thisavrou_log | Gone before the sun has turned the west to gold;

Who: Tony Stark, Pietro Maximoff
When: August 4th
Where: Mess hall, probably a secluded shady corner after that, who knows.
What: it started out as a joke how did it end up like this aka pietro and tony find some closure
Warnings: TDB

[ He's used to it--the dismal power, the odd and semi uncomfortable conditions. The precious scant minutes of hot water are a luxury and it reminds him of a time not at Strucker's base, but of Sokovia in general, tattered and broken with only his sister and outrage at the state of things to really hold on to.

He can't believe it, but he was getting comfortable. Spoiled, a small voice inside his head tells him. He wonders if it's true, or if he's just becoming more and more of the type of person that second guesses themselves. Odd, how he'd never been like that before. Maybe this ship really is getting to him, low power and strange new captains be damned. The sudden change is unsettling in that respect, but he's not about to make a scene or do anything. Not now. Not when he has other people on the ship he cares about.

Wanda of course, without question, but he's found he even has a soft spot for Peter now. A few others, too-hell, he'd even talk to Jesica Jones without getting his proverbial hackles raised. Currently, he's more focused on the fact that he's finished his dismal rations that can barely be called a meal in his opinion. How he misses the endless supply of anything edible, especially sweets. 'Spoiled' flashes into his mind again, and he looks up from his empty plate in the mess hall to spot one Tony Stark.

Huh. Colour him surprsied. ]

I thought you never left the engineering cave.

[ It's nothing more than a quip, light and sarcastic, as he stands up and picks his empty tray up.]

Or have you not found a way to properly put an IV full of coffee into your arm yet?

[ He can do this. He can be normal in front of Stark. He can be a normal person in general, see?. ]

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[ Tony half-turns, not even initially sure he's the one being addressed. But when he spots Pietro, it becomes pretty obvious.

This guy again. Tony gives him a perfectly unimpressed look, but feels a familiar tension wind its way back into his shoulders. His first encounter with the kid had been vague and unsettling enough to stick with him, even two months later. The accent stands out now, too, especially knowing what he knows about Sokovia. After talking to Wanda more than once.

He doesn't know for sure, but he has an inkling. His inklings are usually good. ]

Yeah, I tried that, but turns out it burns on the way in. [ It begs the question whether he actually has tried this or not. ] I emerge just long enough to grace all the other caffeine addicts with my presence.

[ Pietro doesn't bother to hide his disgust at the comment--he'd been joking but Tony has to go and take it a little too far for his liking. Imagining that sensation is kind of gross, Tony, jesus.

His small pout is wiped clean when he looks from Tony to the actual drink in question, and his hand curls around his chin, scratching at his stubble for a few moments. ]

I suppose that cup isn't as good as what your money can buy usually. What is it--Jamaican blue mountain? Is that the expensive one?

[ Rule #1: don't start what you don't want Tony Stark to finish. ]

"The expensive one" is kopi luwak, and I'd tell you all about it, but you'll be much happier if I don't.

[ Don't ever say he never did anything for you, guy. Normally he'd shoot back some snippy comment about not realizing 'drinking coffee, minding his own business' warranted a peanut gallery, but something curbs his tongue. Instead, ]

Y'know, I don't think I caught your name before.

[ Pietro's eyes narrow for what feels like the umpteenth time, and he's beginning to wonder why he bothers when Tony says something else that makes him pause. Just for a moment, of course: because he's surging up and zooming towards him, snatching the coffee along his way and, simply because he feels like being petty to the man that built an army of killer robots, pointedly takes a large slurp of his coffee, now to the side of him, his pinkie finger out rather daintily. ]

Maybe you were too busy making a mess of your toys and endangering the entire world to actually let it register.

[ Tony's never seen Pietro's power before. In fact, he had no idea Pietro had any kind of power.

So, naturally, two things follow: first, Pietro manages to snatch the coffee cup without any issue, because what the fuck, who prepares themselves for these things. And second, he stares at Pietro in offended, vaguely hostile silence for a long moment or two.

What the fuck. If this guy really is related to Wanda like he suspects, he probably should have figured. ]

[ He makes no move to snatch the coffee back. It's yours now, buddy. Instead he just breaks his silence, looking and sounding about as irritated as he feels. If he never again has someone slinging shit at him for things he doesn't remember, it'll be too soon. ]

Yeah, y'know what, look. This is about that Ultron thing, right? I'm from years before that ever happens, so all your witty references are totally wasted on me.

[ But the sting of it is real, of course, because not remembering it doesn't mean he doesn't feel guilty about it, and that just pisses him off, too. Guilty about mistakes he hasn't even made yet. Fantastic. ]

[ Pietro hesitates--or rather, he pauses, which is something he hasn't really done since Strucker. It's brief, but it's there--an extra blink of his eyes, a slight part of his lips.

It explains a bit--it explains a lot, but he can't quite help the bitterness in his throat. At least Tony knows about Ultron and what he's done. Maybe in his timeline, or universe, or whatever, he can fix it before it becomes a problem. ]

For a while, I thought Ultron had a point. [ It sounds strange admitting it out loud. ] My sister and I, we thought he would solve all of our problems. We thought he would solve the problem of you. But you weren't the problem, in the end.

[ This is stupid. This is stupid and this is hard, so he stares at his coffee for a few moments, and then looks over at the avenger. ]

If it helps, I'm told you win against him. Save the day like the Avengers always do.

Yeah, no, it really doesn't.

[ Thanks anyway, kid, but this is one he's gonna carry around with him because it's his goddamn job to do so, and he has the decency to know that. But he can't help wondering if there was a time when Atlas didn't even know what he was carrying, or why. ]

If Ultron was a peacekeeping initiative, like he was supposed to be - maybe he really could've solved some of those problems. But we'll never get to know, and I can't say it matters at this point.

[ He can't quite bring himself to look at Pietro when he says it, but he does lift his gaze when he's done. Now that he has confirmation that that Pietro and Wanda are related, it raises the question... ]

What, you're not an Avenger too?

[ He laughs. Pietro laughs but it's bitter and humourless, filled with spite and an edge of hate. Does he regret what happened? No. He doesn't regret how it happened, either--Pietro has never, ever been one for things like regret. It slows him down.

Aah, the palpable irony. ]

I didn't have time to be, Stark. Ultron saw to that.

[ And yes, there's a hint of bitterness in his voice. Even if he takes another sip of Tony's coffee. He knows he shouldn't be mad at Tony himself, but it's hard not to be upset about the entire situation. ]

Ultron—

[ 'Saw to that'? It takes a moment for Pietro's meaning to sink in - because there's really only one thing he could be hinting at here, isn't there? - and when it does, Pietro gets the dubious honor of actually robbing Tony Stark of his constant stream of words.

He'd heard, in the vaguest terms, what kind of destruction Ultron was responsible for. But that's different from coming face-to-face with a casualty. A casualty that Tony himself is responsible for, at the end of the day.

He even has the good grace to look exactly has horrified as he should. ]

Gone before the sun has turned the west to gold;

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