❄ 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

[letmetakeaselfie]

[ tony instantly wraps his arm back around her, though he leans into steve a little to facilitate the motion. ]

Her dad's a crazy inventor, I wouldn't know what that's like. [ he mentions off-hand as the little disney castle flashes across the screen. he can see the grains in the film but he's determined not to let it bother him when he knows how much steve will enjoy it and how much pepper already loves it. and there's something attractive about it that even tony sees, but can't identify. or maybe just refuses to because that would make him actually sentimental in some way. ]

[valuedstrength]

[Steve smiles, clearly interested. He could use another benchmark now that he'll be seeing this one. Steve laughs at the follow up comment.] Nope. I'm sure there's a perfectly nice princess for you to identify with somewhere.

[He knows Belle has a reputation for being smart, but has managed to stay unspoiled for the rest or else he'd know Belle was basically made for Pepper to identify with. The intro is starting now so he doesn't add to his comment. Steve is already sucked in. This part is definitely made for him.]

[efficacy]

[ Does that make Tony the Beast? Because Pepper could actually see some resemblances with a few things, there. Snuggled up against Tony, she's quiet through the whole prologue explaining the curse, and all the way up until the first musical number which happens pretty much right away. ]

She's considered odd because she reads and actually uses her head.

[ Sorry, she can't help the wryness of her tone, there. She also can't help but snort when Gaston makes his entrance -- he's seriously so gross. Pepper nudges Tony at the blonde triplets gushing over Gaston amidst the song. ] Oh look, they found some of your old groupies.

[letmetakeaselfie]

I'm already Team Anna remember? [ but then he's trying to stay quiet so steve can get into this part. it seems like he's already lost him and it makes him smile softly. a moment later he's making a soft noise at the nudge, turning towards pepper and shaking his head. ]

Mine had way better outfits.

[valuedstrength]

[Steve grins at Pepper's comment though it quickly fades at Gaston. Oh God it's Hodge and every other bully he knew in the 30s and early 40s all over again. Actually now that he thinks about the behavior of everyone in this town aside from Belle...

Steve shakes his head in dismay.] Well this is frighteningly familiar.

[efficacy]

Not all of them. [ She mutters it to Tony in response to the groupie clothing issue. Pepper makes another ugh of annoyance when Gaston asserts that books make women "have ideas" such as thinking. She just really doesn't like him, okay.

On the screen, the house behind Belle's back shakes and smokes on a huge explosion thanks to her inventor dad, and Pepper hums in agreement to Steve's remark. ] Yes, yes it is.

[letmetakeaselfie]

[ he rolls his eyes at their assessment, but he actually likes this part. not because he agrees with gaston on any level but because he's hilarious. he chuckles a little until his scene ends. and then the house is blowing up and it's not like he can contest that being familiar. oops? ]

This one came out in what? 1990?

[valuedstrength]

[Steve shrugs with the good shoulder even though he doubts the question was directed at him. Ice naps disqualifies him from these questions.] I am going to assume you were blowing up your house in the 90s too.

[Steve smiles at the antics of the inventor. This guy is great.]

[efficacy]

I think so. Or 1991. I do remember The Lion King came out in 94, and there's only Aladdin between that and this. [ She informs Tony, mostly, smiling fondly at Maurice's absentminded manner. ]

[letmetakeaselfie]

Well, yeah. I was doing it before it was cool. Just like this guy. [ his shoulder shrugs against steve's, leaning over to kiss pepper's cheek. ]

[valuedstrength]

[He shakes his head fondly. The eye glasses remind him a bit of Howard though the other man would have made an effort to make more attractive eyewear since he was a show off. It doesn't make him too sad since he's busy being happy for Maurice's success. To the surprise of no one he yet again has strong feelings about a fictional character.]

[efficacy]

It became cool at some point? [ But the pointed remark comes with a smile, bumping her nose against Tony's face before he pulls back from the peck to her cheek.

Then Maurice is taking off with his invention, and you don't have to be a genius to know the darkening forest, scared horse and vaguely ominous music are signs that something's about to go wrong. She bites her lip, even though she knows what's happening next. ]

[letmetakeaselfie]

Can we get a horse? I like how it has fluffy hair stuff on its feet.

[valuedstrength]

[Steve looks anxious as the scene presses on. Can fathers get eaten by wolves in a Disney movie? He honestly isn't sure. Tony's question snaps him out of it. He glances over at him.] That's a terrible reason to get a horse.

[Okay back to resisting the urge to ask Pepper if Maurice is going to be wolf food aka watching the movie.]

[efficacy]

No, Tony. [ Wryly but firmly. No, Tony is seriously going to be the name of her memoirs if she ever ends up writing them.

Pepper flicks her gaze furtively at Steve, half of her interest in the whole movie about watching him react to the events of it. Poor Maurice finally eludes the wolves and finds refuge in the castle, a sympathetic Lumiere welcoming him inside while the ever-reluctant Cogsworth tries to persuade them otherwise. ]

[letmetakeaselfie]

[ he flashes her a smile like 'what?' he had to try didn't he. he too is more interested in how steve is reacting to the whole thing. ]

You alright there, buddy? [ tony pats his knee with his free hand in a comforting gesture, he looked shaken by that near death for the old man scene. ]

[valuedstrength]

[Steve is visibly relieved that moment has passed. He's still wary even knowing the fairytale since Disney has a reputation.] Yeah... I mean they can't kill off every parent that appears in one of these movies, right?

[Guys please validate him on this. He really likes Maurice.]

[efficacy]

[ Pepper winces just slightly. Disney movies do have that problem, don't they? He's going to hate what happens in The Lion King. ]

No. [ She hurries to reassure. A beat passes. ] At least not in this movie.

[letmetakeaselfie]

[ he's glad that question was directed at pepper, but he can't help but chip in: ] Don't get used to it, it's one of the only ones.

[valuedstrength]

[Steve is immediately relieved and starts to return to fully immersing himself into the story. Then Tony (+Pepper) has to go and add that. The soldier throws a sour look his way. (Like he can get mad at Pepper.)] You're not going to be happy until I finally cry over one of these, are you?

[efficacy]

Well, Tony has no room to talk about crying during Disney movies. [ She says it like she's not cuddling up to the man in question, but the smirk she's unsuccessfully trying to hide says she very much knows what she's doing. ] But some of these so-called children's movies are just really sad. I was a mess during Up.

[ And she's never watching that movie again. ]

[letmetakeaselfie]

Wow. I'm going to need dry-cleaning to get the tire tracks off my back. You both suck. [ but they'd both held his hand while he cried about disney princesses so really -- it's a fair assessment. ]

And we don't talk about Up. [ it's firm; almost venemous. that movie is not allowed. he reaches out and takes steve's hand while they watch belle fret over her father's absence. and gaston's incompetence. this part is stressful for him, okay, no matter what he said. ]

[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.