penistower | And you could have it all

Rhodey is distracting the government types long enough for Tony to hack into the airspace and make sure none of this is being recorded. He loops the moments before the Milano pierces the atmosphere and plays them back, knowing by the time he's out of the system and they figure it out they won't be able to prove it was anything but a technical malfunction. He does all of this from his phone as he stands near the landing pad with Steve flanking his side. He's trying to do things right this time -- no more lone gunslinger act, as Pepper had phrased it.

He looks over his sunglasses at the spaceship as it decompresses, wondering who he's just invited over for dinner. Hopefully they're friendly... When the platform descends it really is just like Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He can't help but geek out a little. He'd technically met space aliens before, and Asgardians, etc. but somehow this is way cooler. "Welcome to Earth and please watch your step, we don't have liability insurance yet."

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He sets down the controller the moment she brings his shirt into it. Steve glances away awkwardly. The truth is he never thinks about stuff like that. He just likes not having to swim in oversized shirts anymore.

He skips the explanation since she's asking him a question. Steve forces himself to forge eye contact as he answers. "You're funny, reliable, and smart. I like being around you." Each one is delivered with equal weight. He lets out a soft laugh and tacks on jokingly, "I don't hate anything on you too if that makes any difference." He honestly does wonder since it's a given Natasha is beautiful, but that's not the appeal to him at all. He likes her first. It's just an added bonus that he could stare at her for hours if allowed to.

She makes herself hold his eyes while he speaks to what he believes to be her best qualities. She's never been good at accepting praise, or even recognizing her own strengths that aren't in some way tactical. Even her universally appealing looks are something she only thinks about to aid her in earning trust from strangers. It's why Steve making her attractiveness an afterthought is somehow sweet. Natasha thinks it's the same way for him, which is why she goes out of her way to only mention his looks in a light, joking way. She owes him a response now, but everything seems lame in the face of such earnest speech.

"Steve..." she begins, unable to completely conceal her tone which speaks to how nervous she is and how, despite pursuing this line of questioning herself, she really is frightened of the outcome. More than she's ever been frightened of an opponent. "I'm wearing sweatpants." It's after a thoughtful pause, as if that's the most important thing she can think of to counter him right now. As of her feelings weren't already lame enough.

Her hand reaches out of its own accord and hooks in the crook of his elbow, as if imploring him to ignore her stupid words and listen to her thoughts. She knows he can't read minds, or even really guess at what she's thinking when she doesn't know half the time. All she wants to do is systematically argue with every positive thing he ever says about her but that isn't productive.

"When I'm around you everything makes a little more sense. Like the picture's in higher resolution." It's dumb and profound at the same time, and she's also pretty sure it makes no sense. But it's how she feels anyway. Things are in Technicolor when Steve Rogers is around, and he deserves to know that.

"And you look great in them." He responds just as earnestly. Steve leaves his commentary there in favor of listening to her. It's strange to see her nervous. It makes him want to do his best to stay calm and collected in all this. While he glances down at her hand when she touches him, he does his best to stay neutral otherwise.

The magnitude of her words hits him hard though. Steve's gaze soften immediately because he does get it. Hearing her say that makes him picture Dorothy stepping out of the house into Oz. If he can do that anyone, well, he's a lucky man. "Nat..."

"You're my favorite person. You know that, right? I don't know what is going to happen to us, but I just hope when this is all over you're still with me. I can't do this without you."

His one-liner and then the way he says her name has her heart fluttering. She leans a little closer unconsciously, as if forever drawn into his orbit. Green eyes open wide and latch onto his, holding his gaze tightly like a promise while he delivers yet another round of proclamations. Steve is always so dramatic, but at the same time... she can't say she minds the content this time around. "Steve..." Her hand glides up his arm and over one muscled shoulder to cup his jaw. It's a strangely tender gesture in the midst of everything impending now. Once she's started she can't seem to stop touching him, though.

"We have a pact remember?" It's a grim sort of joke, a tone he's used to from her. The truth is she isn't sure how to go on without him either, which is why she had to make him promise to at least try to make it through this. She shakes her head. "I've never been anyone's favorite person before. That's a lot of pressure." Especially since she really had no idea. In retrospect she should have, she thinks. They spend more one-on-one time together than anyone else in the group. They share intimate secrets and touch even when there isn't much reason to -- kind of like now. Natasha draws her hand away at the thought, forcing a smile she doesn't really feel.

"I can't do this without you either." She almost didn't say it, it felt like a given considering everything. But she isn't taking that for granted anymore, especially not now. They're both too thick to spend time mincing words so close to the end. Or what could be the end.

And you could have it all - My empire of dirt.

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