the final straw to admitting that he truly was gone. Moreover, he wasn't sure that he could face the memories that the drift was sure to dredge up. Not only his memories either but Bucky's memories that he'd shared with him.
His dreams were full of ice, dark, waves crashing into him, the spray coming into the ripped open conn pod, Bucky falling into the surf, his fear flooding through Steve, the awful ripping away of his mind from Steve's.
Steve woke up violently in a cold sweat. He breathed harshly and crawled out of bed. A couple splashes of water on his face woke him up properly and he snatched up his wraps and headed off to the gym.
He'd been pounding on the bag for over two hours when a voice interrupted him.
"Do you ever get tired of hitting that?" Steve stopped and turned to see Stark leaning on the doorway still dressed in the same clothes he saw him last.
"The repetition helps," said Steve. "Can't sleep?"
Stark snorts. "My sleep cycle is highly abnormal. I don't keep regular hours."
"Oh," said Steve. "So you haven't gone to sleep yet?"
"Nope," he said walking in. "I actually was going to but then I saw the lights and figured it had to be you."
"Does everyone know I come down here?" Steve asked, feeling a little annoyed.
"Don't flatter yourself," said Stark, "You're not the only one who comes down here at 3 in the morning. It's just everyone else who does, is off base right now."
"Oh," said Steve, "I've never met anyone down here before," he said by way of explanation.
"Like I said they're off base," tony replied.
Steve nodded and after a moment asked, "Do the kitchens have hot chocolate here?"
"If they don't, I do," said Stark. "Sugar craving?"
"More like comfort drink," said Steve, "and I like sweet things."
"If you weren't you I'd have thought that was kinky," Stark told him. Steve stared at him blankly for a moment and then let out a startled laugh.
"No," he said, chuckling. Tony grinned back at him and waited while Steve unwrapped his hands.
The kitchen did indeed have hot chocolate and they moved around it making their drinks in a comfortable silence.
"I think the electric kettle is one of the best things to ever have been invented," Steve commented. Stark choked on his hot chocolate. Steve helpfully pounded him on the back.
"Hold up," said Stark when he could breathe again. "The electric kettle?" That's where you stopped?"
"I didn't say that's where I stopped," Steve said mildly, "I just said that it was one of the best things to be invented."
"Um holograms," said Tony, "highly improved jaegers, the cure for leprosy, no polio, the cheese burger."
"The cheese burger," said Steve, "that's where you stopped?"
"Are you just going to parrot back everything I say?" Stark demanded.
"No," said Steve, "I have it on good authority that I have a mind of my own."
Stark laughed as he recalled their earlier conversation. "No, really though," he said, "There's way more to the future than the electric kettle. Please tell me you know how to use a smart phone." Steve grinned, shook his head and settled back while Stark rambled on about the future and the technology available.
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