voidtreckerexpress | Good morning

Entry tags:

Good morning

Who: Tony Stark + OTA
Where: Dining Carriage/ Kitchen
When: Month Apple, Day 2
What: Come bug him while he's eating breakfast/ having coffee
Warnings: Language maybe?
Notes: I'll make a note on a tag if it contains Endgame spoilers, but I'll try to avoid them.

Oh god, it wasn't a dream.

Some habits died hard, like his internal clock that had him waking early to a dark cramped space that after some moments confused, he remembered to be his bunk on a train. Moving as quietly as he could, he gathered some toiletries and slips into the bathroom for a shower trying not to wake anyone. From there it's a change of clothes and then the hunt for the one thing that will keep him sane during this trek- coffee.

Wearing one of the red polo shirts he'd been given, Tony arrives at the dining car early. He leaves the wheelchair downstairs in the kitchen, finding for just the short journey upstairs he doesn't need it. While he was in the kitchen, he doesn't protest too hard when someone on kitchen duty fixes him an egg white omelet, toast, and coffee.

Upstairs, he finds a good spot where he could watch the door and settles in to enjoy his breakfast and ponder over the fact that this situation he was in might not actually be a hallucination after all. He sorely misses his tablet where he could check the world news like he usually did over breakfast, but these things happen when you're randomly kidnapped by a freaky train in middle of the void.

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He sits back in his chair, relaxed and a tad aloof, as she joins him. Don't let it fool you. He's interested in getting to know her, but he was a little wary of her too. Just who was she and was she aware of the affect she was having on Peter?

At the news he owned 'Starkbucks', he got an amused smirk on his face. Of all the insane things he'd been learning in the last day or so, that one was just plain funny. But really, why not? He certainly had the resources and it was a booming business. very lucrative. Hearing he'd also been responsible for firing her was also pretty amusing, though he was sure the Tony of her world didn't even know it had happened.

It only gets uncomfortable when she mentions a privately military group. He takes a few moments to think that through before replying. "Technically, I do have a private military group. It's called the Avengers. I don't personally own them but I'm apart of them as is War Machine, a fellow members code name when using a suit similar to what I wore earlier. At least.. he did until.. something happened and he was grounded." There was guilt and pain on his face for a moment before he was able to shove it aside. "And my family fortune came from the weapon industry, primarily for the military. It.. uh.. it's one of the reasons I have spent so much of my life and fortune working to better the planet. A bit of atonement, if you will. But it's also something I just want to do. It hasn't always worked out.. but I've tried to keep the world safe and better than it was."

Gwen listens to Mr. Stark, taking a bite of her food and wrinkling her nose just subtly. She was a crappy cook and was thankful there were other people here to make the food. No one in their right mind would let her in a kitchen, but here she was. Living her worst life.

On a train in the Void.

She mass apologies to anyone that eats the food Dread or Sarai didn't make.

"Peter mentioned them on the platform before we boarded. He said he'd been on his way to space with you and some guy named Doctor Strange." Pretty sure that's the name. She sets her fork down and drums her fingers on the table for a moment, the beat a practiced rhythm. The guilt and pain on his face...it had been a look he'd given Peter. She wants to ask about that, really and truly. But it's probably not all that appropriate.

"It's kinda neat how different things are, universe to universe."

He was too lost in his own world to notice how she was reacting to her cooking. The food he'd received had been quite good, so he must not have gotten Gwen as his chef. Instead, he was preoccupied with memories both good and bad, but a lot, lot more bad.

"Stephen," he clarified. It was a strange name, he knew. This conversation was leading to a dark place and he felt his stomach turn painfully. What had happened to Stephen? What had happened to all the rest of the Avengers? Did he get to snap? He didn't know.

He sets his mug down, the slightest tremor to his hand. It was a great relief that the next words out of her mouth weren't questions he couldn't answer. That sort of blanket statement was much more welcome.

Nodding slowly, he lifts his gaze from the table where it had dropped to meet hers. "Tell me more about yours. What is the War Machine organization? Do you have a suit you wear? Who made it?"

Gwen is glad for the clarification of the guys name, and the change in topic. She could see that dark place coming a mile away and wasn't comfortable with it just yet. She didn't know Mr Stark all that well, and figured for now it was best to leave that particular suitcase unpacked. Pushing her half-eaten plate aside, she instead resumes drinking her coffee.

"The War Machine outfit is full of a bunch of bloodthirsty people. One of them is a guy named Frank Castle. They're your own private army, sent abroad and asked to help domestically with various skirmishes. They're not my favorite group of people. I do have a suit of my own. Janet Van Dyne made it, along with my web-shooters. The web-shooters create webbing from moisture in the air and the suit is..."

And she goes to describe it. The white and black coloring with the spider design on the back. The pops of electric blue and purple-pink. The hood. The ballet shoes...

"They're better for sticking, plus I'm a trained dancer. It's...I kinda incorporate what I've learned dancing into how I fight and move."

Tony appreciates that move so much. He believed it was unusual for him to be so fragile physically and emotionally. That wasn't completely true, but he believed it. Really, though, the last ten years had been difficult and he hadn't weathered that storm as perfectly as he would like.

He listened unhappily as Gwen explained what one version of himself was doing in another realm. It did cross his mind that that Tony Stark might be misunderstood like he was at times himself. Many people saw him as a monster too for creating Ultron, for the destruction the Avenger battles had left around the world, for other things. It was hard to tell second handed like this. However, he kept his thoughts to himself. There was no reason to give sympathy to someone he didn't know and was clearly not someone Gwen was a fan of.

A white and black suit? Interesting. There were situations where that might be help hide someone from view, but not a lot of them. Peter's blue and red were easy to spot as well, which was why his later creations have been to go darker and with more black. When it came down to shoes, he looks under the table and sees the boots were untied- ah! That made sense.

"You should teach Pete. He's terrible at dancing." He actually has no idea, but the boy obviously liked this girl so he was trying to help him out. "Is he also having trouble sticking through the boots?"

Edited 2019-07-04 22:28 (UTC)

Gwen looks down at her boots, too, laughing to herself some as she hears Miles Morales in her head saying it's a choice. It's not one she ever thought she'd make, but there it is. Shoes untied so she could get her boots off easily in case she had to. At least they were untied in a way that meant she wouldn't trip her stupid self.

She could tell the topic of the other Mr Stark is bothering him, so she lets him decide whether or not it's a topic they'll continue. And...apparently not. That's fine. She's taking a sip of her coffee when Peter is mentioned, but the cup does nothing to hide the small smile that appears.

"Maybe. But this place, so far, seems devoid of music. It'll make things harder." She's not saying no to more time with Peter. The question about boots makes her shrug. "I haven't actually brought it up to him."

Another sip of coffee.

"Oh. If you see him today, tell him since he was a no-show at breakfast prep, I'm taking lunch off and he can work with the others today." It's a tattle, sure. But it's a teasing tattle. She doesn't know about his issues with sleep, and the whole almost dying shit had been a tad exhausting. Let the boy get his rest.

No one enjoyed hearing there was another version of themselves and even less that that person was an asshole tyrant. Fortunately the conversation continued on and he could allow himself to be distracted by that oh-so-obvious smile on her face when Peter was brought up. It was sweet, even if there was some part of him cautious of how quickly this relationship of theirs was developing. However, he'd certainly had shorter ones.

"You should. I'll see if I can do something about that for you." He didn't know how right now, but he was known to do a miracle or two with technology in the past. Why would now be any different?

His expression turns even more humored at her ratting Peter out. He knows it's playful and not something she's seriously upset about, but he might have to give Peter a hard time about it anyway- just for the fun of it. "I'll make a note of it," he promises.

It occurs to him that she might be able to help him with another issue. She was in Peter's room after all...

"Would you be willing to help me with something and keep it just between us?"

Well, that certainly has Gwendolyn Maxine Stacey's attention. She sits up more, putting an elbow on the tables surface and resting her chin in her hand, her other arm resting flat on the table-top, fingers drumming a rhythm. A decided pattern, not that tip-tap-tap other people do. She's used to beats and rhythms, the follow-able flow of sounds. She did mention working a gig, once, so music is a thing with her.

"You...sound a lot like some of the adults back home when they want me to be sneaky in regards to my brothers. I have three. Younger. Absolute brats." Said lovingly and fondly and a bit sadly. She misses those assholes. "I'm pretty good at keeping things to myself."

That'd be a yes.

"What do you need me to do?"

He has to admit, he's a little surprised how quickly Gwen is on board with this. It was a good thing for all involved, or so he believed. If she had three younger brothers, she likely was the perfect person to help him with Peter.

"I need you to keep an eye on Peter. He doesn't sleep well and I'm worried about him. If I ask him directly he'll downplay it or get annoyed." He shrugs, like his hands were tied in this matter. "I want him healthy and taken care of. That's all. Think you could do that for me? I might be able to help if I know there's a problem soon enough."

"You had me at help Peter," Gwen says with a stone-like stubbornness and certainty that gets her through a lot of her brothers bullshit. A lot. Dick jokes all day every day would be a thing, had Gwen not discovered that this same stone-like stubbornness kinda scares the hell out of Howard, Simon and Philip.

As would farting, burping and being gross pre-pubescent boys.

Not to mention, the idea of helping this Peter when she couldn't help her own is a sure-fire way to get Gwen to do a thing. Not that the Peter she was getting to know on the train was a replacement. Each Peter Parker, she's learned, is a thumbprint. Oh, sure, they may look the same at first glance, but one had to look closer to spot the differences in appearance, personality.

Unless it's Spider-Ham. Then all one has to do is look and go oh, it's an anthropomorphic pig who talks. That's about as different as it gets.

"I already noticed he stayed up pretty late last night. I fell asleep around two AM, but I'm sure he was still awake. I don't know if it's new place or what, but this is why I only half-meant it at best when I asked you to gripe at him for me about breakfast."

She's already on it, Mr Stark.

It was a relief to have someone helping him watch out for Peter, especially someone he knew was going to be around him as much as this girl was. Technically this was using their relationship for his own purposes, but the intention was good and for Peter's well-being, so he didn't feel guilty about it.

The remark about what she'd already observed had Tony sighing and nodding. "I know. It's okay. I'll be sure to harass him about it later. But it's not just that he stays up too late, it's a legitimate health condition of his."

He sits back and gives her a warm expression on his face, not quite a full on smile but close. "He's really lucky to find someone fun like you to hang out with while we're stuck in this situation. Tell me more about you, I'm interested."

"I don't really know where to start," Gwen says with a small, amused smile. Finishing off her coffee, she kinda shrugs.

"Other than me being the Spider-Person of my universe, I'm pretty boring. I've taken ballet since I was three. I've been playing drums for almost as long and am in a band with three of my friends back home. My dad is captain of the NYPD. I have three brothers. Uh..."

Give her a second.

"You're gonna have to ask questions for anything else, because I don't know where to go next."

"Fair enough," he allows. He glances at his coffee mug and debates whether more should go in there or if he's had enough. It sure would be better if it was bourbon.

"What does your mother do?" He asks, not having any trouble coming up with questions for her. "You say you're boring but then you mention being in a band and that your Spider-Woman. I'm not sure you understand the definition of boring. Telling me you work in a factory making pencils is boring."

"What if they were colored pencils? Or those mechanical ones? Those could be fun," Gwen teases, leaning back on her seat and pushing her hair out of her face. At his question, though, she runs her hand over her side-shave. Her smile fades some, but she doesn't look hurt. Just...weighed down.

Just a bit.

"She died a few years ago. Cancer. I was ten. She was an awesome stay at home mom, though. A really good cook, loved doing voices when she read stories and tried to learn how to play the drums. I think she was faking having no rhythm or sense of music, because she could dance really well. She was probably saying it just to amuse me, that she didn't understand my drumming directions."

She was loved, is what Gwen is saying. Loved completely and missed even more. Don't worry; she's not going to cry about it.

"Honestly, I think being Spider-Woman might be one of the few exciting things about me, and I can't even tell anyone back home. If I didn't have that, I'd probably be training hard with dance and trying to get into Julliard. Probably won't, but hey. Worth a shot."

Tony shakes his head. "Still boring." No, a worker at a colored pencil factory didn't sound any better! Although he looks amused at the attempt to spice the example up.

His smile fades though as he watches her reaction to his other question. Well, crap. He feels bad for Gwen, finding it strange how often those stories were coming up on this train. "I'm sorry to hear that. I know kind of what that's like. I lost my parents too but quite a while ago. I was about five years older than you and Peter I'm guessing."

"You never know. Have you found any music on board you could use to keep up your practices?"

"That'd be a no," Gwen replies with an annoyed sigh. As Tony can probably guess based on everything she's said, music is kind of important to her. So the lack of it anywhere on the train, as far as she knows, is pretty upsetting to her. The lack of anything to do is bad enough.

"I can practice without it, it's just highly preferred, you know?"

Tony notes that Gwen didn't make any more comments on their conversation about her family. He could respect that and doesn't belabor the point. Although, her disappointment about music has such a similar expression on her face to what Peter uses when he's pouting it was hard not to laugh.

"Maybe try asking around if someone has an instrument or an ipod? I've noticed a few people have items from their homeland in their bags. If nothing else, we probably can build something." He wasn't sure what, but that never stopped him from trying before.

"Maybe," Gwen says with a small, hopeful smile. She missed music and at this point would take any kind to practice to.

"I'm already considering trying to find a way to build my own drum kit."

She's sorry not sorry about this.

"Yeah? With what material?" He asks, finding the ingenuity interesting. "There's the suitcases in the storage car but you won't be able to get to those yourself since it's past the dressing car. I'm not sure what the coffee is stored in but maybe it's in cans like the cheap stuff back home." Pepper had to tell him about those. None of his fine coffee came in cans!

However, old coffee cans were pretty useful for making drums for Morgan or containers to catch lightning bugs. So there was some use to them even if it wasn't for tasting the awful, cheap coffee.

Somehow he manages to remember not to actually mention Morgan in front of Gwen. He wasn't ready for Peter to know about the future, after all.

"That involves a whole lot of banging on things to test the sound." She hasn't done this before, but already clearly has a plan. "And if we stop anywhere, I'll probably try to hunt stuff down wherever that is, if I have a chance."

She's going to make it happen, Tony. There's a stubbornness to her words and in the way she sets her shoulders. She's getting a damn drum kit somehow, and it'll be an adventure in the making.

He chuckles and shakes his head. That expression on her face reminds him of Pepper.

"Ah, so this isn't a plan to be done tonight or tomorrow but the ambivalent 'sometime'? That's a road many inventors start down and never come back from." The smirk that kept playing on his lips gives away he wasn't being serious. "Let me know if you need anything from that back room. I'll get it for you, alright?"

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