rekindleme | And back again [open]

Who: Steve Rogers and anyone
Where: Tony's room and around the city
When: February 23rd
Summary: Steve comes back after staying in his world for about 70 years. Cue making sure that Tony is okay and reorienting himself with Saeng Seong.
Warnings: Steve being a grumpy old man.

[Locked to Tony]

Steve wasn't very happy, to say the least. He thought that he would be getting a little time to himself after the battle in New York, time to maybe adjust to the new era or at least see how much had changed since his frozen slumber in the ice. But no, he woke up in another unfamiliar place without any warning. Of course the unfamiliar place became familiar once his memories came rushing back. Saeng Seong, right. He was... small when he was last here. It seemed so long ago. Steve briefly wondered if any of his friends were still here, how much time had passed in this place.

Oh, and Tony. He was here before. So was Loki- and okay, he needed to see if his teammate was alright and if Loki had done anything since his disappearance. Exploring the city would need to come after.

With that task in mind, Steve headed to Tony's apartment and knocked on his door, trying to remain calm despite the frustration he was feeling. He was getting sick of being transported to places without knowing how much time had passed.

[option a; open]

After being reassured that Loki hadn't done anything destructive yet and getting an explanation on how much time had passed, Steve decided that it would be a good time to walk around Saeng Seong again. Although, barely any time had passed since he was gone, almost the opposite of how it was on Earth.

Figures. A small part of him wished that only three days passed when he took the plane down.

Still, he had to do this. It wasn't like he remembered every single detail of this city... and he just really needed the fresh air. So Steve could be found around the districts, stopping every so often at different shops with a look of surprise. Surprise that it remained unchanged even though he knew it had only been a short amount of time. Or Steve could be seen walking down the street and turning his head at everything in almost a daze.

[option b; open]

Afterward, Steve was just sitting down on a bench in the park, staring down at his folded hands and looking a bit distracted. He needed a little time to take this all in still. Maybe he was overreacting, but just seeing the city almost unchanged... it was just a bit mind-boggling to him.

"Just three days..." Steve mumbled to himself, although his voice was clear enough to be heard. He also was a little angry about everything, but he tried to keep things to himself as he sat there on the bench.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Even with being around Stark, some of what September said flew over Steve's head. But he understood the gist of it, which is what mattered for him. "Basically, you know how old everyone is, no matter their appearance." That was a pretty neat power and Steve relaxed a little with that answer. It wasn't something like reading into his past or his thoughts at least.

He was probably being a bit more defensive than he would have been before.

"No time travel." But parts of Steve wished he had that ability. Just go back to the 1940s, back to where he belonged, really. It was incredibly selfish of him though, so those are just thoughts he kept to himself. "Fell into a coma for almost 70 years, didn't age during that time." That was the best way to describe what happened without bringing up ice. He'd rather not talk about that right now.

Ice isn't really a pleasant topic of conversation for anyone save for maybe ice skaters. September would sympathise, as much as he were capable of doing, with Steve's temporal displacement--being lost in time is the worst kind of lost.

"Suspended animation," he murmurs. "There must have been... culture shock... upon regaining consciousness." Empathy is still something he's trying to get used to.

"Yeah." It was a bit of a touchy subject for him and he wasn't really quite used to talking about it with others. "Because time still moves on, with or without you."

Steve was definitely a bit more grumpy than what he used to be, but going through war and being frozen in ice did that to people. The topic wasn't doing much for his mood either.

"Apologies," September answers, his gaze dropping for a moment. "It was not my intention to upset you. Do you wish to change the subject of conversation?"

See? He's getting it. Kinda.

He felt a little bad for being a bit rude to September. Even if he wasn't in the best of places right now, it didn't mean he should act this way. It wasn't like he was trying to be antagonistic towards Steve, so there really was no reason.

"No, it's okay. I'm sorry." He slowly breathed out and tried to look a little less tense. "But a change of topic would be good. ...How have you been?" Steve hadn't spoken to him in a while and he was curious to see how he was doing. He wished him well still.

September nods once, as though acknowledging the effort to relieve tension. At Steve's query, he pauses for a beat, thinking.

"I am physically well. Personal contact has become sufficiently regular." Wow. That was actually rather tactful... for him. "I have... continued to encounter situations which elicit emotional reactions, however, and have found them... painful."

His gaze drops, comes back up. "Someone whom I consider to be a friend arrived here from my universe, but he was unhappy here and found a way home. I..." Here he stops, gathering the words. "I... miss him. And I have found that... I now miss others that I did not have the capacity to miss, earlier. I... think I know why Diarmuid is often saddened...."

He's almost babbling.

Steve understood what he was talking about. The missing of a friend, multiple people that you may not see ever again. It was the most he heard September talk at once, at least about emotional things, so he listened to what he was saying before speaking again.

"Can't say if it ever becomes easier, knowing that they're gone." After all, Steve wasn't so sure about himself, Bucky's death was still a sore spot for him. Even if they took down HYDRA in the end, it didn't erase the fact that he was gone. "Hear that it's sometimes best to talk about it with others, those that understand at least." Of course Steve wasn't about to talk about his own problems still, so he was a bit of a hypocrite when it came to that. But he wanted to try and help September in some way, even if was just listening and giving what advice he could.

The Observer in question is usually much more laconic than this. Or maybe he just seems laconic in comparison to Tony 'Loves The Sound Of His Own Voice' Stark. Still, it can't be argued that this is the most he's ever said at one time regarding anything to do with emotion.

"I have been told this, as well," he answers quietly. "But I do not yet know the criteria for deciding with whom it is considered appropriate to speak of such things."

"Can be a hard thing to gauge at times." So much for being helpful. Steve sat there awkwardly for a moment before trying again. "When someone starts talking about a similar situation, that could be a good time. Show that you can relate to what they're talking about."

Of course that didn't help much when trying to talk about your problem first.

"Find people that were also close to your friend. They're probably feeling the same way."

September appears to ponder this for a few moments. He gazes into the middle distance, head tilted slightly to one side.

Then he blinks and returns to the present moment, looking at Steve again. "Thank you," he murmurs. "You have given me much to think on."

Steve was a little surprised that his advice actually helped, he hadn't been having a good run with that lately. But he was glad that it seemed to work, at least for September, even if it was just a little.

"Happy I could help, September." He smiled a little at him, feeling slightly less moody than earlier. "If there's something else I can help you with, let me know."

And back again [open]

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