bakerstreet | well, that was abrupt

well, that was abrupt

the WAIT WHAT? meme

You have news to break. Now. Unfortunately, who you're breaking it to has absolutely no idea of this thing you must tell them.

You're breaking up with them. Will they try to win you back, poke holes in your illogical actions, or scream and rage and cry?

01 - I've found someone else. Someone who treats me right. We're through.
02 - I've found someone else. It's your sibling/best friend/parent/GRANDPARENT/w/e.
03 - I've found someone else. On the Internet. I'm leaving you and flying out to live with forever and ever. And no, I've never met them before, but they're so sweet and kind on Skype so clearly they will be a better SO.
04 - I found your chats with someone on the Internet. I'm breaking up with you before you can fly out and live with them forever and ever.
05 - Loveless. You've been together for a long time now, but you've recently realized you're just going through the motions. You'd rather let go and try to find something exciting than live in neutral any longer.
06 - Why didn't you tell me you had a kid? ARE YOU ASHAMED OF ME?
07 - Sorry, honey, but I have three other spouses in three separate states, twelve kids, and I took on you as number four without proper documentation, so I have to leave the country before they kill me or I end up on a Dateline segment.
08 - Wildcard!

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[Tony cleared his throat as he sat down across from Steve, pushing a pile of papers towards him.] Most people wouldn't have found it, but we did.

Mind telling me what this is about? Actually... [He pulls the paper back, picking it up.] You know what? You don't have to. I can read.

Dear Captain America,

The imagination and hearts of the readers of Vogue have been captured by your successful efforts to save New York earlier this year. Not only are you a hero, but you are also the new face of patriotism. In this vein, we would like to offer you an opportunity to spread your message on our pages with a three page spread...

[Tony looks up at Steve.] Should I go on?

[It's probably because Steve doesn't actually go through his mail regularly. To be honest, there's so much of it that one of the SHIELD recruits is assigned to screen things out.

Email is laughable, of course.

Steve has no idea why he's being singled out for this kind of sensational press, but it wouldn't be the first time either.]

No, please. I'm fine. [Steve makes a grab for the paper, his cheeks somewhat red from embarrassment.]

[Tony pulls the paper out of reach of course, struggling not to grin at Steve. This requires a certain amount of levity and while he's never been great at that, he'll try it for once.] The readers of Vogue obviously think so.

[He furrows his forehead, because looking too serious is better than not looking serious enough.] Were you going to tell us about this? Or were you just going to wait until your star spangled banner was out there for the whole world to see?

Tony. [There is a slight warning behind his tone. Though Steve isn't likely to actually injure someone over a press request. A ridiculous one, at that. He's never entirely sure when Tony is just teasing, and when he's being insulting. The two tend to overlap.]

My...spangles aren't going to be on display. [Cap crosses his arms and sighs.] Are you just jealous that they weren't offering you another article?

[This time he can't help it. He laughs, setting the paper down in front of Steve.] Why not? Don't think you can pull off high fashion?

[Tony looks genuinely hurt, though actually that's probably not too far off the mark.] Steve. [He crosses his own arms.] If they were offering it to me, it would've been the cover.

Probably not, but I don't intend on going back into the public eye, if I can help it. [It was only a sense of duty that had him playacting before. And he'd learned some things from that time, but it wasn't for him, not really.]

You can write them back, if you like. I'd bet they'd love to put you on the cover.

Come on, let them look if they want to. [He's still teasing, but he's also watching Steve carefully. He can tell he's close to a nerve.] We don't have any sense of privacy anymore. If you're a celebrity, the public has a right to every part of you. They own you.

[He gets up and moves to the bar in the corner of the office.] They probably would, but I wouldn't want to steal your thunder. [The glasses clink as he pours.] Good thing they didn't get a look at Thor, huh?

Edited 2012-07-02 07:47 (UTC)

I think the government might have a prior claim. [The softer Steve says it, the more it really gets him, in the end. He's that he's not the best poker face, and that Tony is probably cataloging all of this in some mental database for future use.]

...you know, you're right about that. I bet they'd crawl all over themselves to get a chance at Thor.

[He's not wrong. Tony is paying attention, but he's good at making it look like he isn't. Still, it's hard to miss the soft tone or the look that flashes across Steve's face.

He returns with two glasses and holds one out to Captain America.] Well, if you're not going to be a male model, what do you want to do?

She hadn't really believed her own eyes until she'd almost come up right on him in the street. Then she'd heard his voice and felt chills move down her spine. She'd ducked into the general store and pretended to look over hats until he'd left, headed toward the boarding house in town.

She moved back towards the saloon, ignoring the cat calls and shouts of hello from the regulars as she made her way up the stairs to her room. As soon as the door was shut she was throwing the belongings she'd amassed over the last five years into her trunk, shimmying out of her gown and moving to her closet to pick one that was much less conspicuous. She paused at the chair, flipping it over and pulling out a pen knife. She was in the process of ripping open the bottom and retrieving her own personal bank when the door opened.

Edited 2012-06-25 02:45 (UTC)

Maecenas wasn't exactly given to overblown displays of affection or even letting his staff knew that he cared about them at all, but he was curious and maybe a little bit concerned when Natasha walked straight through the saloon without acknowledging anybody.

Draining his bourbon, he stood up from his customary seat at the bar and headed up the stairs after her. He wasn't sure what he expected to find, but Natasha ripping open the bottom of her chair with a trunk full of clothes was not it. He leant against the doorframe and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you... going somewhere?"

Natasha looked up, clearly startled and relaxed visibly when she saw it was Maecenas. Guilt did flash across her face momentarily as she stood, money in hand, but was quickly replaced with a blank look.

"Yes," she said, tossing the money into her trunk and moving back to the closet where she started pulling out her things.

"I have to leave," she said, looking anywhere at him as she brought her best dresses to the trunk and shoved them down. She shut the lid and sat on it in order to snap it closed. "Can you call Puck to take this downstairs? You can sell the rest." She finally looked up at him, a dark look in place. "Do not give them to Irene."

He was walking a fine line here, it would be too easy to display some actual emotion or concern for another human being, but he supposed she did bring in the money and if she left he'd have to find another girl. There were always ways to excuse it.

"Any particular reason for the sudden flight?" he asked, not yet calling for someone to help her with her trunk. If he could convince her to stay, so much the better.

She looked up at him, some of the blankness giving away to a troubled look. She took a deep breath. "It's simple, really. My husband's in town."

She stood, grabbing a plain dress she'd left behind and slipping it over her head and her underthings. She turned her back on him and swept her hair over her shoulder. "Button me up?"

"oh, but you looked so much better the other way," he smirked even as he stepped forward to fasten the buttons, glad to have something normal to tease her about - until her words actually registered and his fingers froze.

"Husband!?"

She smiled despite herself at his comment. She could always count on Maecenas to have his priorities in order. "Yes, but I'm trying to attract less attention, not more."

She glances over her shoulder to see he's only halfway done with the buttoning job and then looks at him, a silent plea to hurry there. "I haven't seen him in seven years and I'd like to keep it that way."

He stares at her for a few minutes, uncharacteristically shocked into silence, before finally moving to continue buttoning up her dress.

"So... you are... married... that's..." unexpected? Strange? Confusing? All of the above? He didn't want to insult her but he wasn't quite sure how to react to that information.

"Surely if you don't want to see him, the last place you'd want to go is out into the open?"

While he's finishing up she snatches a handkerchief off of the bedpost and smooths it out in her hands. Her hair is her trademark, if she's going to slip by him, she'll have to make sure it's covered.

"A couple of times, actually," she says slowly. If there was any way she could stay, she would be holding onto these secrets the way she has for years, but he's been a good employer and, in his own way, a friend. Their friendship may have been based on business dealings, but it's grown since then.

"It's only a matter of time before he finds me here."

Edited 2012-06-25 22:46 (UTC)

"A couple of times?" he realised he was just repeating her now and frowned slightly, disliking how she'd managed to rob him of his usual composure and wit. He supposed it made sense that she had to get away as quick as possible, but she was opening up a lot of questions here and he didn't want her to rush off without answering them.

"These other marriages, how exactly did they end?" and she must have been rather young if they were at least seven years ago, but it was impolite to mention a lady's age

"Not well," she said, moving to the mirror and slipping the handkerchief over her hair. She glanced at him in the reflection before busying her hands by smoothing down her hair. When she was satisfied with it, she turned towards him.

"The first one I didn't have a choice in," she said slowly, meeting his eyes. "I was just a girl, but there were too many mouths to feed. So I was married off. I couldn't stand the thought of being tied down to some farm in the middle of nowhere with some man I couldn't stand, so the first chance I got, I ran."

She looked away from him and pulled at her sleeves uncomfortably. "I wasn't as clever as I thought and soon I was out of money. I met a man who said we could be partners and I got into the business of marrying men for their money."

Well, he couldn't exactly judge her, he knew all about having to do the things you didn't want and he could only imagine what it was like for a woman, it wasn't like they could leave town and buy a saloon, or even been paid to. No, he was pretty sure if he'd been a woman, the way he behaved would have resulted in a quick and convenient wedding as well, he didn't blame her for running.

"So, what, you took the money and ran? Or..." he drew his thumb across his throat, the best way to make off with a man's money was to make sure he wasn't planning on following you to get it back.

"I ran," she said quickly, not wanting to do any more damage in his estimation of her than she might have already. She knew he wasn't like most people. They shared an unapologetic practicality that had made their friendship and their business relationship flourish over the years, but that didn't change the fact that Gaius could be classified as the closest thing she had to an oldest friend. It was bad enough that she was having to leave him and the life she'd built behind. The last thing she wanted was for him to think of her as some lowly con woman.

"Sometimes getting away was easier than others. Sometimes, my partner stepped in and made sure they couldn't follow us to the next town." She swallowed and looked down. "It worked for a long time until one husband got smart before we were ready and my partner killed him."

"So what happened? Lawmen get onto you, or did you just change your mind about the whole thing?" He thought he knew her, but there were some aspects of her personality that he could only guess at, things he probably could have known, but had always shied away from finding out. He'd never pried about her past before now because it was just a little bit too much like intimacy, he already cared for her far more than he would have liked.

Now though, it seemed important to know, if only so he could find a way to make her stay.

"...Which husband is it that's in town?"

"Barton," she says, her brow furrowing the tiniest bit at the realization that she won't be able to contact the outlaw to let him know where she's moved onto. This loss is an unexpected one and it causes her to sit down on the her trunk. She swallows, her mouth suddenly dry. "He was hired for retribution, but he spared me and I went straight." She looks up at Gaius. "Eventually."

She lifted her shoulders the tiniest bit and a small shrug. "Number three. He was one of the more clever ones. It won't take him long to find me."

She should be moving. Dragging her trunk down the stairs, but instead she feels glued to her spot. "You know it's sad, but this place is the closest thing I ever had to a real home."

For a second he doesn't realise that she's answering his question, but when she continues and it makes sense, the realisation is overshadowed by her obvious upset. It is him that makes her upset about having to leave, him that makes her seem to be rethinking her plan.

Maecenas doesn't let his feelings show on his face, is angry at himself for even having them, and tries to focus on less emotional concerns. Without her, he'll have to find another girl, and there are few that will bring in the sort of money that she brings in, it would be a shame to lose that. Purely monetary reasons.

"Then you shouldn't have to leave it," he says decisively "There are plenty of bleeding hearts around this town, and plenty of them with a soft spot for you, I'm sure we could twist the truth enough to make them take your side."

"We?" She asks, looking up at him and studying him for a long moment. It's not like Maecenas to involve himself in the affairs of his girls, even if she knows she's a favorite. Of course, they look out for one another and there's been a time or two whey they were the only one standing in the way of a bad situation for the other, but this...

This is different. She could be jailed for this. Maybe even hung if they believe she had anything to do with the murder of her last "husband". Getting involved is a bad idea. In fact the only idea that makes any sense is to get out while she can.

She gives him a small smile. "You know there are other girls that will make you money and with a lot less demands too."

"Not as much as you. I'd have to find one and she'd have to be good enough to satisfy those patrons who have you as a favourite, I'd have to train her up, the staff would have to get used to her. Really it's just so much hassle. Much easier to talk a few people into taking your side in this little problem,"

There, he was pretty sure he sounded convincingly casual about it. Even if she didn't believe what he was saying, he hoped he was being flippant enough that she wouldn't press the underlying emotion, because he really didn't want to think about them, let alone bring them up in conversation.

She was oddly touched, despite the fact that everything he was saying made perfect business sense. He was right. She was a favorite of some of his most loyal patrons. And there would be an adjustment period as the new girl learned what each of them wanted. But they both knew it was hardly impossible for her to be replaced.

She got to her feet again, and quickly stepped up to him, placing her hands lightly on his shoulders before leaning in and kissing him lightly on the cheek. "Thank you, Maecenas."

"I'd accuse you of being kind, but I know that would just annoy you."

He was relatively annoyed with himself for how much he was touched by her small display of affection, how much it made his heart ache. He spent so much of his time denying that he even had a heart, it was terrible to have that niggling reminder. At least he managed to keep his expression neutral, it would do no good to give the game away now.

"Bite your tongue," he smirked slightly "I don't know the meaning of the word, I just don't want to have to do all that hard work."

She rocked back on her heels and gave him a small smirk in return. "Hard work wouldn't suit you."

She sighed and looked down at her trunk. "I suppose I should go talk to Lestrade. He might be willing to listen to a story and run him out of town before he stirs up too much trouble, but that's only a temporary solution."

"Exactly, I sweat and everything, it's a terrible sight and nobody wants to see it, least of all me," he smirked, perfectly able to return to his usual relaxed wit now that he was a little more confident that she wasn't going anywhere. He only relaxed further when she agreed to go to Lestrade.

"That's the spirit. He's very fond of you, I'm absolutely certain he'll take your side in any argument you care to bring to him."

"Maybe," she says, not having as much faith as Maecenas does. Lestrade is very fond of her, she knows, but he's also smart. She knows that she might be able to fool him once, but if anyone else from her past ever shows up, it may be more difficult. There's also the possibility that he might believe the man's story while he's escorting him out of town. Or worse, that this husband - one she remembers being particularly cruel - might catch Lestrade off guard. As much as she was willing to leave this town and the connections she'd made in it behind twenty minutes ago, she is unwilling to put them directly in danger.

"No," she says slowly, looking up at Maecenas. "I think I need to take care of this on my own." She doesn't offer any more details, instead she reaches up and slips off the handkerchief she put over her trademark hair. "Can I borrow a horse?"

"As long as it's taken care of," he nods, he also doesn't ask for any more details. He isn't actually entirely sure what sort of tricks Natasha has up her sleeve, he'd always assumed there was more to her than met the eye, but never bothered to pry, not wanting to get too close to her. He's not sure, now, that he wants to know, but as long as she ends up staying, it's a win in his book.

"As long as you bring it back, horses are expensive you know." he smirks.

"I'll bring it back perfectly unharmed," she says, reaching out to squeeze his arm. She meets his eyes, her expression softening the tiniest bit. "You do know how to hold onto an investment, don't you?"

It's more than just about the horse, but it's about the closest thing she's going to get to what she really means. Still, she knows him well enough to know he will understand. They're a lot alike in some ways. Wasting words on feelings is something neither of them much bother with.

She slips her hand away and moves to the door. "I'll be back after nightfall."

"When I've made an effort to get something, I don't want to lose it," he shrugged casually, his words, like hers, meaning more than they appeared to on the surface.

"Don't be late for work," he smirked, even though what he really wanted to say was be careful, come home safe, don't leave m...us. Even in his own mind he didn't quite want to let himself admit his real feelings.

( OTA for Canonmates; otherwise, M/M | Can play either Season 1 or Season 2. )

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well, that was abrupt

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