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(no subject)

Who: Tony Stark & OPEN
Broadcast: None
Action: SS Starstruck
When: Now

[Remember your ship mechanic? The one who showed up, complained a little, talked a big game, and them retreated to the engine room for two weeks? Well he's back. Back and full of science.]

Whoever's been leaving food by the door, just know that you deserve a raise.

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[ a curt and business-like nod. she appreciates the way he doesn't dither around with his questions. peggy done enough professional dithering for the both of them, and his forthright approach is welcome. ]

I'd know. [ her answer is simple, and it carries the depth of having been a close associate of howard stark for some years now. ] He's him. He's the version of him that I know, and it seems he's lock-step with myself in terms of timelines. A day or two after his treason charges were dropped.

[ she merely assumes tony knows about this moment in his father's history. it made headlines, after all. ]

[Tony runs a hand over his face. He looks pretty unkempt and tired, but it's hard to tell what percentage of that is being holed up in the engine room, and what percentage is from talking to his father.

He sighs heavily, pulling his hand away from his face.]

So he is still that young. My god, he's younger than me. This really is a nightmare.

[ she resists the terribly real urge to roll her eyes. stark men! always so...dramatic. as though there isn't a hundred other stranger things about this situation. but peggy knows better than to alienate a crewmate.

she takes the diplomatic route. ]

I imagine it'll be quite a surprise for him as well. After all, you've always known he's had a son. Him? Not so much.

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about it. It's doesn't make much of an impact when he is one either.

[ well. that's...disappointing. and although the pain isn't hers to bear, there's a sort of disapproval that worms its way into her expression. not for tony -- not at all. but she's well accustomed to feeling disappointed in howard stark.

it's as natural as breathing. ]

I'm terribly sorry to hear that. [ ... ] We often prefer to think the best of our friends, no matter how acutely we are aware of their shortcomings. When I learned about your existence here, I rather hoped he might...someday be different.

[Tony waves a dismissive hand.]

Don't worry about it, I turned out fine. Communication has never exactly been a Stark family specialty.

[ fine is a relative term. ]

-- Did you tell him who you are? [ ... ] I opted not to, myself. It didn't seem like it was my revelation to impart.

[Chuckles.]

I don't know. That might have been less awkward.

Less awkward, maybe. [ an almost-smile. ] But certainly less appropriate.

[ ... ] That said, if you want any sort of intercessions -- I don't mind shouting the man down. I've had more than enough practice.

[Tony's mood is definitely improving. The absurdity of the situation helps.]

Yeah, that I don't doubt. I also can't say it isn't something I sort of want to see.

I'll at least admit that it's cathartic. [ a quirk of her lips. ] Howard has caused me no end of grief.

[ -- and yet without him, she'd have lived such a duller life. and that's saying something, considering she was already a spy before she met him. ]

Shockingly, that I also believe.

[He sighs like maybe he wishes he didn't care enough to have questions.]

How long have you known him?

It was the war. [ brusque. tony doesn't need her to be sentimental -- far from it. ] Of course, Howard was only ever a civilian. Brought in to lend his mind to the S.S.R. and to the pursuit of victory.

[ -- she doesn't say those letters to just anyone. s.s.r. but tony is an avenger, isn't he? he ought to be able to handle the truth of the matter. ] He was brought in to help with Project Rebirth.

[ she waits -- wondering if the name means anything to this future stark. ]

[Huffs out a short laugh at that, shaking his head. Right, of course that's where they met. ]

Yeah, I knew about that one. Definitely his proudest achievement.

Edited 2016-02-16 21:12 (UTC)

I won't be caught disagreeing. Stark -- and Erskine -- performed something of a miracle, that day.

Is that what we're calling it? A miracle? Seems like kind of overstating it.

[A sigh.]

I'll give it this though - no one's managed to fully replicate the results. Not in 70 years. I've seen the research.

[ her hyperbole can't be helped -- she'd fallen in love with the results, after all. ]

Good. It shouldn't be replicated.

[Even Tony can't really disagree with that. Look where it had gotten Banner.]

Does he know about Steve? That he lived? I'm sure he'll be thrilled.

[ peggy almost -- almost -- goes to great lengths to explain that, yes, howard should be thrilled. after all, the man had devoted the better half of a year after ve day to searching out the valkyrie's wreckage. finding steve had been such an alluring fantasy that he'd allowed leviathan to leverage that desire against his better judgement.

but then she looks at tony's face and hears the emphasis in his tone. howard's son doesn't want to hear about how fixated his father had been on another man's life and death. awkwardly, she clears her throat. ]

I've explained that Captain Rogers is here. [ for all her love, she never simply calls him 'steve'. not with tony, at least. ] But I haven't broached too much about the future. Isn't really my bit to tell, I think.

Well. Probably no one should tell him anything, I mean for all we know I'll be pulling a Marty McFly any minute now.

[He takes a deep breath and rubs a hand over his eye, tired. He may not actually be concerned about disappearing, but he also doesn't want filling Howard Stark in on the future to be his responsibility.]

This is ridiculous.

Beg your pardon but -- [ BEAR WITH HER, TONY ] -- who or what is Marty McFly?

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