[for Friends] happy birthday

[daretodo]

The only reason I remember it's my birthday today at all is because Pepper asked me if I want a party earlier in the week. I declined the offer, of course, both not wanting to trouble her any more than I already have and not up to the celebration. It's an occasion I meet with trepidation instead of jubilation, never having honestly thought I'd live

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[lucked]

No matter how much family hurts you, how much they scare you, even sometimes how much they betray you, it's pretty much impossible to stop caring. I know that I'm not the first person to learn this lesson, and there's no way I'll ever be the last. That doesn't mean that the sheer force of it hits me any less as I wake up in my hut, as I peek over at the calendar I've made for myself, carefully compiled after endless trips to the Council offices, trying to document everyone's birthdays, key anniversaries, deaths. I've seen this one coming for quite a while already, honestly. When people leave your life, you end up trying to take up little pieces of their burdens, I've found. Definitely true for me when it comes to Mary Jane, anyway, and I know that more than anything else, she'd want to make sure that Peter's okay today. She wouldn't want him to mourn, to be upset, and while I don't know Peter well enough even now (maybe especially now) to know how hard it'll be to get his chin up, the goal's the same regardless

[daretodo]

The truth is, I haven't exactly made myself available to the general public since the elections. In a lot of ways, the mansion has been the perfect hideout. It's almost silly to me now how resistant I was about moving in Tony and Pepper temporarily, and while I know I'm not going to impose my presence on them much longer, it's been good, living far enough out of the way -- well, comparatively out of the way -- that people didn't come knocking very often.

But I'm not at the mansion right now. I'm in another tree, having needed to pause on my way back to the mansion to switch out one of my web cartridges -- a task I immediately abort when I realize I've got company. I nearly fumble the cartridge in my surprise, but I catch it at the last second, leaning forward far enough in the process that I manage to catch sight of who, exactly, my company is.

Can't really say I was expecting Claire Bennet.

"...thank you?" I reply.

[lucked]

I breathe an immediate sigh of relief when it sounds like Peter isn't immediately balking at my presence. It's probably unexpected, sure, especially considering that I haven't made any real effort to chase after Peter these past couple of months. But at least he isn't glaring at me in the way that he did the last time we really talked, if you can even call it that. Maybe I'm just grasping at straws anymore after everything that's happened in my life lately, but as far as I'm concerned, there are worse things to chase after.

Licking my lips, I stare up briefly, although my gaze quickly starts trickling down the side of the tree, wondering how easy it'd be for me to climb up there. Probably not too hard, I figure. I'm pretty physical, if sometimes clumsy, but... pain's not really an issue, at least. I always deal pretty well with pain

[daretodo]

This is awkward. Not the conversation itself -- well, not just the conversation itself -- but the fact that I'm in a tree, and Claire's vertically challenged without me being a good thirty feet off the ground.

The problem is, I can't hop down. I mean, I could, but not in my usual way, or then I'd have to explain how I could do so in my usual way. At least she's not asking what I'm doing up here in this tree, I guess, though I should probably come up with one of my lame excuses before she does, just so I'm prepared. (Ha, there's a laugh. Being prepared, right.)

Slowly, I start to pick my way down the tree, making a show of finding footholds that I don't even need.

"You've seriously just been carrying around a cake all morning?"

[onlyforthedream]

I'm walking for Peter's house when he drops down in front of me. I don't startle, but my eyebrows raise. Convenient.

"Peter," I say in greeting. I could have thrown a punch in greeting, instead, but I figure I'll go easy on him. It's his birthday, after all.

[daretodo]

Wow, I've really gotta work on looking before I leap again. That move would've been a whole lot more impressive if it had been intentional. Still, my poker face is good enough that I manage to not start at the greeting. Straightening out of the crouch I just landed in, I brush off my hands.

"Cap," I return with a nod. "What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

[onlyforthedream]

"Just wanted to swing by," I tell him, and hold up the roughly 11x14 plain, flat folder. It's not exactly a portfolio, just as close as I could approximate.

"Say happy birthday."

[daretodo]

It takes me a second to realize that what he's holding is for me. I'm not actually sure how to process it. I mean, Captain America got me a present. That's not something that happens every day. Which would make sense, since ostensibly, it's something that happens on birthdays, and if I had one of those every day, I'd be a lot older than thirty, now, wouldn't I, and--

I should probably say something instead of just staring at it, shouldn't I?

"For me?" I say with an affected gasp, pressing a hand to my chest to add to the exaggeration. "Aw, Cap, you shouldn't have!" A beat. "Pepper put you up to this, didn't she?"

[notawastedlife]

Rapture had been a mess. Innovative, interesting place, but then they got into the genetic modification, and Tony had never been a fan. Unreliable. Unpredictable. Obviously. Mess. A tragic mess.

Which just reinforced the need to work on his own projects, clearly, the better way to the future. The better island alternative. Although the one he'd just finished up was geared less towards escape and more towards... island security.

But Rapture -- hell, island life every few months -- had proved that was also important.

One robotic guard dog, although it looked less dog-like than Dope did. More of an insectoid lizard feel, but with less legs, currently circling the scrapyard, until it suddenly twisted and darted across, making a beeline for-

Okay, probably shouldn't let the guard dog accost Peter. Hilarious, but-

"Hey- whatever I'm calling you. Halt. Allow access."

[daretodo]

"Jeez!"

The portfolio Cap put my gift in isn't exactly made out of vibranium, meaning it's a pretty lousy means of defense against Tony's latest toy, but seeing as it's the only thing I'm holding, it's what I instinctively move to put between me and the robot. Not that I end up needing it, granted, since it comes to a dead halt about a couple feet away. So I get to save the drawing, if not, you know, my dignity.

Then again, I think that was probably beyond saving a long time go.

Lowering the portfolio, I flash Tony an irked look. "A heads up would've been nice."

[notawastedlife]

"It moves faster than I do, if I could get here first why would I... need it?" Tony said, walking around the robot to make sure it wasn't looking like it was going to attack anyway.

Also that it wasn't going to fall over or break itself, it was the next iteration in a project that had previously produced, well... Dope.

"This is Peter, Peter this is... as-yet-unnamed robot. As-yet-unnamed robot, he has general access."

[daretodo]

"Only general access? And here I thought we could share everything," I say, shaking my head ruefully. It's an act, of course. In truth, I'm not actually that surprised, assuming there's even more than general access to be had in the first place. I mean, we're two loners who happen to be friends. Privacy remains something that exists, on both sides of the equation.

"Where's the trust, Tony?" I add, continuing my progress into the scrapyard now that I'm not about to get run over. "Where is the trust?"

[chose]

It's been difficult, these past two weeks, trying to return to normal after the danger and morbid excitement of Rapture. A part of her is fighting the urge to go back down there almost daily, while another never wants to step foot in that city again. One doesn't face a Splicer head on and walk away unscathed, and in her mind's eye she can't still them crawling on all fours with an impossible speed, bounding down tight corridors with a seemingly endless supply of grenades in tow. Most of all, she can't stop thinking about the fact that they were people once, no matter what they became. Having set eyes on that madness, it's hard to believe that their souls will have found any peace, and so she tries not to think of it altogether

[daretodo]

"Buffy, sorry," I'm quick to say, eyes widening. I was so distracted with my enforced good mood that I forgot to look before I leapt, a trend I ought to shy away from as long as my spider-sense tech is still in the trial stages. And, more importantly, not currently on my person. That would be the big one.

Straightening out of the crouch I've just landed in, I flash her a sheepish smile, bringing up a hand to rest on the back of my neck. "I, uh, didn't see you there. Obviously. I was just-- The sunrise, earlier, there's a good view from there."

[chose]

Buffy can't help quirking a brow, her head tilted as she considers his explanation, which she finds more amusing than anything else. "You climbed a tree to watch the sunrise?" There is, admittedly, a teasing edge to her question, but most of all, her amusement derives simply from how adorable that sounds. Granted, the line being toed here is one typically separating man from tiny puppy, but puppies can't climb trees, and for once it's good to see Pete in something approaching a good mood. "Was it worth it?"

[daretodo]

"...yes?" I say, an answer to both her questions, my own voice lilting up at the end, because the way she's looking at me seems to imply that that's not a perfectly normal thing to do, climbing trees to watch sunrises. I guess I just spent so much time climbing everything to get a better view that I forgot that most folks tend to stay grounded unless they absolutely have to. My hand stays at the back of my neck, and I can feel my skin get warm with embarrassment in stereo.

Wait, is it still stereo if you're not hearing it? I mean, the word inherently implies sound, right? I shoulda gone with a more accurate metaphor-- Which is not the point. 'Cause the point is that I'm making myself look like an idiot in front of Buffy and myself.

"Uh, I mean, yes," I say again, more emphatically than the first time -- an emphasis reinforced by a decisive-looking nod. "It was worth it... Heck, even without any sort of standardized economy to determine value, I'd say that sunrise was worth at least every mango on this piece of rock."