in his own little room again ((nexus_crossings continuity, for chatnerd, but open))

[shieldborne]

God's righteous man, Ultron had mocked to his face a few years back. Pretending you could live without a war. Steve had to acknowledge he wasn't wrong. The vision Wanda pulled out of his head, it wasn't wrong either. He is half strung-out, bone-weary, combat fatigue personified. Half of him wants to go home.

The other half? Will never be able to stop fighting, because that means having to face what's left.

Visiting the Nexus has only driven that point home, in some ways. No matter how much people encourage him to expand his horizons, take time to relax and recover, to be Steve Rogers, he's restless and adrift there, friendly with everyone but not, in the end, all that close to any. But there is one idea that's caught at him relentlessly since his arrival there, and that's the inescapable visual of kids fighting wars.

Most of them probably don't see it that way. Friendly neighborhood Spider-Men, just doing what they can, what they innocently assume any good person would do. Every time he thinks about that, it hurts. And he has plenty to do in his own world, collecting the proliferating alien weaponry across the planet, breaking up and hunting down remnants of HYDRA, and ducking the law. But here there's an opportunity for something more, something gentler, something that's not fighting and might, in the long term, keep people from ending up in the psychological catch-22 he's gotten himself into.

There's no Nexus real estate office, but there are people who have a clear idea of what land and buildings can be claimed and what can be done with them. Steve has somehow, through funds scraped together, favors called in, and contacts made, become the proud owner of what was once some kind of diner or restaurant. The building is a decent size, two floors, with a lot of the appliances and furnishings still inside it and still working. Including a jukebox, which is what he's looking at right now, outside the front of the building. He's got most of it taken apart and spread neatly on blankets on the grass, and he's methodically cleaning it bit by bit.

The long term plan is a safe house he can set up for the costumed-hero types here that have nowhere else to go if something goes wrong. The kids, specifically. He won't be able to be here all the time, himself, but he can put it together and give what he can. Fill it up with food and medical supplies, maybe put in some bunks, some security--

Well, the plans are still evolving, but it's something.

Comments

[chatnerd]

Adrien might be from France, but he's aware of American holidays. So, he's taking the chance to slip away while he's technically supposed to be practicing piano, a covered dish tucked safely into the bag he was carrying.

It was a simple thing, that he thought might be nice as a way to thank Steve for his kindness before. It took some time for the teen to track him down but soon enough he was peering over the project the man was absorbed in, head tilting curiously.

"..Need a hand there?"

[shieldborne]

Steve is in the process of meditatively checking the inside of the mechanism for frayed wires. The whole thing needs to be cleaned out, and he thinks he sees where he can replace some of the albums--maybe even set it up so an MP3 player can be plugged in on shuffle. Anyone who ends up visiting or staying there ought to like that. But there's a nest back in the corner that either a mouse or a squirrel made, which means a lot of damaged wires--

He didn't hear the kid coming, and he starts a little at the voice, withdrawing his head and broad shoulders from the casing and looking up at the kid. "Uh? Oh! Oh, hey, pal."

He smiles, glad as ever to run into a friend. "Sure, if you have the time. Any good with electronics?"

[chatnerd]

Adrien's smile turned a bit apologetic at how he startled Steve, but at least the man didn't hit his head. Small favors.

"I'm alright at it? Not really my specialty though." He set the bag in his hand on the nearest bench to keep it out of the way before he was coming to join Steve, crouching by the jukebox cabinet.

"What's wrong with it? Or is it just needing some cleaning up?"

[shieldborne]

Steve should really be more aware of his surroundings. If he hit his head, the jukebox would have taken way more damage than his skull, anyway.

"I'm just cleaning it up right now. It wouldn't power on before, but I think it just needs cleaning and to have some wires replaced." He points at the remains of the animal's nest he's pulled out, a little pile of grass and thread and fur.

"I guess you don't actually catch mice in costume, huh? Could have used you for that." He's teasing. "But I think whatever made that is long gone now."

"I'm glad you showed up, though. I could use your input here."

[chatnerd]

"Oh yeah, that'd do it. I think I can help with wires, at least if we keep track of what needs to go where as we do it." It wasn't unlike helping Max with some of his projects- while Adrien wasn't as tech-minded as he was, he had steady hands and was able to take direction well.

"Mice? No, no, we're usually chasing butterflies." Adrien replied with a wry grin, though the expression shifted to something a bit more confused at the concept.

"My input? What on?"

[shieldborne]

"Thank you for that adorable mental picture, which I'm sure is not at all adorable in real life," Steve smiles back.

"Yeah, you." He reaches over and gives his shoulder a friendly squeeze, then rolls back to sit on his heels.

"I just bought this building. Remember how I was saying, about other teen and child heroes around? I'm going to get some furniture and supplies in here. Some non-perishable food, first aid kits, change of street clothes? Just in case someone runs into trouble in their own world and needs a place to lay low here in the Nexus."

"So...yeah. If you want to help me come up with ideas for furnishing it? You're welcome to come here, either way."

[websnextdoor]

Thanksgiving is always a modest affair in the Parker household. Every year Peter and May head down to their local soup kitchen and volunteer to make and serve meals. It's never been a mandatory thing in the Parker household-- Peter is happy to give back and help out those in need.

It does, however, mean he's a bit scarce for a few days. Especially from the Nexus. He won't see Steve's text for a bit, but once he's back to routine Peter will be dropping by the Nexus pretty quick. Or at least, Spider-Man will be. His PINpoint pings him when he's hit the coordinates Steve gave and he drops down from his web with a little flip outside of a slightly run down building. He tilts his head to one side, then the other before pushing open one of the doors.

"Knock, knock?"

[shieldborne]

Were he aware, Steve would heartily approve. He's done similar volunteering, himself, whenever he could, but it had gotten tricky in the States before he left. He was too recognizable, even out of uniform.

These days, of course, he's mostly in the field, and Thanksgiving is just a day like any other.

Steve's mostly finished with the jukebox when Peter arrives, and the tools and tarp are still scattered out front of the building, but Steve is not. When Spider-Man enters, he'll find Steve standing on what appears to have been a coffee counter, dusting the light fixtures.

"Hey!" He greets, sparing a quick, warm glance over his shoulder. "I was wondering where you've been. Holidays kept you busy?"

The interior is pretty Spartan right now, with the Jukebox plugged in but not running. There are booths lining the walls, and the floor has a checkerboard pattern. The wallpaper is yellowed, but looks like it had an abstract cactus pattern on it before. There are three doors at the back of the room, one propped open with a mop bucket.

"Sit down wherever, I'll be down in a sec."

[websnextdoor]

"Something like that. Soup kitchen always needs a hand during Thanksgiving. Is uh, is anyone else around?"

If not, he's gonna tug off his mask here in a second so he can rummage around in his backpack for a snack. His after school crime fighting has worked up a heck of an appetite.

But oh, sit. He can definitely find a place to perch. Might not be on a chair, but Spidey makes himself right at home.

[shieldborne]

"Soup kitchen," he repeats happily. "Goddamn, kid, you put me to shame."

Steve's been accused of compulsive boyscout behavior plenty, and it's not unjustified, but he thinks Peter has him beat this year. "It's just us. You can lock the door if you want. I don't expect anyone right now."

As far as perching options are concerned, there's the counter with its detached stools, the booths, and the Jukebox. He's welcome to any of the above as far as Steve's concerned. "Do you drink coffee? I have a pot going in the back. I was planning on giving you the full tour here."

He shakes out the fuzzy purple duster he's been using and hops easily from counter to floor. "It was some kind of cafe, but it's about to be a safe-house. Less for me than for you and some of the other crime-fighting hero types I've seen around."

[websnextdoor]

"It's my aunt's idea, honestly. She's really something. I don't think you'll ever meet a nicer person."

Makes Peter want to do all he can to support her and do what would make her proud. When you help somebody you help everybody. Good words to live by. Next time Steve turns around Peter will be sans mask hanging out on the counter while he digs through his backpack.

"Oh, sure. I haven't tried it much, honestly." Caffeine has never really been a thing he's needed a whole lot of. "But I'd take a cup and give it a shot."

[shieldborne]

"I hope I do get to meet her some day." Steve's smile lingers. "It's...ugh, this is going to sound sappy, but it sounds like when I lived in Brooklyn with my ma. It could've been us against the world, and sometimes it was like that, but she never got tired of reaching out and trying to help the next person."

He shakes his head. "Wait here, I'll get you some coffee."

He won't be gone long, and what he brings out a tray with some sugar packets and creamers, two cups of coffee, and a sleeve of packaged chocolate-chip cookies. He sets the whole thing on the counter by Peter, takes up his own cup, and gestures at the cookies as if to indicate he can help himself.

Hopefully his desire to feed the boy isn't too transparent.

"I'll give you a key before you go. I don't know if you've met the other guy I gave one to. Dresses like a black cat?"

[juststeverogers]

Steve's still not sure what to think, getting a text from himself. Well, the other Steve Rogers, at any rate. His older self? Every time he tries to contemplate what it could mean for their worlds--either of them, really--he starts to get a major headache. Steve's pretty sure Natasha does too but she's encouraged Steve not to overthink it or waste time worry about it more than necessary.
The Nexus will be what it always is. A convenience and a pain in the ass at the same time. They don't talk much and that suits Steve just fine. Less chance of messing up timelines and worlds that way.

But he can't not answer an invitation. He'd like to think he knows himself well enough to assume there'd be a damn good reason Steve's counterpart would call him out here. A reason that only grows more sobering when a familiar shock of blonde hair comes into view when he rounds a corner.

[red_room]

Thank every god in every realm for men's ability to grow beards. Not that Natasha can't tell the Steve's apart without it because she most certainly can. But it's so much quicker and easier for all involved that they don't look identical. Nat gives Steve a slight nod of her head. Enough to let Cap know that she's his ex-Russian spy slash assassin and not some other Romanoff.

Ever since Loki asked her about that she hasn't been able to put it from her mind completely.

"You know, I took a day off to get away from you right?" A lie, but an easy one. Steve just shakes his head and nods toward the building Natasha's lingering outside of.

"He call you here too?"

Inviting both herself and Steve out here, but not together? Curious. Natasha shrugs before she gestures vaguely toward the door.

"Guess we better find out what he wants."

[shieldborne]

He really didn't expect them both to turn up together, is the thing. Actually, he was half hoping they wouldn't, because they're disorienting enough separate. His problem is not that he can't get over the fact that they're alternates from another world, it's that he keeps forgetting they're alternates from another world. He's like an Alice in Wonderland that's been down the rabbithole too long now. Nothing makes sense, so everything makes sense, and he'll just go with the flow of it, for the most part.

At some point he's going to have to let Thor know what he's got going on here, too, but there's no hurry for that. Thor has his own people to look after right now.

In any case, Steve is opening the door for them before they get close enough to touch it. He's got a basic security system up and running now, and the cameras saw them coming.

He's kind of a mess at the moment. He's in sweatpants and an old 'I <3 NY' t-shirt, knees dusty, and there's a cap perched on his head backwards, which probably means he's been trying to clean under the furniture and fixtures. He's the kind of guy who usually complains how dumb it is for people to wear a baseball hat turned around--the brim is to shield your eyes from the sun, forchrissakes--but the irony is lost on him right now.

"Hey," he greets them with an awkward smile. "Anyone want to help me clean behind the oven? No?"

[juststeverogers]

That's a sentiment Steve can understand quite well. Before he ended up spending some time 'catching up' as Natasha called it, Steve spent quite a long time living in the Nexus when he was stuck here. He likes to think it's made him more open minded in general about the world.

Any world.

But sometimes the ludicrous nature of everything seeps back in. Like watching himself with a baseball cap on backwards and an old ratty teeshirt that still manages to be too small on him despite clearly being comfort clothing. Steve shakes his head after a second to shake his train of thought free from the freeze it had done a moment ago, leaving him staring stupidly.

"Steve. The oven." Natasha nods over to it and that's one more thing breaking him out of his shock.

"Right, 'course." He can move it pretty easily if they want to give it a clean really quick.

[shieldborne]

The too-small shirt is almost synonymous with Steve Rogers at this point. He knows damn well he could go a couple sizes up easily, but he doesn't bother since most of the time he wears even a printed tee as an undershirt. That, and Sam teases that he's disappointed every time Steve wears a workout shirt that fits him right. He's pretty sure the guy doesn't mean anything by it; it's just a running gag at this point.

He laughs softly and waves a hand to halt them. He shouldn't be surprised that they'd help first and ask questions later. "No, no, I'm kidding."

He could move it himself if he needed to. "I mean, sure, but later. I thought I better give you both a heads-up about this project, is all."

He turns on some overhead lights, beckoning them toward one of the booths that still remain in the corner. The seats are covered with bright red leatherette cushions, and the formica on the table is carmine, with squiggly gray and white organic shapes all over the surface, a retro pattern (but then, what's retro when you're from the 1940s?).

"Have either of you run into Spider-Man here? He's a nice kid when he's not sweeping your legs out from under you." Steve sits, notes the dust bunnies on his knees, and stands again to try to brush them off.

"There are two of them, actually. Spider-Men? Spider children. And then there's a boy somewhere in his mid-teens that dresses like a black cat. There are probably more I haven't met."

He looks at his alternate with a grim smile. "It's driving me crazy; all these kids. I figured I better at least try to do something about it."

[red_room]

If they could get over the weirdness of seeing each other--interacting with each other--they might find amusement in what's the same and what's different about them. Steve's put a lot of effort into being more open minded about this but it's still so bizarre to be talking to himself.

He opts to find a nearby wall to lean against and fold his arms. Settle in for a listen and give Natasha the stage front and center of this other Steve Rogers' attention.

"Not personally since Germany." Natasha glances back at Steve but she knows it's the same for him. "We've heard a lot about him here though. I've been trying to keep an eye on him while I'm around, but I doubt he's noticed."

It's what Nat does best after all.

"You're all always so shocked when kids sign up to fight." Bruce was the same way. Natasha has never much understood it. Then again, she used to be one of those child soldiers herself once upon a time. "So what? You snazz up a secret base they can make a club out of?"

[pirateangelbaby]

Talk about late to the party.

Thor had intended to visit after Yule was done, he really did. But when his PINpoint had stopped working, and all access to the Nexus seemed lost, he was left without a way to even reply to the captain's message, which has frustrated him to no end these past few months. (And sure, he's gone without contacting his Midgardian friends for far longer than this, but that's different.)

Now that's changed, and Steven had said he could show up anytime. Not that Thor is very good about calling ahead anyway; it's always seemed like a waste of time to announce his arrival if the message is going to get there when he would've been if he hadn't delayed in the first place.

There's a kind of fresh dampness in the air that smells of snowmelt and chilled earth, evidence of the deep freeze he's been told about beginning to melt away in the fairer weather of spring, though the snow and ice themselves seem to have beat a hasty retreat. Thor vanishes his cape so it doesn't drag in the mud as he approaches the clubhouse, carrying what looks an awful lot like a paper grocery bag with something heavy in it. Not food, sadly, and as Thor catches sight of the captain's humble lodgings, he rather suspects the offer of pancakes is going to have to wait, too. The building looks like it's seen heavy use - and abuse - recently, its exterior ravaged by wind and ice, and from the sound of tools being used and heavy objects being moved around, the inside's not much better.

It's proof enough that someone is home, however, so Thor pushes the door open and raps a knuckle on the frame. "Is this a bad time?" he calls out.

[shieldborne]

Steve's vision is back, and it's a huge relief. The effects of slow starvation on his system are fading fast; he wasn't as drained by them as his alternate, perhaps, because he was unable to participate quite so physically. No patrols, no peacekeeping, not for a newly-blind man. He's aware of that irony.

The pain in his head, likewise, is gone. At least, the physical pain is. There are wounds in him that can't be healed merely by a turn from Winter to Spring. They've left him contemplative and a little maudlin, rather than angst-ridden and temperamental, so that's at least tolerable, but for the foreseeable future he'll be thinking about Bucky, and Spider-children, and how incredibly easy it is to break one person with their love for another person.

At the moment Thor knocks, he's effectively doing a spring cleaning, moving tables and booths (the place used to be cafe, and the accouterments are still there) and sweeping beneath them. In the background, the jukebox has power again and is playing 'A Simple Man' at a gentle volume. A new favorite song of Steve's.

He looks up when the door opens and breaks into a smile. He can't shake off the clouds from his mind quite yet, but his pleasure at seeing his friend is very real. "Hey! You made it back!"

The mop gets set aside, and Steve comes over, either to clasp arms or to hug, even he isn't sure which. "Never a bad time. Are you okay? How's the ship?"

If it does turn into a hug, though, Thor will probably note that his friend is a bit too thin.

[pirateangelbaby]

Steven may not be certain, but Thor has absolutely no reservations about putting the bag down and drawing the captain into a fond embrace, giving him a friendly thump on the back, pleased as anything to see him again. Even if he is a little smaller in mass than Thor remembers, something that strikes him as concerning but not terribly odd, given what he's heard about how winter did to those who were stranded here. Of all the Avengers, the captain was the only one who ever came close to pacing Thor at the dinner table, and for good reason.

As for himself, Thor is pretty sure he's also lost a few pounds from the lean rations of recent weeks, but it's a hell of a lot harder to tell with him, considering he had so much more to start with.

"The ship is fine, mostly, but I'm glad to be off it," Thor confesses, not bothering to hide his relief. "I don't know how everyone else has been putting up with it for so long without going mad, though it's hard to tell with the children. There's not nearly enough busy work to go around. And the population's actually going up," he adds with a brilliant smile, glad to share some good news. "We had a birth two weeks ago."

[shieldborne]

Steve can't help but chuckle quietly when Thor pulls him into a hug. The height difference between them is only a couple inches, but there's something strangely reassuring to him about getting a friendly embrace by a man just a hint taller. Probably has something to do with lingering memories of his youth, pre-serum, and roughhousing with Bucky.

"Eh, bring the kids here for a field trip," he says. "In a couple weeks almost everything's going to be fixed, anyway."

Something in his eyes brightens at the news of a new baby. Possibly his interest in caring about the Spider-men is a symptom of his biological clock going off.

"Congratulations!" He is utterly sincere. "I mean, I assume it wasn't your kid, unless there's a lot you haven't told us, but that's great news, either way."

[pirateangelbaby]

Letting the children get out and about under some kind of adult supervision isn't the worst idea, not by a long shot. Never mind that a good portion of those children are actually older than Steven himself; the good captain excels at being a figure of authority, and Thor would certainly hope that any good Asgardian would respect the commands of someone whom their king has gladly followed into battle. "If you'd have them, I think it'd do them good," he agrees, glancing around at the place. "What do you need done? I could lend you a hand, though if it's going to take a hammer, I'm afraid I'll have to borrow one this time."

Thor's pretty fond of his newest citizen too, and not just because it means one more Aesir life to add to the too-small census of what remains of his home. "No, though our healers are few enough that my hands were the first that held her. Gunnarsdottir will never meet her father, but there is not a single Asgardian still breathing that doesn't love her."

[shieldborne]

Wait, if he'd have them? Steve blinks for a second, because he meant bring the kids to the Nexus for a field trip, not specifically to his place, but--

Actually, nevermind, that sounds like it could be fun, and he's never met any of Thor's people aside from Loki. Which didn't go well. His confusion melts into a smile again, and he nods. "Just give me a heads-up before you bring 'em. I'll figure something out to occupy them."

Although he may need help. Man, are Asgardian children as tough as the adults?

"You want the full list of needed repairs? Mostly it's the wiring and the pipes, sorry to say, but the roof needs patching here and there. I had a group of almost two-dozen in here through the winter."

He heads for the island in the middle of the floor that appears to have been a coffee counter at one time, when the place was a functioning cafe. "No kidding, you delivered a baby??"

He hasn't made the 'fertility god' connection, and while it doesn't surprise him that Thor would care enough to attend a woman in labor and do whatever he could, the idea that he would know what to do is new.

[delphicbooksandbaubles]

Aal scents the air and squints with a slight frown as she hums trying to keep taps on either the scent trails or something.

As she reshuffles one of the baskets of goodies to her other arm.. She could have swore one of the Steve's had come this way.At some point. Dang nab it. This place could be worse then Wonderland.

Dor's taking a turn at pulling the wagon at the moment. Keeping his eyes peeled for any one they know. As well perhaps a bird or some critter who could maybe send a message or show them the way.

Aal only knew some basic things with these PINpoint things. Though they did have their cells and other means if necessary though right now they figured it best to save their energy. And try and find folks the old fashioned way.