02-D, let me know if you get lost. or caught by gangs
[ and there's a helpful pin drop to the public housing dropped too, since she's willing to assume that tony isn't all too familiar with the subterranean half of the city. ]
[ the down housing is a unique sort of challenge that laura puts herself through--because it's her choice entirely to be here, yennefer made it very clear that the spare room in the apartment was hers, if she would have it. laura stays in the down though, and there's a small blessing in that she doesn't have to share the room with anyone else, but even so.
if anyone asks she says it's good practice, like how she's focused enough that she can hear tony making an off hand comment to someone at the main entrance, making his way through the housing block. she still waits for the knock before she gets up off the bed and opens the door though, a characteristically unreadable expression on her face as she waves him inside.
laura doesn't say anything until she's had a good mouthful of her coffee--nice stuff, he definitely didn't just pick up the crap from down the road. there wasn't really any need to drag him down here, except for maybe home ground advantage that laura doesn't really need, or want. something about not being in the scene of the crime, maybe. lowering her coffee, she looks at tony for a beat, and then she just shrugs. ]
[ It's a shithole. There's nothing else to say about it, really. Damp and falling apart like almost everything in the Down besides the bits that people are trying to scrape a living out of, which is probably the point, since it's an easier way to keep them all struggling and not doing stupid things like trying to overthrow the government. Tony's just glad he didn't wear his good shoes.
Laura's room feels like being back in the dorms at MIT, except even MIT's worst student digs didn't have damp spots the size of dinner plates and cracks in the ceiling. Tony can hear the pipes rattling as someone down the hall takes a shower. The whole place is begging to be renovated, or maybe just demolished.
He pulls his gaze down off the walls to look over at Laura, his own coffee cup still warm in his hand. He's sitting on the other end of the bed, which makes the whole thing feel even more like he's visiting someone's kid sister, or maybe his college intern. Not exactly bad, as far as vibes go, but he's not going to mention it to Laura. ]
I do, actually. [ He sips his soy caramel latte (he hasn't been doing so well with dairy lately). ] I'm trying a new thing, it's called being responsible. And.. [ His expression falters a bit, becoming more serious. ] I hurt you, and that sucks. So I'm sorry. Genuinely.
If we're being technical, it was actually one of the Beatles.
[ she's being deliberately glib, but it's only partly to minimise his responsibility for the whole situation. laura does believe — quite firmly in fact — that tony doesn't owe her an apology, but more importantly she's trying to decide if she wants to share.
it's an ordeal of a task at the best of times. for all she's improved on her youth, laura is still prone to caginess at best, stoic refusal at worst. words catch in her throat like they're barbed, and she's never much liked opening up even with the people that she adores. so it's not easy, and her eyes slide towards the ceiling as she leans back on one of her hands, contemplating a shadow as she clears her throat. ]
I have...experience, with outside influences taking over like that. [ a sip of her coffee, though the pause doesn't make her speech any smoother. she's careful, bordering on stilted. out of practice. ] So I mean it when I say you don't have to apologise.
[ When she glances away, Tony takes advantage of the opportunity to study her without getting one of those all-too-direct looks back. Something about the way Laura's capable of looking at him makes him feel like she's able to see the thoughts painted across the insides of his skull. Not that he minds, really, but it's a little intense.
It's the first time he's heard her express herself like this, which is also remarkable, even if she's barely said anything. He keeps his gaze narrowed at her for a few more beats, frowning faintly. ]
Experience. Is that what turned you into.. [ He lifts a hand at her, vaguely indicating her whole deal. He's seen for himself how quickly she can heal, her strength and speed. He'd been waiting for the chance to ask, honestly. ]
[ she expects questions. even if it weren't a very human reaction, it is tony stark she's dealing with here, and she's pretty sure that every tony across the entire multiverse has a nosy streak. she expects a follow up, and tony doesn't disappoint.
laura gives something that might be a faint smile. when laura first arrived in the city she'd been incredibly protective of her powers, careful to hide it from the world, but these days she's far less secretive about it. the secret identity thing never did much for her, frankly.
still. being open about her regenerative powers is one thing, talking about how she got that way is another. ]
I was...designed to be like this. [ she gives a quick, small shrug, tipping her head to the side to glance back at tony. ] You don't have mutants in your world, do you.
Not ones like you. Or the.. blue guy with the tail.
[ Tony reaches up to touch his jaw, the memory of Kurt's uppercut still very much in the forefront of his mind. He drops his hand and studies Laura thoughtfully. ]
Got some experience of being around people on the wrong side of science experiments, though. [ He frowns, remembering Killian. And Maya. He's pretty sure Maya would have liked to meet Laura, though he thinks maybe it's better for everyone that it's unlikely to happen. ]
Can't be fun. I'm sorry if being here makes that all.. difficult. If I made it difficult. Truly, I am.
[ she remembers the conversation with another tony stark very clearly even now, the revelation that she wasn't a clone, whatever that's supposed to mean, but she was still engineered in a lab, designed to be a weapon.
laura has done a lot of work to think of herself as something more than what she was created for, but it's a fact that's never far from her mind. ]
I understand the...guilt. If it helps, I'll accept your apology.
[ she shifts a little, drawing a leg up and twisting towards him. laura isn't one to be particularly verbose at the best of times, let alone running up against some particularly prickly topics for her, but it feels like--a moment, to make an effort. she's serious, earnest, when she meets his gaze. ]
[ He reaches out to absently set a hand on Laura's knee, for once a gesture of comfort instead of a come-on. While he hasn't known her long enough to understand the rare gift he's being offered, he's able to pick up on the fact that she's trying, and he appreciates it. ]
I've got a lot to make up for, karmically. Not just here. So it's not you, it's me. [ He screws his face up a bit. ] I'm not used to doing the whole apology thing, I might be overcompensating? I don't know.
[ With a sigh, he pats her leg, gently. ] But, all right, if we're cool, then we're cool.
There you go. Save your apologies for the actions you were in control of.
[ she's not touchy, really. laura doesn't tend towards a gentle squeeze of a shoulder, greeting hugs, or comforting rubs. it's not really her thing, so she doesn't do anything right away.
she doesn't shy away from the touch, though, laura just doesn't react. not immediately, but after a moment slides away she places her hand on top of his. half a smile tugs at the corner of her mouth, as she squeezes lightly. ]
[ Her hand is warm and strong, surprisingly soft for someone he's now pretty sure is capable of pulling an engine apart. Tony holds her gaze and smiles softly, rubbing her knee with his thumb. ]
Believe me when I say there's literally nothing I can't fix. Don't worry about it. He'll be back in time to record Abbey Road.
[ His fingers spread out a little bit underneath her touch, his gaze still lingering on hers. Exploratory, suggestive. ]
Is there anything else I can do to make it up to you? Really, anything at all.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
drone delivery
I'm bad at apologies, but willing to learn how to do better. Let me try?
- TS
@x
feeling more yourself?
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did you pick the muffins yourself?
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[ He did not. ]
Do you like them? You don't have a nut allergy or anything right?
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i'm curious if the trying begins or ends at the muffin basket?
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What would help you feel less like stabbing me right now?
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[ and there's a helpful pin drop to the public housing dropped too, since she's willing to assume that tony isn't all too familiar with the subterranean half of the city. ]
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if anyone asks she says it's good practice, like how she's focused enough that she can hear tony making an off hand comment to someone at the main entrance, making his way through the housing block. she still waits for the knock before she gets up off the bed and opens the door though, a characteristically unreadable expression on her face as she waves him inside.
laura doesn't say anything until she's had a good mouthful of her coffee--nice stuff, he definitely didn't just pick up the crap from down the road. there wasn't really any need to drag him down here, except for maybe home ground advantage that laura doesn't really need, or want. something about not being in the scene of the crime, maybe. lowering her coffee, she looks at tony for a beat, and then she just shrugs. ]
You know you don't have to apologise.
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Laura's room feels like being back in the dorms at MIT, except even MIT's worst student digs didn't have damp spots the size of dinner plates and cracks in the ceiling. Tony can hear the pipes rattling as someone down the hall takes a shower. The whole place is begging to be renovated, or maybe just demolished.
He pulls his gaze down off the walls to look over at Laura, his own coffee cup still warm in his hand. He's sitting on the other end of the bed, which makes the whole thing feel even more like he's visiting someone's kid sister, or maybe his college intern. Not exactly bad, as far as vibes go, but he's not going to mention it to Laura. ]
I do, actually. [ He sips his soy caramel latte (he hasn't been doing so well with dairy lately). ] I'm trying a new thing, it's called being responsible. And.. [ His expression falters a bit, becoming more serious. ] I hurt you, and that sucks. So I'm sorry. Genuinely.
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[ she's being deliberately glib, but it's only partly to minimise his responsibility for the whole situation. laura does believe — quite firmly in fact — that tony doesn't owe her an apology, but more importantly she's trying to decide if she wants to share.
it's an ordeal of a task at the best of times. for all she's improved on her youth, laura is still prone to caginess at best, stoic refusal at worst. words catch in her throat like they're barbed, and she's never much liked opening up even with the people that she adores. so it's not easy, and her eyes slide towards the ceiling as she leans back on one of her hands, contemplating a shadow as she clears her throat. ]
I have...experience, with outside influences taking over like that. [ a sip of her coffee, though the pause doesn't make her speech any smoother. she's careful, bordering on stilted. out of practice. ] So I mean it when I say you don't have to apologise.
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It's the first time he's heard her express herself like this, which is also remarkable, even if she's barely said anything. He keeps his gaze narrowed at her for a few more beats, frowning faintly. ]
Experience. Is that what turned you into.. [ He lifts a hand at her, vaguely indicating her whole deal. He's seen for himself how quickly she can heal, her strength and speed. He'd been waiting for the chance to ask, honestly. ]
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[ she expects questions. even if it weren't a very human reaction, it is tony stark she's dealing with here, and she's pretty sure that every tony across the entire multiverse has a nosy streak. she expects a follow up, and tony doesn't disappoint.
laura gives something that might be a faint smile. when laura first arrived in the city she'd been incredibly protective of her powers, careful to hide it from the world, but these days she's far less secretive about it. the secret identity thing never did much for her, frankly.
still. being open about her regenerative powers is one thing, talking about how she got that way is another. ]
I was...designed to be like this. [ she gives a quick, small shrug, tipping her head to the side to glance back at tony. ] You don't have mutants in your world, do you.
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[ Tony reaches up to touch his jaw, the memory of Kurt's uppercut still very much in the forefront of his mind. He drops his hand and studies Laura thoughtfully. ]
Got some experience of being around people on the wrong side of science experiments, though. [ He frowns, remembering Killian. And Maya. He's pretty sure Maya would have liked to meet Laura, though he thinks maybe it's better for everyone that it's unlikely to happen. ]
Can't be fun. I'm sorry if being here makes that all.. difficult. If I made it difficult. Truly, I am.
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[ she remembers the conversation with another tony stark very clearly even now, the revelation that she wasn't a clone, whatever that's supposed to mean, but she was still engineered in a lab, designed to be a weapon.
laura has done a lot of work to think of herself as something more than what she was created for, but it's a fact that's never far from her mind. ]
I understand the...guilt. If it helps, I'll accept your apology.
[ she shifts a little, drawing a leg up and twisting towards him. laura isn't one to be particularly verbose at the best of times, let alone running up against some particularly prickly topics for her, but it feels like--a moment, to make an effort. she's serious, earnest, when she meets his gaze. ]
But you don't owe me anything, Tony.
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[ He reaches out to absently set a hand on Laura's knee, for once a gesture of comfort instead of a come-on. While he hasn't known her long enough to understand the rare gift he's being offered, he's able to pick up on the fact that she's trying, and he appreciates it. ]
I've got a lot to make up for, karmically. Not just here. So it's not you, it's me. [ He screws his face up a bit. ] I'm not used to doing the whole apology thing, I might be overcompensating? I don't know.
[ With a sigh, he pats her leg, gently. ] But, all right, if we're cool, then we're cool.
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[ she's not touchy, really. laura doesn't tend towards a gentle squeeze of a shoulder, greeting hugs, or comforting rubs. it's not really her thing, so she doesn't do anything right away.
she doesn't shy away from the touch, though, laura just doesn't react. not immediately, but after a moment slides away she places her hand on top of his. half a smile tugs at the corner of her mouth, as she squeezes lightly. ]
Sorry I broke your drone. Is it salvageable?
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Believe me when I say there's literally nothing I can't fix. Don't worry about it. He'll be back in time to record Abbey Road.
[ His fingers spread out a little bit underneath her touch, his gaze still lingering on hers. Exploratory, suggestive. ]
Is there anything else I can do to make it up to you? Really, anything at all.
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