The Metropolis Not!Vengers in... Location, location, location!

[stands_for_hope]

[continued from here]

Steve wakes up slowly, happy and warm and content enough he's not sure where he is at first. The clues he gets initially aren't helpful because they're such universal parts of his life, as far as his hindbrain is concerned, that they're just a part of 'how he should wake up'.

There's a warm body up against him, deep brown hair pressed up against his nose and mouth that smells like home, a ratty old mattress beneath him that's too firm for anyone but someone like him--

And a metal arm across his stomach. Huh. That shakes some things loose.

It doesn't halt the grin on his face, though. That's... probably never going away, or at least it won't be budging anytime soon (probably until Jim looks at him, disgusted, and tells him to 'stop lookin' like a loon'). Instead, he just reaches over to grab his phone from the the bedside table (amazing the things that survive a plain crash when they're kept in the right pocket) and peers at the time.

Huh. Nearly two. That's fair. But--

"Hey, sleepyhead. You get some good rest?"

Comments

[kolodnoykovki]

His nod this time was slow and continual. "Eventually it was scented water," he laughed. "Hot water that smelled a little like coffee. Like potato soup was water and chopped potatoes and some salt and butter. You ate what you got."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"It was still good soup," Steve insisted.

"Many of my sisters remember times so lean as those. It is one of the reasons why we guard ourselves and our island so dearly. Our paradise was hard won."

She smiled at Jim and Steve both, admiration soft in her eyes.

"As was yours, I have come to see."

[kolodnoykovki]

"It wasn't a cakewalk," Jim agreed, "but even if times were skinny, so was Steve, so he didn't eat as much as me." That got a playful nudge. "And we made it."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Steve nudged him back and lifted his glass with a look around the table.

"To making it here," and he smiled warmly at all of them.

Clark and Lois raised their Cokes, followed by Diana.

[kolodnoykovki]

"To friends - and found families." Jim followed suit, smiling and clinking his all around in the toast.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Steve pulled his glass back and took a long pull, as did the others, before glancing down at his plate.

"And I am happily full," Steve said with a happy sigh, "full enough for just one piece of pie."

And Clark laughed as Lois snerked into her hand.

"Some things are universal," Diana noted, "and one of them is room for dessert."

[kolodnoykovki]

"Well, let's see here." He stood with that smile still in place, putting salad and sausage leftovers into the fridge, and pulling out the banana cream pie, which was placed in front of Steve, the chocolate, which was put in the middle, then the apple and blueberry - and the blueberry was put in front of Clark. Then came the ice cream, and after that-- "Okay, who's making whipped cream?"

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Steve stood up, but there was a blur before the sound of a couple of clatters and a bowl of whipped cream was deposited on to the tabletop.

Steve looked sideways before sighing dramatically.

"Is this where I say 'whippersnappers'?" Steve asked with a grin.

Clark just grinned and watched Steve settle back into his chair.

"You already cooked dinner. And now we can all enjoy the lovely dessert."

[kolodnoykovki]

Jim laughed. "Clark does the best magic tricks."

He pushed a spoon into the ice cream and got knives for the pies - and then settled in. "Two cold pies, two warm pies. Some good ice cream and fresh whipped cream. Let's have dessert."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Pies were sliced, dessert was served, and there was once more quite a bit if silence around the table as everyone enjoyed their pie. And if Steve nudged Jim's foot just a little, well...

It was a good little meal with the lot of them.

[kolodnoykovki]

After the nudge, Jim so very innocently, swung his leg around Steve's, his calf coming to rest along and across Steve's shin. He had enjoyed his blueberry pie with strawberry ice cream - and then a thin slice of chocolate with vanilla, whipped cream over all, but now it was time for... a strategic retreat. "Okay, that was good," he smiled innocently, "but now I think I'm gonna hit the showers. Anybody got anything interesting to do for the rest of the evening?"

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Diana looked to Lois.

"Lois was going to show me some movies that she says are very important for understanding the place of women in this world."

Clark took another bite before tipping his head towards his desk in the other apartment.

"I've got some work to get done since I'll be writing up the, ER, disappearance and reappearance of Captain America for the Planet."

"You need a statement, Clark?" Because of course Steve would offer.

"Nah, I'm good for the moment. I'll follow up with something more introspective in a couple of days. Then I'll ask for something."

Lois nodded sagely, as she had advised him to take that tack for better sales.

Steve turned to Jim.

"I'm gonna draw for a bit, I think."

[kolodnoykovki]

Jim nodded. "Sounds like we're all occupied, then. Already did my walk for the day. Might just catch a nap. After all," he said as he pushed back from the table, "I'm a man in my nineties. I need my rest."

And he headed back toward his room to get some clean clothes. The T-shirt and pants were fine. Everything under, on the other hand, needed a good change. He was still in love with showers - even though he knew he probably took too many. There was something about being able to get clean whenever he wanted.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Everyone dispersed and Steve took his sketchbook from the shops and headed into the room he'd woken up in with Jim to start working. Once there, he pulled off his shoes and his borrowed jeans and curled up on the bed in his socks, his boxers, and the over-large t-shirt that showed off his collar bones when it invariably fell off to one side. His sketchbook braced on his legs, he plucked the pencil out of the coil and started to draw.

[kolodnoykovki]

He took his time in the shower this time, enjoying the chance to wash off, enjoying the water through his much shorter hair, enjoying the feeling of water washing over his skin and rinsing away the dust from the streets, the car exhaust... He let himself soak until the water started to turn cold, and that was when he finally stepped out and toweled off.

He'd been able to wash off without a glove. It was a first and it had been a relief. It had made showering all the easier.

Still damp and shirtless, he headed over to his bedroom - their bedroom, and dropped onto the foot of the bed. "Did you wanna try some of those cream things?"

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Steve looked up from his work and... swallowed. Somewhat audibly. Then he glanced around the room before he found the bag from the pharmacy and nodded, leaning down and over to grab it by the loops.

"Sure! Did you want to, er, try one a night or, uh, do sections of each? It's up to you. It's your skin."

[kolodnoykovki]

He knew he was more muscular than he had been before - there was some effect of the serum on him, after all. He looked from his shoulder (the thing always looked worse after a shower thanks to the heat and any loose skin sloughing off) to the bag, then shrugged. "Let's make sure none of 'em hurt worse than they help first. So, tonight, we'll do sections."

But then, reaching over, he rested a hand against Steve's leg. "Unless you wanna wait on that 'til it gets closer to time for bed."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

He might have gained muscle, but Steve's eyes were purely on his face, on the wet strands of hair, the curve of his lips as he spoke. Steve stilled at the touch before slipping the pencil back in the coil and putting it aside.

"No, you shouldn't be uncomfortable any longer than you have to be. Let's get you all taken care of."

He tugged the various creams out of the bag and started carefully pulling open the packaging until they were left with a few tubes of cream sitting on his lap. The packaging was stuffed back into the bag to be dealt with later before he placed the whole of the thing off to the side of the bed and beckoned Jim closer to get things started.

[kolodnoykovki]

Jim watched him, smiling to himself at just how picky Steve was being -- and then, when motioned, he scooted toward him, turning so that his left arm was easier for Steve to reach, aware of just how it looked. "Don't worry - it looks worse than it feels. Just be careful of that edge. It's not all... grown together." It was, mostly. Skin having grown to the metal. But here and there, there were small gaps.

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"Just let me know if something hurts immediately," Steve said firmly as he pulled up the first of the tubes.

"I'm going to go alphabetical, starting at the top with a little section. Use the joint sectionals to divide them easily."

His fingers were gentle, careful, watching with the utmost attention to make sure that he didn't press or stretch the skin there.

"Still sleepy, or just wanted to hole up for the night?" Steve asked as he worked, his eyes firmly on his work, his fingers just as gentle.

[kolodnoykovki]

"Mm, not sleepy," he answered, holding still and letting Steve work. Someone being gentle was something new to him - but he couldn't expect anything else from Steve. "It's just that I've been teasing you all day and thought I might make good on it."

The first one didn't hurt, but it didn't do much of anything else, either. At least not at first. After a bit, it burned a little, then settled down. Interesting. "Hm. What's in that one?"

[justakidfrombrklyn]

"First one was calamine. Second one was cortizone," he informed Jim.

With his free elbow, he nudged Jim's other arm.

"You've been drivin' me nuts all day is what you've been doing. Like I haven't thought you were handsomest guy either side of the Atlantic since I could fit in your pocket."

[kolodnoykovki]

His left side still, he reached with his right hand to stroke Steve's side. "I'm still getting used to you being huge. An' I admit," he murmured, "I do wish I had the chance to kiss you while you were still shorter'n me. Had my arms around you for other reasons too much to enjoy it then."

[justakidfrombrklyn]

Steve's eyes slipped shut for a moment, just soaking in the touch.

"Used to keep me grounded, you know. You kept me warm, yeah, reminded me to breathe and rubbed my back and all that. But mostly, you just reminded me about the good parts, kept me fighting. Never was much good just fighting for me."

Then he breathed in and opened his eyes and pulled up the next tube to do the next section.

[kolodnoykovki]

"Used to love it when you fell asleep leaning on me." He moved just enough, just so to where the part Steve was working on was easier to reach. "It made me feel like I mattered. Like if I disappeared, at least one person would notice."