Grow Big or Go Home

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

The Iron Man armor restoration couldn't have come at a better time--it was getting nippy, and carrying around spare layers just seemed like such a waste of a good pair of hands (that's what he had Happy for, after all). With the integrated nanotech, his armor could be a pair of whatever Tony needed it to be, and a nice autumn jacket and synthetic pants perchance rain was the order of the day. And a nice thermos of black tea. Sure, 17 ounces was overkill, but it wasn't coffee on a day where he didn't 'need' it. Baby steps.

While he had taken stock of each resident and the keystone species of the surrounding terra, Tony wasn't feeling particularly enterprising that day, but he wasn't in the mood to do nothing either. Solution: analyze the flowers at the garden and cross-reference it with the Language of Flowers text he'd found perusing the library selection. An idle, sentimental sort of endeavor but frankly, why not? He'd been in a rut with his research and his clever mind was due for a reprieve.

His fingers toyed with the petals of a rose whose thick branches elegantly climbed over a white trellis, splashing it with thick bouquets of red. Was there a rule in place about touching the flowers? Ah, well. He wasn't removing anything--'There went a petal. And another. It was going to happen eventually.' He took his hand back and looked to the side innocently. There, his eyes caught a bit of movement past a boxwood hedge. Two broad backs, working in unison. Unable to catch their faces, neither Tony nor F.R.I.D.A.Y. could discern the identities. They seemed too animated to be one of the laboring automatons.

"Nice roses." Tony called, simply to get a reaction out of whomever it happened to be.

Comments

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"What was that, Rogers?" Tony dramatically splayed his arms out to the sides, his clothes morphing into a flattering black tank top before their eyes. It could have been white, but since when did Tony follow trends?

"They're self-cleaning, by the way."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor beams his approval at Tony. Not just because it seems like he's going to join them, but also because true to his imagination, Tony looks extremely good in that tank top.

"Come join us!"

[st_evengrantrogers]

Steve blinked. He thought it looked like magic. Then again, he'd seen so many things in his hundred-ish years of life... some changing clothes were only the tip of the iceburg.

"Well, then. Now you've no excuse." Steve gave Tony a grin, then offered up the end of a shovel.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony felt eyes on him, and added a little swagger in his step for the benefit of the interested party as he approached. He could endure the chill for a few minutes.

Taking up the offered tool, Tony held it delicately between his thumb and forefinger, holding it up to the sun and inspecting it as one would a mysterious archaeological specimen. "By jove, some manner of ancient trinket! I date this to the neolithic period, perhaps from the Near East."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor flashes Tony an appreciative smile.

"You should join us and learn how they put these simple tools to use."

[st_evengrantrogers]

Steve completely missed the swagger. He just didn't see that sort of thing, even when it was directed at him.

He turned and picked up his own, simple tool, and started back in the ground again. They were digging holes to plant some new bushes, and it was a little tedious. But it felt good.

"See, you put the sharp, pointy end in the ground, then scoop the dirt out." He smirked.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Cute, Rogers. You're cute. You're both cute." Tony tossed Thor a look over Steve's back and laid the tool back down just outside the boundary of the bed. All at once, his right arm was enveloped in red and gold and the nanites had formed a whirring jackhammer style weapon, aimed right at the dirt. A rush of steam escaped with a 'hiss'--just for flavor.

"We're a big past the era of using bovine scapula to drum up dirt. I like speed. Power. Efficiency."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor reaches up and grabs Tony by the wrist. "Shut up and sit down," he tells him. He nods a head towards the whirring jackhhammer.

"And get rid of that thing. It's time for you to go back to your roots and enjoy some quality time with your friends."

[st_evengrantrogers]

Steve watched the others. He gave a soft chuckle. They were acting like the proverbial old, married couple. He was absolutely sure he would have gone completely mad if his friends and teammates weren't here with him.

"Come join us in the stone age." Steve said, offering up the shovel once more. "It's good for you. Really."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony's eyes rolled so hard they took the rest of his head rolling with him. "How is it my fault one of you predates television and the other predates the flush toilet?"

And yet, Tony was the one to had to wear the most age out of all of them. There was a definite unfairness to it all.

Nonetheless, he relented, and flexed his bared arm as the nanites retreated. "I wanna revolutionize gardening, and you don't want me to...~" Tony sang to himself, kneeling and taking up the discarded trowel.

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor can't help but wonder what's going on in Tony's head. Most of the time, he didn't come across nearly as infantile as he did right now. The only real differentiators here were Steve and the environment.

And only one of those was likely responsible for this change in behavior.

"You can revolutionize gardening later," Thor says, clipping one of the roses from the bush. He tucks it behind Tony's ear. "Stop complaining and get to work."

[st_evengrantrogers]

It was playing. Steve and Tony were so often the men with the weight of the world on their shoulders, that when they had a chance to play it felt incredibly strange. Steve really enjoyed it, though. When they had a chance to quip and quibble, to playfully jab at each other and have a good laugh. It felt really good to laugh.

He started up again, taking the large shovel and moving ahead in the line to the next spot. He dug in deep and fast, making room for the hedge bushes. "Feels good to earn my keep for a change."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony's eye fluttered shut as his head was accented with a delicate flower. He reached up, as if to remove it--and instead preened his hair to suit the splash of color, wordlessly seeking Thor's approval in the way he tilted his head this way and that before turning his attention to the dirt.

"Yeah. Because you were such a slacker beforehand." To Tony's credit, the sarcasm couldn't have been laid on thicker if he tried. He picked up a worm, wriggling right in the way of his path, set it to the side and mounded it back up so it wouldn't desiccate. "I get it. I've got my own projects keeping me busy. One'll allow me to live out the dream of being a lumberjack. Not my dream. Someone else's I'm sure."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor smiles at Tony as he tilts his head. There were moments where Tony could radiate charm so perfectly that it was practically seiðr. This just happened to be one of those moments.

At least until he started opened his mouth, at which point the magic abruptly vanished.

"An hour of gardening isn't going to condemn you to a lifetime of chopping wood."

[st_evengrantrogers]

"I dunno, it might. You'd better watch out, Tony. You might be stuck wearing flannel for the rest of your life." Steve teased, grinning softly. He was grimey and sweaty, but he felt truly alive as they worked with the earth and the plants out in the sunshine. He'd never known how fulfilling this gardening stuff was until he really got to working on it. Now he loved it.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Hey, I am talking a proper job. One of the residents contracted me for it. Bo. Heard of her?" Tony shot back at the pair, clear out some roots and rocks from the perfectly good hole he was constructing.

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor turns so he's better facing Tony. He looks at Tony uneasily.

"What does she want you to make?"

[st_evengrantrogers]

Steve wasn't sure who Bo was, so he continued shoveling dirt, eavesdropping on what he perceived now to be a conversation between Tony and Thor.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Bo's reaction to Thor's name had been intriguing. Thor's reaction to Bo's name was practically identical. Tony played it off with a shrug.

"An arch. Some kind of...ritual. I didn't ask." He had wanted to, but the end was more towards keeping himself busy, making himself feel useful, and (saccharine as it was to say) the warm, gooey feeling he got by helping others. He turned his attention to Steve, nudging the larger man with his elbow. "Wanna help?"

[st_ormbreaker]

"You two really should stay away from her," Thor suddenly rises to his feet to his feet. He brushes his hands off on his pants. "Take my place for awhile," he tells Tony, directing Tony to the space where he was pruning just a few moments before. "I'll be back later."

[st_evengrantrogers]

Steve stopped his shoveling for a moment to lean against the tool and stare over at Tony. "As attractive as some kind of...ritual sounds," he said, giving his best Tony impersonation--it was actually pretty good, "I'd need a little more info before I sign on the dotted line."

A wave of confusion and concern washed over Steve as his friend stood abruptly. "What's wrong?"

[st_ormbreaker]

"Everything's okay," Thor says, directing a finger at Steve with a smile. "Bergljot still needs watering. Tony, you take care of it. Rogers can let you know which one she is."

And with that, Thor departs.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

That was a reaction. Stronger than Tony had anticipated. He watched Thor depart and then shared a look with Steve.

"I'll ask." Tony said with a sigh. "Later. When the flowers are accounted for. I started this, I'll finish it."