❄ but the most special are the most lonely ❄

[letmetakeaselfie]

I. ( tony + steve + bruce )

[ tony's face-plate comes up, all but dragging steve over the threshold. he just has to focus on keeping the super soldier awake so they can get to bruce and get patched up. and then everything will be fine - it'll all be fine. nevermind that cap's best friend is now a psycho killer and is totally on the loose and natasha blew up s.h.i.e.l.d. via the interwebs and put a huge target on all of their heads.

at least he's not panicking.

he has no actual way of knowing how injured he personally is under the suit, either. he's in so much shock and so jacked up on adrenaline that anything is possible. he just hopes it isn't beyond the doctor's scope. JARVIS puts in the passcode wirelessly so tony can carry steve through the door, princess-style. ]

Medic? We need a medic... [ the joke dies on his lips, meeting bruce's gaze across the room. god is he a sight for sore eyes. ]

II. ( tony + steve + bruce + pepper )

[ once tony and steve are cleaned up and back in their street clothes, they may as well get ready for the q&a that's coming. there are a lot of things he's still not willing to discuss - peggy and her husband; his father; bucky... but neither of them are going to get a choice. he loves pepper and bruce with all (both) his heart(s) but this is some heavy shit, so instead he just blurts out the first thing that comes to his mind.

it's also the dumbest. ] Widow will be happy you finally got yourself a date, huh, Cap? [ he nudges the other man's shoulder and looks to everyone else, sorry. that's the best he's got. ]

III. ( tony + steve )

[ tony wanders out to the living room, finding steve out on the couch where he'd left him. he knows just by the unsteady rise and fall of his chest that he's not sleeping. how could either of them after that? without saying a word, he slots his slighter frame in next to him, carefully avoiding both of their injuries and pulling out his phone. ]

I wasn't kidding about that like page, you know. [ he shows cap the facebook fan page that allegedly phil set up. it has a much more flattering image than the twitter. also 14 million something likes. ] You have almost as many fans as me.

[ he's not even being cheeky (much), he has over 19 million. ]

IV. ( tony + pepper )

[ pepper's not up yet and tony hasn't slept yet, which really, if it weren't so commonplace by now might be more traumatic. as it is, he eyes her heels at the base of the bed; she had fallen asleep in her clothes. poor pepper, he'd probably exhausted her and worried her sick with all of this. again, par for their course, but still.

before he can talk himself out of it, he sits on a corner of the bed and goes about trying to get his feet into her shoes. she would totally kill him if she woke up right now, but as they'd established that day they went to the park, it was really hard being short. ] What does she have, elf feet...?

[ he asks the open air, wobbling to his feet and immediately falling to the ground. this wasn't his best laid plan by far. he's just going to lay here for a while. this carpet is soft and his entire body is a bruise. ]

Comments

[valuedstrength]

I take it we're never seeing that one then. [For the best really. He'd never get past that opening. Hell he probably wouldn't get out of bed for a week afterward. Steve squeezes Tony's hand, moving just a little closer as he does it. He'll claim later that he was hogging the space and not being supportive if Tony wants. For now he is wholly absorbed in watching the other shoe drop on this.]

She really needs a gun. [He hopes the wolves leave Belle alone. :(]

[efficacy]

Nobody here needs any more trauma. [ Yeah, that's a resounding "no" to Up.

Belle is safe from the wolves (for now!) and is wandering the castle, calling out for her father. As Lumiere and Cogsworth lure her up the tower where Maurice is held captive, Pepper makes a small, contemplative sound. ]

I don't know how come nobody in the village knew about the castle. I don't think it's that far away. Or that there was a prince in it who suddenly was never to be seen again.

[ She probably shouldn't try to look for so much logic in a cartoon. ]

[letmetakeaselfie]

Never again. [ tony agrees, even as he squeezes steve's hand and reels in pepper a little tighter. ]

They probably thought he got eaten by wolves - there are enough of them in this freaking woods.

[valuedstrength]

You'd think Gaston would have gotten on the wolf problem by now given that he's a hunter and all. [He supposes there is no glory in ensuring public safety when you are a complete jerk.] It's a night's journey away for someone probably going pretty slow so your guess is as good as mine. Maybe they just wanted to forget him. He's not exactly Prince Charming.

[efficacy]

Hm. But, if the magic rose only bloomed until the prince turned twenty-one, he probably would've only been a teenager when he was cursed. Maybe it's the enchantress that's the real bad guy, here. Cursing a spoiled kid over being rude sounds a little extreme.

[ Okay, she promises she's done now. Belle has found Maurice who's urging her to gtfo, so you know the Beast is about to show up again. ]

[letmetakeaselfie]

Wow. So, when you put it that way... [ maybe he really is the beast. he looks concerned for a second before turning his attention back to the screen. he flinches a little when the beast comes up behind her. why do people always do that in movies? and like irl when they're sinister dickbags and stuff. ]

[valuedstrength]

Tell me about it. [He wonders if Belle will get to fight the enchantress at the end. That would be pretty neat. Steve edges in a little closer when Tony flinches, offering a small smile even if that was genuinely creepy scene. Damn Beast that was kind of unsettling. It shows on Steve's face that he's surprised the beast is so intimidating?]

They really didn't pull any punches with this guy.

[efficacy]

[ Pepper's hand climbs up from where it had been lying on Tony's stomach, settling closer to the reactor, thumb rubbing soothingly -- either in response to his flinch or as if guessing where his trail of thought had taken him. Or both. ]

Guess they had to have him live up to his moniker.

[letmetakeaselfie]

[ he feels supported to an almost stifling degree, unsure which way to lean towards so he just settles back against the headboard and allows the comfort to seep into his bones. these people care about him and they're safe. and they're watching a really old cartoon and getting way too emotional about it already. no really, everything is great. his shoulder slots in next to steve's even as he flashes pepper a knowing look, grateful as ever that she seemed to be able to read his mind. ]

Yeah if he were lame this movie wouldn't even be a thing. He needs to be as creepy as he was handsome or something, or the curse was kind of a bust. You guys know what I'm saying, he couldn't have been like, a terrier. [ he has no idea what he's saying tbh don't let him ruin this part where he's showing belle her room and she's throwing a tantrum. ]

[valuedstrength]

[Steve nods along at their assessments. He winces a little at Beast's freakout. Not from any underlying trauma mind you. It's just watching a train wreck.] He really is out of touch.

[Like does he really not understand holding someone prisoner doesn't make them like you??]

[efficacy]

[ Pepper hums a little in agreement as Beast makes up the you don't eat with me you don't eat at all rule when Bella turns him down. ]

Belle should've just thrown her shoes at him. [ Hey it kind of worked for her with her own "beast". ]

[letmetakeaselfie]

[ wow pepper wow. now he's definitely thinking of himself as the beast. ]

Do you want to say something, Potts? [ he turns into steve a little so he can give her a look. not that it's wholly serious. steve's right this guys totally aspy. ]

[valuedstrength]

[Steve raises a brow at both of them. There is a story there he would love to hear someday. For now though he can't help nodding in agreement.] Not as good as shield, but... well except for that one time.

[He doesn't even explain himself because poor Belle!! Don't cry, babe. :(]

[efficacy]

Who, me? Just speaking in hypotheticals, honey. [ She smiles sweetly at Tony and pats his chest with her hand in a little there, there gesture, not hypothetical in the least. She'd also like to ask Steve about that cryptic "one time" but he seems too invested in Belle's distress that she doesn't want to disturb him. ]

[letmetakeaselfie]

Of course you are, honey. [ he rests his chin against the side of her face despite the browbeating he's taking, squeezing steve's hand again. ]

What 'one time' was that?

[valuedstrength]

[Steve smiles at their conversation, only half listening as he's engrossed in the story. Tony's hand squeeze is enough to draw him out however.] Hm? Right not sure if this a story I should be telling during a Disney movie, but... [Since Tony asked he may as well give the short version.] I got pinned down by this guy with a flamethrower so Peggy stabbed one of them in the eye with one of her heels.

[Oh wait that doesn't make a lot of sense out of context. Steve quickly adds.] Flamethrowers used to be really heavy so if you could move fast and were crazy enough, you could hit them up close.

[That explains everything, right?]

[efficacy]

...Oh. [ Pepper's never actually met Peggy, but this isn't the first time she's heard of the other woman's exploits. After a beat, Pepper decides, ] I like her style. I can definitely understand the impulse, flamethrowers or no.

[ And before he asks, she tells Tony, ] Not talking about you.

[ Oh look, it's almost time for Be Our Guest. ]

[letmetakeaselfie]

She's got moxie, that's for sure. [ he throws a little glance steve's way, he's pretty sure he sounded like his father just then but for once it's okay with him. especially where peggy is concerned. ] That's gotta hurt though, ouch.

[ but now be our guest is in full swing and even tony can't talk through that. he just grins at lumiere and the feather duster, his eyes reflecting the bright colors of the scene. ]

[valuedstrength]

Oh yeah. The only person crazier than me was her. [Steve nods, wincing a little at the memory. Oh it did hurt. A lot. That guy screamed until Bucky put him down. Needless to say, Steve isn't finishing that story.

Thankfully Be Our Guest comes on and yeah. You've lost him, guys. This musical number is awesome. He's going to hum this all week.]

[efficacy]

[ They can probably guess exactly how that story ended up, anyway.

Pepper's seen this movie enough times that though she can still appreciate it, she's more charmed right now by the obvious enjoyment of the two grown men -- superheroes, no less -- as they get into the scene and the music. It's pretty damn adorable, and with a warm smile, she cozies up a little further against Tony's side, turning her gaze on the screen. ]