Getting off-world had required an extraordinary amount of effort. That was to be expected, Steve supposed, but he had also become somewhat accustomed to going almost anywhere in the world at the drop of a hat. Space was an entirely different ball of wax, he realized. It wasn't exactly like you could turn the van around if you forgot your toothbrush back home.
Tony was obviously the one to give him the hardest time about it. He'd agreed to help make a spaceworthy suit almost immediately (he loved a good challenge, that one), but he'd been kind of a pain in the ass about it the whole time. "Looks like the boy scout got promoted to eagle, hm?" he'd said, as well as offering unsolicited advice about not going into space with a girl until after the third date. The suit, at least, was functional enough to make up for it. Tony had gone out of his way to include every imaginable feature, from a water reclamation and recycling system to his own personal AI assistant named BETTY. Steve hadn't yet figured out if that was meant to be an acronym for something or not, but she was a useful resource all the same, doing everything from monitoring his vitals and suit integrity to working as a universal translator.
The diner was everything he'd hoped it would be. The moon that it sat upon was almost comically small, more like an asteroid than anything else. It had to make use of some artificial gravity generator, because it wasn't nearly large enough to produce even one G on its own. Inside the diner, Steve scanned the place for any obvious threats and exit routes as a habit. Satisfied, he took a menu from Carol and squinted at the words printed on the paper. Thankfully, Xandarian was one of the languages BETTY had been loaded with to start, so she was able to load the translated words into his HUD for him. He pointed to a capacious booth that looked designed for humanoids.
Carol had to hand it to Tony - he had made Steve an absolutely exquisite suit. Not only was it space-ready (the base requirement), but it looked good, it was hyper-functional, and honestly, she was a little jealous over the AI. Granted all of those capabilities were built into her own suit, but they weren't delivered with the personality of a Stark-built AI.
Then again, Tony had given her a very knowing look when she picked up Steve, so maybe some time apart was going to be just fine. There were multiple bedrooms on her ship. It's not like they were going to be forced to bunk up. (Possible voluntary bunking up was a different story.)
"Perfect. I believe from there you can get some really gorgeous views of the planet when we're turned just right." They headed over and she slid into the booth, leaving the side that definitely got the better views for him.
Once they were both settled, she turned her attention down to the menu. The pad on her suit translated the menu, but she's been here enough times that she has a good sense of the menu. "So second from the top on the right is good. Kind of tastes like chicken. Three under that is presented like a taco but doesn't taste anything like it. The picture of the French fries? Basically fries. One of the owners visited Earth in the 80s and nearly didn't leave because he loved the French fries. Thus the translation of 'Little Stalks of Heaven.'"
Yeah, Steve wasn't exactly going to miss Tony's near-constant stream of sarcasm. The man was a genius but he never could keep his opinions to himself. BETTY had a little bit of sass to her, but she was generally sweet and helpful, much to Steve's relief. Maybe Pepper had a hand in helping with her development.
It was strange how familiar all this seemed in spite of the fact that they were currently sitting on an alien moon. Steve supposed that hole-in-the-wall diners were a universal constant, because it reminded him of a dozen places he'd been to all over the world while he was traveling for missions. Even Carol's explanation of dishes that tasted vaguely like chicken or looked like one thing but then tasted nothing like that thing seemed about right. The anecdote about about fries had him chuckling under his breath as he tried to make heads or tails of the menu's other entrees.
"Little stalks of heaven, huh? Makes you wonder how many aliens visit Earth on a regular basis. I know we've got the Asgardians now, and that they'd visited before, enough that an entire culture worshiped them. Then you have these guys coming down to borrow recipes. I wonder if they tried hashbrowns too--maybe they weren't as impressed?" He grinned at her and then looked out the window, admiring the view. The planet was just starting to crest over the moon's sloping little horizon, strikingly magenta and green and so unlike Earth.
While he was lost in thought for a brief moment, the server (a lavender-skinned humanoid with proportions close to but just dissimilar enough from human that it's a little disquieting) stopped by the table to get their drink order. Steve just asked for water to be safe, unsure of any of the very alien-sounding beverages and they might do to him.
Carol can attest that hole-in-the-wall diners were a universal constant. Pretty much anywhere she had gone around the universe had a decent equivalent. They even had them on Hala, despite the place being disciplined and bred for conquering.
"I think there are a decent amount of aliens there at probably any point in history. Especially if you count the Inhumans." Carol cracked a grin at his joke and gave him a shrug. "I guess not. Maybe it was because you couldn't eat them with your hands?"
Following his gaze out the window, she turned a bit in the booth to take a look at the planet. Even though she had seen this particular view multiple times, watching a planet crest over a moon never got old. Though soon she turned her attention back to Steve to see how he was enjoying the view. Sure, he had left Earth once before, but none of them really had the opportunity to look around. Basically, she wanted to make sure he wasn't regretting coming out here with her.
When the server stopped by, Carol also ordered a water and the closest equivalent to coffee. "Xeno-joe," she said to Steve, just in case he wanted to grab one for himself. If not, she'd be willing to let him have a sip or two of her own. Also a universal constant? Bottomless coffee.
"Tater tots, then. Maybe they never tried them. If there's one thing we want extraterrestrials to take away from their visits to Earth, it's that potatoes are extremely versatile." In spite of the fact that he was technically nearly a hundred years old, there was still an element of childlike wonder in Steve's face as he watched the planetrise. With all the terrible things that had happened in the last few years of his life, it was good to be reminded occasionally that there was still beauty and wonder to be had out in the universe. It was easy to forget, to take things for granted.
The mention of 'xeno-joe' had him laughing. "I'll have one of those too, then," he told the server. In for a penny, in for a pound, right? She punched their order into a little data pad and chirped something at him in a trilling language that BETTY translated as a confirmation of their order before she disappeared back into the kitchen.
"Do you ever get used to it?" Steve asked, leaning forward a little and setting his chin on his knuckles. "Or do you ever see things that still take you by surprise?"
“Good point. It’d be a shame if they went all the way down there and didn’t have tater tots.”
She felt a little easier seeing him take in the views and then laugh and order a coffee. Carol was much better at decking out alien dictators than navigating relationships, and she knew it.
At Steve’s question, she nodded. “I still get surprised. Some things you get used to, especially if you’ve been to the planet before. Or you find a hole-in-the-wall diner like this. But some things...” She shook her head with a smile. “It could be a planet or animal that’s like nothing you’ve ever seen. What a culture has chosen to value. How their technology has evolved. What kind of breathtaking views of nature they have. It’s never boring, unless you’re stuck on a long trip and the stars all start to look the same.”
The server came back to drop off their drinks but didn’t linger for their food order just yet. So Carol took her cup of essentially coffee and took a long sip. Not entirely amazing, but not a bad brew. Definitely worthy of Steve’s first cup of off-world coffee. “How did you feel when you were seeing the planet on all your missions? Still get surprised?”
It was weird to think of Earth as a 'there' and not 'here,' but this was a brave new world and Steve had been in the business of expanding his horizons for a long time now. Weird was entirely subjective, and he was getting used to new things every day. "Maybe we'll bring them a bag sometime if we're in the neighborhood again," he said with a grin.
As Carol talked about her experiences traveling in space, he listened quietly and nodded. Her follow-up question had him scratching his chin contemplatively. The server arrived with their almost-coffee before he could answer, though, and he said a word of thanks, taking the warm mug and rolling it between his palms. It had the same earthy, bitter aroma that coffee usually did, but there was some kind of tang to it that he couldn't quite identify.
"There's always something surprising to see or experience," he said. "Things have changed a lot since the forties. Paradigms shift, cultures change. People don't change much, though--not fundamentally." Taking a sip of his drink, he hummed in approval. Not bad at all. "Earth is a diverse place. Even America alone has this broad spectrum of culture and ecosystems and landscapes. But more than that... I dunno, I think you just have to be open to it. Anyone can brush things off if they're determined to, or let themselves become jaded or cynical. I don't want to be like that, though--taking things for granted, y'know?"
"I think we should. I think they'd love it." Any being that loved French fries so much should equally enjoy tater tots. And they would get some serious VIP privileges for that.
Carol thanked the server for her own cup of the basically-coffee and then took a long sip. It still wasn't as good as most Earth-based coffee, but it was pretty decent. She watched Steve take a sip and finally, ultimately relaxed when he didn't seem to hate it.
"Yeah, I know. It's one of the things I like about you." One of the things she liked about pretty much all the Avengers. Maybe it was the saving of the world(s) that brought things into perspective, she wasn't sure, but they had this openness and appreciation that she liked to surround herself with.
The server came back for their food order and Carol ordered the taco-but-not and also a bizarre leafy and blobby thing that was actually super delicious. You really had to get past the presentation, though.
"Then it's decided. Next time we're in the neighborhood, we'll bring 'em one of those big wholesale sized bags. It'll be tot city." Which sounded ridiculous, but it made him grin. It was such a simple thing, but it wasn't, either. It was a promise that they would be back--not just her on some lone tot delivery mission, but them together. A tot team, if you liked.
Her next comment prompted a little hemming and hawing. Even after all this time, Steve didn't take compliments well, especially when delivered by a beautiful woman. "You're that way too, though, aren't you?" he asked. "You'd have to, with the life you lead. Out here in the universe," he clarified.
Then the server was back, and Steve quickly ordered the fries, and the dish that supposedly tasted essentially like chicken. He was being adventurous enough without ordering something too far out of left field, he supposed. Once their orders are off to the kitchen, he turns back to her.
"How are your friends, by the way? Talos and his family?"
"Agreed," she said, smiling across the table at him. She understood the nuance of them being a tot team to deliver it together at a time in the future. The thought of there being a tot team in the future was exciting and comforting.
"Yeah. I am that way. Which is why I like seeing it in others." Carol did her best to try and wrap that up because she wasn't great at compliments either. Self-compliments, definitely. But when they came from others and she hadn't done anything in particular, she usually dodged them.
But they're both saved from further compliments when they made their orders. He made some good choices for his first alien meal. Carol took a sip of water from her glass and winced briefly when he mentioned Talos. "Talos...is gone," she managed to get out so she could explain her reaction. "Like Fury." And Bucky and Sam and Maria and Monica. "But his wife and daughter are good." All things considered. "His daughter is one of the leaders of their government. I know he'd be so proud."
Steve could have kicked himself for that expression on Carol's face. Of course she would have lost people, too. The effects of the snap weren't limited to Earth--half the universe was decimated--but it was easy to forget, sometimes, just how far-reaching the damage actually was.
"I'm so sorry," he said, head bowing slightly under the weight of all the bad decisions he'd made that had brought them here. His hand reached out for a moment to touch the back of hers where it rested on the table, but he didn't maintain the contact for long. "I'm sure he would be proud. Leading isn't easy, especially given the circumstances. I'm sure she's doing a great job."
He smiled, then, in an attempt to clear away the sudden gloom that the mention of the Snap produced. Every mention of the decimation was like a kick to the gut for him, but he couldn't let it affect him for long or he'd always be fighting off all the negative feelings that came with it. He'd told other people so many times that all they could do was move on and try to live their lives, but he was slow to take his own advice.
Carol didn’t hold it against him that he had brought it up. How was he to know? She didn’t have an itemized list of everyone she lost—hell, she didn’t even know everyone she lost. Carol had put out feelers for friends and acquaintances on other planets, but most were too busy dealing with the aftermath to respond to her. She understood that.
“Thank you,” she replied, giving him a small smile to show that she wasn’t upset with him for bringing it up. The touch to her hand felt nice and she flipped it over as he pulled his hand back so their fingers could brush against each other. It was a nice physical reminder that she needed to keep moving forward instead of just burying herself in work. “She’s doing really great.”
Carol knew all to well about the kick to the gut they got when remembering everyone who was gone. It would probably be a long time before that wasn’t the default reaction. But she doesn’t want it to cloud what might happen with Steve. So she reached out to touch the back of his hand. “So I have a loose agenda for us, but is there anything you’d like to do or see while you’re out here?”
Steve couldn't even fathom the idea of trying to make a list of everyone who had been lost to the snap, even just on Earth. They were still working on it, as far as he knew, but it was impossible to tell who was actually lost in the incident and who had just used it as a smokescreen to disappear into. Regardless, some of the most important people to him in all the world were gone, so they had an understanding on that much.
When Carol reached back across the table, Steve exhaled softly and turned his hand to clasp hers. It was thanks and condolence and camaraderie all in a simple gesture, and the corner of his mouth tipped up in a small smile.
"Well, you did mention a space dog planet, so I'm pretty keen to see that," he said, arching a brow at her.
It was a simple gesture, but one that also made Carol smile. Outside of greetings and farewells, she's not sure when the last time was that she just held someone's hand. It feels nice, even if their uniform gloves are preventing their palms from fully touching.
"I did," she relented with a laugh. "I mentioned the space dog planet and we're definitely going. I found one where they are big enough to ride and friendly. So if you want to do that, I'll be happy to take a picture and send it to Thor." And probably Natasha. Carol was sure that she'd want to see Steve out enjoying himself.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2019-06-03 02:44 pm (UTC)Tony was obviously the one to give him the hardest time about it. He'd agreed to help make a spaceworthy suit almost immediately (he loved a good challenge, that one), but he'd been kind of a pain in the ass about it the whole time. "Looks like the boy scout got promoted to eagle, hm?" he'd said, as well as offering unsolicited advice about not going into space with a girl until after the third date. The suit, at least, was functional enough to make up for it. Tony had gone out of his way to include every imaginable feature, from a water reclamation and recycling system to his own personal AI assistant named BETTY. Steve hadn't yet figured out if that was meant to be an acronym for something or not, but she was a useful resource all the same, doing everything from monitoring his vitals and suit integrity to working as a universal translator.
The diner was everything he'd hoped it would be. The moon that it sat upon was almost comically small, more like an asteroid than anything else. It had to make use of some artificial gravity generator, because it wasn't nearly large enough to produce even one G on its own. Inside the diner, Steve scanned the place for any obvious threats and exit routes as a habit. Satisfied, he took a menu from Carol and squinted at the words printed on the paper. Thankfully, Xandarian was one of the languages BETTY had been loaded with to start, so she was able to load the translated words into his HUD for him. He pointed to a capacious booth that looked designed for humanoids.
"How about that one?"
no subject
Date: 2019-06-03 10:50 pm (UTC)Then again, Tony had given her a very knowing look when she picked up Steve, so maybe some time apart was going to be just fine. There were multiple bedrooms on her ship. It's not like they were going to be forced to bunk up. (Possible voluntary bunking up was a different story.)
"Perfect. I believe from there you can get some really gorgeous views of the planet when we're turned just right." They headed over and she slid into the booth, leaving the side that definitely got the better views for him.
Once they were both settled, she turned her attention down to the menu. The pad on her suit translated the menu, but she's been here enough times that she has a good sense of the menu. "So second from the top on the right is good. Kind of tastes like chicken. Three under that is presented like a taco but doesn't taste anything like it. The picture of the French fries? Basically fries. One of the owners visited Earth in the 80s and nearly didn't leave because he loved the French fries. Thus the translation of 'Little Stalks of Heaven.'"
no subject
Date: 2019-06-04 04:22 am (UTC)It was strange how familiar all this seemed in spite of the fact that they were currently sitting on an alien moon. Steve supposed that hole-in-the-wall diners were a universal constant, because it reminded him of a dozen places he'd been to all over the world while he was traveling for missions. Even Carol's explanation of dishes that tasted vaguely like chicken or looked like one thing but then tasted nothing like that thing seemed about right. The anecdote about about fries had him chuckling under his breath as he tried to make heads or tails of the menu's other entrees.
"Little stalks of heaven, huh? Makes you wonder how many aliens visit Earth on a regular basis. I know we've got the Asgardians now, and that they'd visited before, enough that an entire culture worshiped them. Then you have these guys coming down to borrow recipes. I wonder if they tried hashbrowns too--maybe they weren't as impressed?" He grinned at her and then looked out the window, admiring the view. The planet was just starting to crest over the moon's sloping little horizon, strikingly magenta and green and so unlike Earth.
While he was lost in thought for a brief moment, the server (a lavender-skinned humanoid with proportions close to but just dissimilar enough from human that it's a little disquieting) stopped by the table to get their drink order. Steve just asked for water to be safe, unsure of any of the very alien-sounding beverages and they might do to him.
no subject
Date: 2019-06-05 01:51 am (UTC)"I think there are a decent amount of aliens there at probably any point in history. Especially if you count the Inhumans." Carol cracked a grin at his joke and gave him a shrug. "I guess not. Maybe it was because you couldn't eat them with your hands?"
Following his gaze out the window, she turned a bit in the booth to take a look at the planet. Even though she had seen this particular view multiple times, watching a planet crest over a moon never got old. Though soon she turned her attention back to Steve to see how he was enjoying the view. Sure, he had left Earth once before, but none of them really had the opportunity to look around. Basically, she wanted to make sure he wasn't regretting coming out here with her.
When the server stopped by, Carol also ordered a water and the closest equivalent to coffee. "Xeno-joe," she said to Steve, just in case he wanted to grab one for himself. If not, she'd be willing to let him have a sip or two of her own. Also a universal constant? Bottomless coffee.
no subject
Date: 2019-06-06 02:35 am (UTC)The mention of 'xeno-joe' had him laughing. "I'll have one of those too, then," he told the server. In for a penny, in for a pound, right? She punched their order into a little data pad and chirped something at him in a trilling language that BETTY translated as a confirmation of their order before she disappeared back into the kitchen.
"Do you ever get used to it?" Steve asked, leaning forward a little and setting his chin on his knuckles. "Or do you ever see things that still take you by surprise?"
no subject
Date: 2019-06-06 01:54 pm (UTC)She felt a little easier seeing him take in the views and then laugh and order a coffee. Carol was much better at decking out alien dictators than navigating relationships, and she knew it.
At Steve’s question, she nodded. “I still get surprised. Some things you get used to, especially if you’ve been to the planet before. Or you find a hole-in-the-wall diner like this. But some things...” She shook her head with a smile. “It could be a planet or animal that’s like nothing you’ve ever seen. What a culture has chosen to value. How their technology has evolved. What kind of breathtaking views of nature they have. It’s never boring, unless you’re stuck on a long trip and the stars all start to look the same.”
The server came back to drop off their drinks but didn’t linger for their food order just yet. So Carol took her cup of essentially coffee and took a long sip. Not entirely amazing, but not a bad brew. Definitely worthy of Steve’s first cup of off-world coffee. “How did you feel when you were seeing the planet on all your missions? Still get surprised?”
no subject
Date: 2019-06-11 03:11 am (UTC)As Carol talked about her experiences traveling in space, he listened quietly and nodded. Her follow-up question had him scratching his chin contemplatively. The server arrived with their almost-coffee before he could answer, though, and he said a word of thanks, taking the warm mug and rolling it between his palms. It had the same earthy, bitter aroma that coffee usually did, but there was some kind of tang to it that he couldn't quite identify.
"There's always something surprising to see or experience," he said. "Things have changed a lot since the forties. Paradigms shift, cultures change. People don't change much, though--not fundamentally." Taking a sip of his drink, he hummed in approval. Not bad at all. "Earth is a diverse place. Even America alone has this broad spectrum of culture and ecosystems and landscapes. But more than that... I dunno, I think you just have to be open to it. Anyone can brush things off if they're determined to, or let themselves become jaded or cynical. I don't want to be like that, though--taking things for granted, y'know?"
no subject
Date: 2019-06-12 11:16 pm (UTC)Carol thanked the server for her own cup of the basically-coffee and then took a long sip. It still wasn't as good as most Earth-based coffee, but it was pretty decent. She watched Steve take a sip and finally, ultimately relaxed when he didn't seem to hate it.
"Yeah, I know. It's one of the things I like about you." One of the things she liked about pretty much all the Avengers. Maybe it was the saving of the world(s) that brought things into perspective, she wasn't sure, but they had this openness and appreciation that she liked to surround herself with.
The server came back for their food order and Carol ordered the taco-but-not and also a bizarre leafy and blobby thing that was actually super delicious. You really had to get past the presentation, though.
no subject
Date: 2019-06-14 01:26 am (UTC)Her next comment prompted a little hemming and hawing. Even after all this time, Steve didn't take compliments well, especially when delivered by a beautiful woman. "You're that way too, though, aren't you?" he asked. "You'd have to, with the life you lead. Out here in the universe," he clarified.
Then the server was back, and Steve quickly ordered the fries, and the dish that supposedly tasted essentially like chicken. He was being adventurous enough without ordering something too far out of left field, he supposed. Once their orders are off to the kitchen, he turns back to her.
"How are your friends, by the way? Talos and his family?"
no subject
Date: 2019-06-14 01:49 am (UTC)"Yeah. I am that way. Which is why I like seeing it in others." Carol did her best to try and wrap that up because she wasn't great at compliments either. Self-compliments, definitely. But when they came from others and she hadn't done anything in particular, she usually dodged them.
But they're both saved from further compliments when they made their orders. He made some good choices for his first alien meal. Carol took a sip of water from her glass and winced briefly when he mentioned Talos. "Talos...is gone," she managed to get out so she could explain her reaction. "Like Fury." And Bucky and Sam and Maria and Monica. "But his wife and daughter are good." All things considered. "His daughter is one of the leaders of their government. I know he'd be so proud."
no subject
Date: 2019-06-17 12:17 pm (UTC)"I'm so sorry," he said, head bowing slightly under the weight of all the bad decisions he'd made that had brought them here. His hand reached out for a moment to touch the back of hers where it rested on the table, but he didn't maintain the contact for long. "I'm sure he would be proud. Leading isn't easy, especially given the circumstances. I'm sure she's doing a great job."
He smiled, then, in an attempt to clear away the sudden gloom that the mention of the Snap produced. Every mention of the decimation was like a kick to the gut for him, but he couldn't let it affect him for long or he'd always be fighting off all the negative feelings that came with it. He'd told other people so many times that all they could do was move on and try to live their lives, but he was slow to take his own advice.
no subject
Date: 2019-06-17 02:23 pm (UTC)“Thank you,” she replied, giving him a small smile to show that she wasn’t upset with him for bringing it up. The touch to her hand felt nice and she flipped it over as he pulled his hand back so their fingers could brush against each other. It was a nice physical reminder that she needed to keep moving forward instead of just burying herself in work. “She’s doing really great.”
Carol knew all to well about the kick to the gut they got when remembering everyone who was gone. It would probably be a long time before that wasn’t the default reaction. But she doesn’t want it to cloud what might happen with Steve. So she reached out to touch the back of his hand. “So I have a loose agenda for us, but is there anything you’d like to do or see while you’re out here?”
no subject
Date: 2019-06-18 08:21 am (UTC)When Carol reached back across the table, Steve exhaled softly and turned his hand to clasp hers. It was thanks and condolence and camaraderie all in a simple gesture, and the corner of his mouth tipped up in a small smile.
"Well, you did mention a space dog planet, so I'm pretty keen to see that," he said, arching a brow at her.
no subject
Date: 2019-06-19 01:46 am (UTC)"I did," she relented with a laugh. "I mentioned the space dog planet and we're definitely going. I found one where they are big enough to ride and friendly. So if you want to do that, I'll be happy to take a picture and send it to Thor." And probably Natasha. Carol was sure that she'd want to see Steve out enjoying himself.