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There are joys associated with being thawed out of an ice cube after almost 20 years. The United States Army gladly forked out the back pay which Steve took in a monthly installment rather than a lump some. That allowed him to do things he never could afford to do when he was younger and with his family. Like buy a refrigerator.
Steve tips the delivery and installation man and is about to head out to the market as the portly man makes his way down the hallway. Rogers locks his door, although it occurs to him that maybe he no longer needs to. He's chosen this building because it may be the safest place in America. Important for him, and more important for those who live around him.
To the elevator, and down, and to the atrium.
*
Standing there in the atrium, a few paces away from the main entrance, are three very recognizable faces — Reed Richards, Sue Storm, and her brother, Johnny. They appear to be in the middle of a conversation that has at least one of them rather exasperated.
"…but I could get there and back so much faster if you'd just let me fly," Johnny is telling his sister in a pleading, a set of car keys dangling from his fingers. "I'd be back in time for dinner! If you make me drive all the way to Westchester, it's an entire day thing!"
*
Posture somewhat askew Sue Storm looks equally exasperated as her brother. A single arm crosses over her body in a sort of hug while she pinches the bridge of her nose with her other hand, "Take the car, Johnny. Just take the car. I don't see why I have to explain this to you. Again."
Her cheeks puff out irritably, "It's not about the time, it's about the responsibility. Remember that? We just discussed that which is why you have to go to Westchester in the first place! We can't be irresponsible with what we can do — we are ambassadors whether we want to be or not! Our work is important, but it could go very very wrong in legislation if we are just traipsing off in public using them for no particular reason — "
*
Reed is standing nearby, with the sort of expression a man wears when he's in the middle of a pair of sibling having a mild, semi-important disagreement. Which is trying to mostly remain quiet while he searches for a life preserver. Still… yes, he's going to take Sue's side. Mildly.
"They may be trying to keep a low profile," he points out. "It's just polite to arrive as normally as possible the first time." Says the man with the flying bathtub car.
Steve's inevitable arrival from the elevator is a perfect escape route when it comes. He throws the man a friendly wave, hoping against hope that this random probably-neighbor is feeling chatty.
*
"Hello," Steve says quietly and with a wave as he moves to the side to avoid the commotion and crowd. He recognizes them immediately, obviously, but doesn't imagine they'd really want to stop and talk to him. These people are huge stars, and Steve never really was exposed to quite how popular he was during and after the war.
*
"But I thought half the reason we were doing all of this was to show people what we can do. Help make it normal!" Johnny points at Reed with his free hand, giving the older man a pleading look, clearly in search of support. After all, their public profile is entirely his fault. "How are we supposed to help people get used to what we can do if we can't do it? And it's not like I'd land in their driveway -"
As soon as Johnny realizes they're no longer alone in the atrium (sorry, receptionist~), he closes his mouth with a quiet click and turns to flash a winning smile at oh holy shit that's Captain America.
His eyes as wide as saucers and locked onto Steve, a slightly high-pitched wheeze escapes from the back of Johnny Storm's throat as he reaches over to grasp onto his sister's sleeve. Tugtugtugtugtug.
*
Sue snap-points Reed. "Right! That. Maybe they don't want the publicity." And then she clarifies to her brother, "We are doing what we do to help them not just normalize it… I don't go floating across the sky just because I can. I do it when the mission necessitates — " the tug at Sue's sleeve is the only thing that honestly snaps her out of lecture mode.
To have her brain melt.
She stares, openly stares, at Steve Rogers far longer than would constitute as polite before her throat clears, "Captain Rogers — I…" her gaze remains on Captain America and she issues him a haphazard smile. "Hello." she blinks and then shakes her head, letting go of that moment of brain melting. "I'm Sue Storm." She motions towards her cohorts, "And these are Doctor Reed Richards and Johnny Storm." She glances at the others before tilting her head, "Do you… live here?" This seems like something she should know.
*
Reed , in sharp contrast, just brieghtens when the Siblings Storm react to the new arrival, and scoots around them to offer a hand. So, okay, his hand precedes the rest of him by a noticable margin as he stretches in the process of negotiating around Johnny's side. "Call me Reed," he offers. Oh thank Newton, someone interrupted.
*
"Hi, Sue," Steve says as he reaches out to shake each of their hands. "Yeah, I moved in just yesterday. Moving away from Brooklyn was pretty hard, but I figure this is the safest place in the city and if anyone comes after me this place will help keep my neighbors safe."
He pauses, realizing this might sound ridiculous.
"There wasn't anything in the lease about outside dangers. I, uh…I checked."
*
Sue's eyebrows draw together as she considers the gigantic 4 now affixed to the outside of the building. "Well," her lips hitch up on one side, "there's no question that people know we're here." Her hands drop back to her sides. "No, there wouldn't have been. We can't exactly guarantee that none exist. Again, most people know we're here," her eyebrows draw together and she shrugs.
*
Even after his sister has turned to Steve and begun, you know, interacting with him like a normal human being, Johnny continues to tug excitedly at her sleeve. Because he is a mature adult and definitely not an excited twelve year old. Definitely.
At least Johnny manages not to trip over himself in his haste to take the handshake when Steve offers it, his mouth splitting in a positively radiant smile. "I'm sure it'll be fine," he says quickly. "Between the five of us, there's no safer place to be, right?"
He leans over to half-laugh, half-whisper to Reed: "Victor. Is going. To lose. His mind!"
*
If Johnny was attempting to get Reed to do his best impression of Bert from Seasame Street, he couldn't have chosen a better way to get the elastic gentleman to pull a comically thin-lipped flat-line mouth. Victor. Right. Greeeeeeeeat. He facepalms at Johnny, but responds to Steve, supporting Sue's response.
"We're doing everything we can to minimize the danger to the rest of the building. Fortunately it was designed for heavy paper mill equipment— I'm sure you noticed the double-height ceilings— so the steel framing is actually extremely strong by current standards." A pause. "Actually it's a large part of the reason we chose the place and negotiated for the top floors."
*
"It's a lot better than the security in my old neighborhood," Steve says with a bit of a chuckle. "Pretty reasonable all things considered. Delores from down the hall seems nice. And the cafeteria." He holds his hand over towards the entrance to the eatery. "Makes things easy."
*
Oh, man, Reed's face. Some people, it seems, just want to watch the world burn. Johnny manages not to cackle aloud as he throws a friendly arm around Reed's shoulders. "It'll be fine," he repeats, beaming at him and Steve in turn. Was he going out? Whatever. He'll go out later. "Oh, man, we gotta get you a housewarming present. Not our merch," he says quickly, eyeing Reed sidelong. "That is cheating."
*
The constant pull of her sleeve prompts Sue to mentally push her brother's hand away with an invisible force that she hopes will help him calm. Even a little. Her face, however, gives no indication that she's done anything. Her hands tuck into the pockets of her dress and she manages a small nod at Reed's assessment of the building's design. "On top of that, we're committed to keeping the building safe with whatever resources we have."
Her eyes light up at the comment about Delores. "Missus Slaterny is extremely nice," she offers with a fond smile. "She makes wonderful apple pie, and likes to share her baking around Christmas. I'm helping her this year, she's getting a bit on in years to do it all on her own — "
*
Reed returns Johnny's sidelong look, murmurs back. "Unstable molecular clothing would be even MORE appropriate for *Captain America*, Johnny," he protests. He turns his attention back to Sue just in time to hear about her helping with the pies, and immediately abandons that part of the conversation again. "OBVIOUSLY not with a four on it," he adds quickly.
*
Steve chuckles and shakes his head, "You don't need to get me anything, Johnny. Really. I'm just happy I found a nice place to live."
He nods to Sue, "Haven't had a chance to try her pies yet, but not for a lack of her asking. It's on the list."
Steve's head turns, as he has no clue what Reed is talking about regarding molecules; unstable or otherwise.
*
"Obviously not with a four on it," Johnny agrees with Reed, shooting his sister a brief look of utter and complete betrayal when he feels something not a hand jostling him free of her sleeve. He releases it with a quiet huff. Rude.
And then all is immediately forgotten as he turns back to Steve, who said his name. Out loud. This is so cool. "Aw, c'mon. We've gotta be good neighbors. Let the egghead make you a shirt or something," he says excitedly, and now it's Reed's sleeve getting tugged on.
*
The effect of Johnny's tugging on his sleeve is… well, probably that Johnny grabs his uniform sleeve, since his shirt sleeves are rolled to hi elbow. The important part is each tug elongages Reed's arm by a couple of millimeters which gradually build up to make him decidedly lopsided without noticing. because he's explaining the molecule thing to Steve, of course. "It's a material we make the uniforms out of," he says, arming to the subject. "It conforms to the user, so it's quite comoftable, but also reacts to meta-physiology, so it will stretch, or turn invisible, or conduct flame without damage…" he could go on for some time describing the benefits. "We're actually going to be showing it at the Science and Technology Conference this year, along with some other things."
*
Steve nods, trying his best to understand and trying his best to make it look like he understands. "That sounds pretty amazing, Reed, but that sounds like a pretty hardcore present. I wouldn't even be able to figure out how to put it on, I imagine." He shrugs his shoulders, "Guess that's how you guys use your powers without ruining your clothing."
*
"Ah, it's not any more complicated than this," Johnny assures Steve, releasing Reed's arm (now that his knuckles are in danger of hitting the floor) so that he can tug at the front of his own t-shirt. "I mean, we put our clothes on the same way anybody else does. They just need to be… y'know. Not flammable." He makes a bit of a face and looks down at himself. "…I used to go through a lot of clothes."
*
"It also enables some of us to use them at all," Sue offers with a one shouldered shrug. "Turning invisible is only useful if everything else turns with you." She clears her throat and forces a tight smile. Memories of stripping down in the middle of Manhattan are not ones she'd like to repeat.
She shakes her head lightly at the nature of the present, "Reed has already ordered extras for the conference." Her eyes turn ups to the ceiling, "And, to be honest, I think, collectively," her eyes glance between her comrades, "we'd rather prioritize outfitting someone who could actually benefit from the technology."
*
"Technically, reed manufactures those in house," Reed clarifies lightly. "Which is why he only prepared a few. The big order is for our regular shirts." Because really, give him some credit.
He nods agreement with Sue. "She's right— if you decide you could use something that doesn't puncture, burn, snag, unravel, develop peculiar odors over a long weekend… let me know." He strokes his chin, musing to himself out loud. "Perhaps something in a nice blue with a star…"
*
Steve chuckles and nods, finally giving in, "Well, I can't say no to smelling fresh on any mission." He shakes his head lightly at the thought of them spending money and time on some piece of high technology on him. "In any event, I'd better get going to the market before it closes. It was nice to meet all three of you guys."
*
"Yeah, likewise!" Settle down, Johnny. He just beams at Steve and slings one arm around Reed's shoulders, the other finding its way around Sue's. "Welcome to the neighborhood, man." What could possibly go wrong?
*