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

[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?"

[websnextdoor]

"...I know that feeling." After Ben died, Peter wasn't always the best at helping May deal with her grief. The man was a father figure to Peter but it's only now that he's older that he really realizes what Ben was to Aunt May. What it's like to even start to care about another person like that.

Their love must have been so much more than the crushes he's felt, and to him they feel like everything in the moment. It's part of what made him try to hide this whole thing from her so she wouldn't have to worry about losing him too.

The face Peter makes when he tries the coffee black is a timeless face of all children realizing they have made a grave mistake in an effort to appear mature. He shakes his head quickly as if it will rid the bitterness from his mouth before snatching up the creamer and sugar to put as much of both in as the cup will take. Once it's taken on a much more pallid tan he'll try it again very carefully.

Oh, that's not too bad. More flavor tests are necessary of course. But not bad at all.

[shieldborne]

"I'm guessing," Steve says, "that you're trying to keep May away from the Nexus, and I don't blame you, but I want you to keep this place in mind. If you run into trouble, either of you, it's here. That's all it's for."

"...well, I mean, if you want to do homework here or something, that's fine, too, but it's supposed to be a resource. Just in case. Food, drinks, and medical supplies are all fair game for now. I'll probably come up with a tracking system later so I can guess how much I actually need to keep stocked."

He trails off to watch Peter taste his coffee, and breaks into a grin. "It doesn't taste how it smells, does it?"

"Before the war, I always put a ton of sugar and milk in mine. Especially milk. I had stomach ulcers. But in the army, I got used to taking it black, or with half a Hershey bar melted in it, on a lucky day."

[websnextdoor]

"Oh, man. She'd freak out if she knew about this place."

As if Peter didn't? But it also eases a tension in his posture he's always been carrying with him since this whole things started. If May was ever in trouble, how would he protect her? Now, he just might have his answer. Only in an absolute emergency of course, but still.

"I can't believe you're setting all this up...for us. I mean, I don't even know how I can pay you back for this kind of thing." He's looking back down at his coffee now before taking another small sip. Needs improvement, but drinkable now. "A chocolate bar in it? Is that good?"

[shieldborne]

"Yeah," Steve chuckles softly. "I'm pretty sure she wouldn't want you running around unsupervised in a lawless multidimensional crossroads."

Especially not on a school night.

He's surprised by the thanks. Up until now, he wasn't completely sure Peter understood what the place is for and that he's being handed the keys to it. That's probably a generation gap in play somehow, with Steve not quite recognizing how Peter communicates. In any case, the knot of tension in his chest loosens abruptly and leaves a surge of warmth in its wake, and he smiles into his own cup of coffee.

"Just use it if you need it, and be careful who you invite. That's all I need. I'll...probably need a retreat sometime, too." This is an outlet for him, as much as it is an outreach.

"Chocolate and coffee are the best possible combination on a cold morning," he adds, nodding. "Good in pancakes, too. I used to chop up a Hershey Bar and mix it up in the batter for me and Bucky."

[websnextdoor]

"Well, I don't know many other kids. There's Miles, and the leather cat guy. Chat Noir, I think he called himself. I didn't get to talk to him for long."

Peter rubs at the back of his neck while he listens. It seems kinda...not right...not to try and pay Steve back for this. Maybe he'll put some more effort into his Nexus patrols and step up his game here in the Nexus. Earn his keep here so he's worth all this effort being put in on his behalf.

"I d-don't cook much. It doesn't sound hard, you know? But I always end up burning whatever I make." It's really hard for him to focus on making food when there's so much else vying for his attention, especially now with his senses dialed up to eleven.

[shieldborne]

The leather cat guy. Steve wants to laugh at that, because it's not inaccurate. He also kind of wants to tell Peter that the kid's name is Adrien, but that would be a betrayal of trust. "Chat Noir, yeah. He's a nice kid. I've seen him in civilian gear, too. I think you'd get along. You all keep busy schedules, though. If you get a chance to talk and compare notes and be friends, it'd be good, but even if that never happens...you know, better to have it and not need it than to not have it and wish it was available."

"Well...I'm not a good cook, but I can usually handle pancakes," he says. "On that note, you want to see the kitchen? I didn't want to keep anything too perishable in stock so it's a lot of packaged stuff and frozen stuff. I still need to get a toaster, but there's a microwave."

[websnextdoor]

With his coffee gone (and Steve might regret sugaring and cafeinning the spider child soon) Peter digs into the package of cookies with a fervor. They're so good even if they're processed junk food.

You don't say no to a cookie.

"Suhh!" Don't talk with your mouth full, Peter! He hops to his feet with a handful of cookies to munch on while they take a look around. In between bites he even manages, "I know how to work the microwave at least."

[shieldborne]

Steve has noticed Peter responds to junk food with markedly more enthusiasm than fruit. He shouldn't be surprised; no one considers a balanced diet if they just plain aren't getting enough calories to begin with. He'll tailor his approach some, as needed.

"If you didn't know how to work a microwave, I'd worry," he tells him. "Considering the level of technology you've been playing with in your spare time."

His eyes sparkle. The walk to the kitchen is short. They pass a supply closet on the left and the door to a men's room and a ladies' room on the right, and then there's a left turn into an industrial-sized kitchen with a walk-in fridge/freezer, two ovens, one of which has a range on top, and a microwave. There's no dishwasher, but there's a double sink, and steel countertops that seem to have been cleaned rigorously. "I think I need some more shelves for cookware," Steve says, pointing to one set of shelving along the wall that contains mostly packaged snacks and a few plates and cups. "Or a hanging rack or something. But if most people are just going to use the microwave that's not urgent."

[websnextdoor]

He's a teenage boy of course his interest in junk food pales in comparison to anything and everything else. Not to say the fresh fruit wasn't also a hit but he's not used to having that as much. Besides, it's not as though one can just pop an orange into their mouth whole like one can a cookie. Steve's going to find it almost impossible to keep Oreos in this place for longer than a day.

That much is for certain.

"Okay but like, better than 'nuke it on high until it's molten' work a microwave kind of a thing. Is what I mean." Just because one can make things edible by using a microwave doesn't mean they can make it good.

"A hanging rack or one of those work tables with the shelf built in underneath would be real space efficient, but at least in my case I don't need anything fancy to make a cup ramen."

[shieldborne]

Maybe he can sneak some granola bars or something in there, too. He can't blame the kid, though. There's nothing quite like an Oreo cookie. Steve's a fan. Granted, the recipe has changed over the years, but they're still pretty good.

"I know not to put tinfoil in them," he says cheerfully. "And that it takes about three minutes on high before an egg explodes in one."

He gives him a thoughtful nod and goes to the refrigerator to retrieve a bottle of juice from within. He offers one to Peter wordlessly, then pulls a little notepad out of his pocket and scribbles in it: work table/island with lower shelves.

"I'll show you the upstairs, if you want. I'm going to put a couple separate rooms and bunks up there. If you have suggestions, just let me know?"

[websnextdoor]

"I figured out how to make plasma in one of these things actually. No idea if or how I could do anything cool with that info, but it's pretty neat nonetheless."

Peter gives the microwave an affectionate pat. Thank you, plastic friend, for warming his foods and providing him with quick sustenance. Ooh, juice. Score. He offers Steve a quiet 'thanks' before it's immediately being opened and sampled. He should probably watch how much he's drinking. No one needs to make a restroom break while they're on patrol. It's just awkward.

"Uh. Might want to hit up a thrift store or the like and get some basic clothes folks can borrow in case their own are bloody or wrecked? I don't know, this is already like. Way more than I could have ever even thought of. You're really going all out on this huh?"

[shieldborne]

"You made plasma in a microwave?" Steve stares at him for a moment, trying to decide if that's crazy dangerous or just normal teenage shenanigans. After a moment's consideration, he decides it can't be any more dangerous than playing with a PINpoint and smirks. "Did the microwave survive?"

He snaps his fingers and nods at Peter, grabbing for his notepad again. "Yes! Thank you, that was one of the things I meant to do. Hadn't gotten to it yet, but that's a good idea."

And not just that, but maybe a few extra sweaters or coats, because the weather's getting cold, and newcomers might not be prepared for that. He shrugs at Peter's comment, casual and modest. "I needed a project. And it'll be good to have a safe house for myself, here, too. I was staying in one of the hotels."

[websnextdoor]

"Oh yeah, I'm not sure how many more times I could do it before it didn't but--yeah it's still at our place. I can show you how t'do it here too if you want to see."

Because whats a bit of mad science between friends right?

"All we need is a bag of seedless grapes." R-really? But Peter's grinning and turning back to his juice.