driftfleet | Action | Who needs a gosh dang drink??

Who: Steve and everyone else who just needs to get drunk. One closed to existing CR
Broadcast: No
Action: The Iskaulit/Space Bar
When: Post Calibrations/Bombing the eff out of Marsiva

[OPEN]

Tony would probably be proud of Steve, if he were able to see him right now. He'd slap his back and welcome him back to the world of inebriation while ordering shots for everyone in the bar to commemorate the day. As it is, though, Tony isn't here and, without him, there's not a damn person who would feel proud in this entire bar. That's part of it's charm.

Steve sighs and swallows his fourth drink. It's strong and alien and somehow enough to give him a strong buzz but not enough to really get him drunk. Not yet, at least. But he's not a quitter, so bottom's up! He hisses a little at the burn of it and feels, not for the first time, like he was being a coward. He saw some stuff in those rooms, sure. But other people had it so much worse. Saw so much more. He should really be thankful, actually.

But he's not. And this is a 30's approved way of getting over trauma. There were worse ways of coping, he was sure. So for now he's just going to stay in his seat and keep ordering drinks until that elusive drunken state hits him once more.

Should only take another hour or three.

[CLOSED TO EXISTING CR]

No one could blame Steve for starting. He'd messaged his friends about fifteen minutes ago, telling them to meet him at the bar for some drinks. But just sitting here, waiting? It was done better with a drink in hand to look social, at least. And it's not like that one is going to be his last. No, after Calibrations he can imagine himself coming over here quite often. He can imagine all of them coming here quite often, in fact. But maybe tonight (today? Space was hard to judge) would help take some of the sting off. Or at least some of the awkwardness.

But it wasn't as though they <i>chose</i> to share all of that. Loki, Steve is sure, would have preferred to keep his death to himself. And Thor? I am sure half of those memories were things he'd rather not have replayed over and over again. And <i>Hux</i>. God... That was just what Steve knew of. Who knew what other people had put his friends through? What they'd been through themselves?

Steve preemptively orders another drink for whoever shows up first. Whoever it was, he's sure they won't say no. Not now.

First round is on him.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

We can always add it to the list. [The list of all the many things they are trying to work out while they're here. Ways of getting to different worlds or undermining the Atroma.]

I did not take it gracefully when I found out. Many drinks were had and the entire prison was drunk dialed about it.

[Steve laughs a little even though it's not funny. Drunk dialing a prison. Yeah. He can see that. And he's not sure he'd do differently; he found out Bucky dies in his future along with half the universe and the only reason that hasn't sent him spiraling is because he's actively not thinking about it.]

No one could blame you for that. But we're gonna figure it out. I'm not gonna let you walk back into your death unaware. Not if I can help it.

[It was kind of funny. Now anyway. Maybe not back then. It was also a memory several fleet members saw recently in calibrations so it's out there.]

Steve, don't take on more heroing than you can bite off. [She's worried about what state he'll be in when friends start disappearing as they always do here.]

[He shrugs.]

I can handle a lot, trust me. And I have friends to help me with what I can't. Right?

You do seem like a friend-making kind of guy. [She smiles at him.] I guess you don't need me to tell you that you can't save everyone. [Which is why she'll say it in this somewhat disguised way!]

[Steve just smiles because he's heard it all before. Many times before.]

You can't save everyone but that doesn't mean you can't try to.

I feel like I need a nap just hearing that. [Says the girl who never stopped fighting for people either.]

[Steve laughs, familiar with that reaction.]

Yeah, well. I kind of signed up for it.

Did you? Because I feel like there might have been some twists and turns you weren't expecting. Just a couple.

[Steve laughs loudly at that. He has to hand it to Kitty, she nailed it on the head. Although 'twists and turns' might be just a smidgen mild.]

Yeah. Just a few here and there. Part of the job. I'm sure you think of it the same way with the X-men.

It felt less like a job and more like a lifestyle. Especially because no one was paying us and pretty much everyone hated us. [She miles. It's true. It sucked. But sometimes you gotta smile at the bad things so they don't get to you?] But I'm guessing you didn't really have hours where you really felt off the clock either.

The Avengers are more like a family. We might have been paid by SHIELD but we were doing it to help people. Help each other too, maybe. [They'd all needed it. That was part of the reason it hurt so bad when they crumbled apart. That it had been so much his fault that it had.]

Crime doesn't take a break and neither do we. That's the price we pay for extraordinary abilities.

I understand the helping each other too part. That kind of thing gives you a purpose and a family like you said. And not everyone has another family outside of that. [She doesn't. She doesn't expect Steve would in the future. No one he'd know anyway. No one but Bucky.]

You consider your powers a gift?

[Steve's not been asked that before. Not like that. It surprises him that an answer isn't immediately in his mind.] I guess... I know it's a gift that was given to me. One I asked for but... I don't know. I guess I never considered them 'powers'.

[He looks down at his arms as he had once before, years ago, considering.]

It's me. Just...More. And it's a responsibility, really. Something I have to serve others with.

You but more, huh? [She nods.] I could see that. After all, you still see yourself like you were. Or at least you did at calibrations.

[She tilts her head.] Do you ever get selfish or is this your only setting?

[Steve laughs at that, shaking his head.] I've had my moments, I'm sure. [Sometime, surely. Although he can't think of one.]

My friend would probably argue with that, though. She's wanted me to do things for myself for years. Not how I'm built I guess.

[If you can't think of any you are proving her point, sir!]

Is your mysterious friend, Natasha?

[Steve laughs loud.]

Yeah. Yeah, that'd be Nat.

She's probably right you know. She has that way about her.

She does... [Steve still shakes his head not wanting to admit that.]

I don't know that I'm ready for all that though.

Are we ever really ready for the things we do? [She's not sure this statement applies to all lives, but she figures it applies to hers and maybe to Steve's well enough.] Sometimes you just have to take those first steps and hope you catch up with yourself.

[From the mouth of babes. Steve blinks, surprised at the wise words.]

I guess maybe we're not. I'll...keep that in mind, Kitty. Thanks. You might have a good point.

[She's lived a lot of life in not a lot of years.]

You sound way too surprised that I had a good point.

[Busted.]

No, it's not that. [For being a bad liar, Steve sure tries a lot.] I've just heard that advice many times from many people. This is the first one that really landed.

[She feels so special and unique now with her totally common advice given by so many!] Well, I'm glad it landed. Maybe it was the drinks you had before I got here.

(no subject)

brooklyn_boy - 2019-03-18 02:35 (UTC) - Expand

passingthrough - 2019-03-18 02:37 (UTC) - Expand

brooklyn_boy - 2019-03-18 03:07 (UTC) - Expand

passingthrough - 2019-03-18 03:14 (UTC) - Expand

Wrap?

brooklyn_boy - 2019-03-18 16:49 (UTC) - Expand

Sure!

passingthrough - 2019-03-18 17:50 (UTC) - Expand