VERY BELATED, sorry. I had serious writers' block there for a while. Part 1/2.
Steve can't sleep. He's been getting by on 2-3 hours per night since coming back, and he thinks the Serum must be compensating, because normal people couldn't do that. Not and still function. So he's mostly fine. But he's just so tired.
Tony finds him in the living room, trying to figure out the remote control to the TV. It's a TV Tony modified, which makes the remote about eight times more complicated than a normal one, given how many options Tony made available. Normally Steve can operate it just fine, but tonight exhaustion is making his fingers clumsy.
"Hey," Tony says. "Hey, Steve, give me that. What are--there's really nothing on right now, but Europe is up and awake, so there might, like--" He takes over the remote and ends up with a British quiz show of some sort. "There, that's suitably boring, it should put you to sleep right away."
"It really won't," Steve says, because he already slept two hours and was jolted awake by nothing, heart hammering. He won't be sleeping any more tonight, he's just holding off on the coffee because he's stubborn.
"Fine," Tony says. "Then we'll be awake and mock the British together, that should be good for you, right, it's probably in your job description." He sits down right next to Steve, fiddling with his phone. Tony always fiddles with things, so Steve doesn't think too much of it until Pepper comes in, rubbing at her eyes.
"Tony," she says tiredly. "Your definition of an emergency leaves something to be desired."
"Steve can't sleep," Tony says, blinking innocently at her. "You should come watch terrible TV with us, it's kind of fun."
"Oh," she says, and gets on Steve's other side, leaning against him.
"Seriously, it's fine," Steve says. "I'm fine. You guys don't have to stay up because I can't sleep."
"Shhh," Tony says. "You're talking over the TV." He nudges Steve into slouching a little on the couch. "There, isn't that comfier?"
"Sure," Steve says helplessly.
An hour later, Bruce wanders into the living room. He blinks when he sees them. "You're up early," he says.
"So are you," Pepper points out. Her voice is warm. Steve has noticed she really seems to like Bruce. As does Tony. And Steve, of course, but the two of them look at Bruce Banner like they want to keep him.
"Well, I left an experiment running, you know how it is. I had to set an alarm to get up and check on it."
"You know Jarvis can do that, can't you Jarvis?" Tony says.
"Of course, sir," Jarvis says. "I did offer." Steve will never understand how Tony's robot--AI, they call him--has such a pronounced personality. Though he supposes Tony has enough personality for five people, it would make sense that his AI got some spillover.
"I like keeping an eye on things," Bruce says.
"That makes sense," Pepper says. "But you should come watch TV with us, just this once." Bruce sits down next to Tony, which is apparently Tony's cue to squirm around until he has his head in Bruce's lap and his legs over Steve's.
"Mmm, comfy," he says. "Pepper, can you get the--"
"Yes," she says, and presses something on the couch, and suddenly it starts shifting. "You know Tony, I have to say, this was one of your better ideas."
Steve doesn't understand what she means until the couch has finished shifting, and it's suddenly much bigger, much softer, and they're sort of all piled together.
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Date: 2012-06-17 07:44 am (UTC)Steve can't sleep. He's been getting by on 2-3 hours per night since coming back, and he thinks the Serum must be compensating, because normal people couldn't do that. Not and still function. So he's mostly fine. But he's just so tired.
Tony finds him in the living room, trying to figure out the remote control to the TV. It's a TV Tony modified, which makes the remote about eight times more complicated than a normal one, given how many options Tony made available. Normally Steve can operate it just fine, but tonight exhaustion is making his fingers clumsy.
"Hey," Tony says. "Hey, Steve, give me that. What are--there's really nothing on right now, but Europe is up and awake, so there might, like--" He takes over the remote and ends up with a British quiz show of some sort. "There, that's suitably boring, it should put you to sleep right away."
"It really won't," Steve says, because he already slept two hours and was jolted awake by nothing, heart hammering. He won't be sleeping any more tonight, he's just holding off on the coffee because he's stubborn.
"Fine," Tony says. "Then we'll be awake and mock the British together, that should be good for you, right, it's probably in your job description." He sits down right next to Steve, fiddling with his phone. Tony always fiddles with things, so Steve doesn't think too much of it until Pepper comes in, rubbing at her eyes.
"Tony," she says tiredly. "Your definition of an emergency leaves something to be desired."
"Steve can't sleep," Tony says, blinking innocently at her. "You should come watch terrible TV with us, it's kind of fun."
"Oh," she says, and gets on Steve's other side, leaning against him.
"Seriously, it's fine," Steve says. "I'm fine. You guys don't have to stay up because I can't sleep."
"Shhh," Tony says. "You're talking over the TV." He nudges Steve into slouching a little on the couch. "There, isn't that comfier?"
"Sure," Steve says helplessly.
An hour later, Bruce wanders into the living room. He blinks when he sees them. "You're up early," he says.
"So are you," Pepper points out. Her voice is warm. Steve has noticed she really seems to like Bruce. As does Tony. And Steve, of course, but the two of them look at Bruce Banner like they want to keep him.
"Well, I left an experiment running, you know how it is. I had to set an alarm to get up and check on it."
"You know Jarvis can do that, can't you Jarvis?" Tony says.
"Of course, sir," Jarvis says. "I did offer." Steve will never understand how Tony's robot--AI, they call him--has such a pronounced personality. Though he supposes Tony has enough personality for five people, it would make sense that his AI got some spillover.
"I like keeping an eye on things," Bruce says.
"That makes sense," Pepper says. "But you should come watch TV with us, just this once." Bruce sits down next to Tony, which is apparently Tony's cue to squirm around until he has his head in Bruce's lap and his legs over Steve's.
"Mmm, comfy," he says. "Pepper, can you get the--"
"Yes," she says, and presses something on the couch, and suddenly it starts shifting. "You know Tony, I have to say, this was one of your better ideas."
Steve doesn't understand what she means until the couch has finished shifting, and it's suddenly much bigger, much softer, and they're sort of all piled together.