[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ovtyvfe.gif[/img]   [img]http://31.media.tumblr.com/4ba6bfc23f223c8f83e723814781d15b/tumblr_inline_np31sdRsKX1tuqfu1_500.gif[/img]

[h3][color=#eb7171]Nick Beaumont-Moore [/color][color=cccccc]and[/color][color=ccf0ee] Garret Rogers[/color][/h3]
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[color=cccccc]Blackout curtains had been an unnecessary addition to any of the rooms in Stark Tower - a quick request from Jarvis could turn day to night in an instant. However, creature comforts had always been a necessity for Garret Rogers. Things like checking if a room contained surveillance bugs, the revolver under his pillow, the knife sheathed in a leg holster beneath loose pants, and an eye or two watching his back. They gave him comfort, rather than security, because who in their right minds would attempt to assault a fortress of unknown and unpredictable technology with even more volatile residents roaming the floors (or, in Barton’s case, the vents).

In this instance, however, they seemed trite and unnecessary, much like Stark had told him when Garret installed them himself. This place had given him a shelter and food and family for years. He knew they didn’t have to. Knew that S.H.I.E.L.D would have gladly stationed him in one of their thousands of underground bases. Yet, they’d provided as they would countless of other kids like him a peace they knew they couldn’t get and what they thought they didn’t deserve. Garret still believes that wholeheartedly; he doesn’t deserve any of the treatment they’d provided him. Didn’t deserve the comfort of loving parents and loving friends.

Which brought him to his recent decision: he’d prove his worth and pay it back in kind. Stark Tower was home to the Avengers and he wasn’t an Avenger, but damn, would he try his hardest to become one. Maybe that’s why he went to Natasha and Clint, instead, because they knew just how much they had to prove. Still had to prove. Not to their peers, but to those looking down from their pedestals and wondering what two humans could ever hope to achieve staring down a cosmic being.

Also why he refused their offer to walk him right onto the Quinjet when it touched down near the docks in Brooklyn. If he had two well known Avengers at his back when he boarded that jet, that’d just be a huge target and a crutch. A liability or a show boater or… he didn’t know the exact word for it, he just knew it’d give people the wrong impression. He was there just like them, to prove himself, and where they had powers and he didn’t, well that didn’t give him the right to flaunt something that wasn’t his to begin with. Knowing an Avenger and being one were two vastly different things.

Regardless of the guidelines he’d set, it didn’t stop the flash of red in his peripheral or the purple darting high above. Some people just couldn’t leave well enough alone. The thing was, he didn’t expect him to. This was well within their personality. What else did they have to do on their off time? They stayed true to form, however, and refused to reveal themselves once the bus had stopped and Garret wove his way through Brooklyn’s maze of back alleyways and street corners until he found himself at Long Island’s dock, looking up to see he’d arrived just in time.

The ding on his phone nearly cut out under the soft hum of the plane above him. Garret pursed his lips and shoved a hand down his pocket to retrieve his phone, hand gripping the dufflebag tighter.

[quote= From Aunt Nat]
[color=#ab0000]Don’t stare at the eyepatch and you’ll be A-Okay. ;) 👍👌[/color][/quote]

A steady frown stretched his purse lips. With a pinch in his brow, Garret responded:

[quote=To Aunt Nat]
[color=ccf0ee]thanks for the tip! i wasn’t thinking about that at all. now it’s gonna be stuck in my head the entire ride there /sarcasm[/color][/quote]

[quote=From Aunt Nat]
[color=#ab0000]Anytime, kid.

Clint says hi. He also says: no eye contact either. Best thing to do is stare at your feet and chant, ‘Not me, not me, not me,’ under your breath[/color][/quote]

[quote=To Aunt Nat]
[color=ccf0ee]alright now you’re just being ridiculous. next thing you know i’lll be calling him Herr Fury[/color][/quote]

[quote=From Aunt Nat]
[color=#ab0000]He’s not gonna disagree, that’s for sure.[/color][/quote]

Maybe now as the best time to break out into a sweat. Garret huffed a breath and typed in a last reply, telling them by and thanks for nothing before stuffing the phone back in his pocket. The moment the Quinjet landed and he was cleared to head inside, Garret marched in, took his seat and squeezed his eyes shut. He wouldn’t breakdown and have a panic attack before he even got there. That entire screening process should’ve taken more of a load off him than anything else - that was like shitting bricks. But, this, it felt like shitting an entire two-story house in white, American suburbia.

For anyone else, maybe all the conversations and activity occurring in a short span of time would be overwhelming, but not for Nick. Nick’s mind behaved in a similar fashion and so this was the norm for him. It was easy for him to sit back and just listen, to pick up on everything, even if it might not look like he was actively paying attention. Currently, his eyes were still locked on those wings. He was jealous - this guy got these beautiful wings and he got stupid markings on his arms. But... okay, Nick knew the wings had to suck, too. For example, annoying people like him and the kid were going to always be coming up, trying to jab and poke, or worse, people were going to be assholes and look on in something akin to disgust. Nick couldn’t imagine looking upon these things in anything close to disgust but he also knew some people were hateful, and he was sure this guy had been through some stuff.

Even with these thoughts, he didn’t back off. Nick had empathy, totally. The question was, did he apply it? Not as often as he should. Oh, the beautiful angel - not the winged guy - was asking about names and skills. While Nick’s mutation was not nearly as noticeable as Feathers over here, he still had a visible one, but they could pass for tattoos. So, it didn’t cause Nick any fuss... until he used them, that is. So, it wasn’t like he could relate to Feathers on that front. See, he [i]was[/i] trying to apply empathy! He didn’t want the guy to feel shitty but… Nick also didn’t back off, so he wasn’t trying very hard to apply that empathy. His mind was dragged from announcing his own name and power, when the Quinjet landed without a hitch, and a very pretty girl got on board. So many pretty people in the beautiful Quinjet! Nick might not survive! It didn’t help some were witty and that would be Nick’s downfall.

Speaking of downfalls, seesh, this Quinjet practically didn’t have one! Nick couldn’t stop himself from acknowledging the beauty and power of the beast again, feeling giddy from everything going on around him. Nick fed off of people, their energies, and there was plenty of energy around to make him almost vibrate in his seat. Almost. At least he didn’t actually or else that might look odd. Not like any of them weren’t odd in this wonderful hunk of metal. Had to be kind of odd to be aboard this thing currently, right? Nick tuned back into the world when he realized he was being addressed by the kid. [i]”- not be patronizing me, cause those wing blades would be hella cool."[/i] he caught that bit in time and snorted a laugh when he caught sight of the kid sticking his tongue out at him. [color=#eb7171][i]Totally doesn’t help the kid image… kid.[/i][/color] he thought with an amused smirk, but the kid was entertaining, that was for sure. “[color=#eb7171]I [i]am[/i] trying to get my own free food![/color]” he quipped back, rolling his eyes, but not in annoyance, more in a playful manner.

Will was the kid’s name but Nick was totally going to keep calling him kid. [color=#eb7171][i]Super sexy? More like super cute.[/i][/color] Nick countered in his head, because the kid was cute. Sexy applied to Copen, or Angel, or Damon, but Will, cute and adorkable worked just fine. Maybe the new arrival would have those terms applied to her in Nick’s mind, too, since she seemed more on the shy side. Not that it was a bad thing, totally not! Nick liked both cute and sexy! Zappy zappy red stuff? Nick needed to see that. Another snort came from him at the nickname Will gave him. It wasn’t the most attractive noise, Nick knew that, but it always just came out, and too often for Nick’s taste. Oh-ho, Copen was interesting! Nick could get on board with the whole “getting kicked out of your own country” thing! He found that admirable, far from a bad thing.

Well, so much for trying to convince Damon to let Will fuck with his wings. Nick didn’t have the attention span, nor the care, to try and push it. And he didn’t want to push it, anyway. Maybe once they all got to know each other better, Damon would realize Will wanted to [i]improve[/i] those beauts, not experiment on them. He wondered if Damon’s healing was up to par with the Wolverine’s. Shit, Nick wanted to meet him. For one, wow, that face and body. And two, he was so cool! Nick liked cool people. He was cool so he deserved to be surrounded by equally as cool people. These people could be cool, he felt. Cool, once he kept repeating that word in his head, it started to not sound like a word. Cool, cool, cool, cool-

[i]”-blow shit up.”[/i] caught Nick’s attention, and he looked at Angel with wide eyes. “[color=#eb7171]I wanna see shit get blown up![/color]” he uttered, because explosions, fuck yeah! He hopped up from his seat then, walking to the middle of the Quinjet and spinning around on his heel. “[color=#eb7171]Well, ladies and gents, I am Nick, hailing from Canada![/color]” he winked over at Copen, since he had been called a Frenchmen by him earlier, and said, “[color=#eb7171]Je pourrais être votre homme français,[/color]” he continued, “[color=#eb7171]Aha, I need to be stopped. So, Feathers over here isn’t the only one with a physical mutation, though mine isn’t so eye-catching.[/color]” he finally pushed the backpack off his shoulders, letting it plop with a quiet thud to the floor below, and his jacket shortly followed, revealing the swirling markings going up both his arms, disappearing under the short sleeves of his shirt. “[color=#eb7171]Ta-da! So not as climactic as everyone was expecting, right?![/color]” he said, all bright blue eyes and grins. “[color=#eb7171]So, what I can do is-[/color]” he took pause, because the door was dropping on the Quinjet. He took a quick glance over, planning on continuing to explain his power, when he saw just who was getting on. He took a quick seat with closed eyes and Nick felt his breath catch in his throat.

“[color=#eb7171][i]Que diable faites-vous ici?![/i][/color]”Nick exclaimed loudly as he quickly closed the small distance between him and the new passenger on board. He had forgotten about his backpack and jacket behind him, and almost tripped on his face, but he decided to go with the fall, because he literally fell into Garret. “[color=#eb7171][i]Gary![/i][/color]” the young man shouted in obvious glee; with how he fell into Garret, he was hunched over the man at his side. Nick didn’t hesitant to get on his knees in the seat beside him and wrap his arms around the man’s head, practically cradling him to his chest. “[color=#eb7171][i]Oh mon dieu pourquoi êtes-vous ici, [b]comment[/b] êtes-vous ici?! Ils ont dit oui?! Tu m'as manqué! Oh mon dieu, je pourrais pleurer, j'ai manqué votre visage stupide![/i][/color]” It seemed Nick had forgotten where they were, and the other passengers at that, and was solely focused on his best friend he hadn’t seen in far too long.

Testosterone boy band? After opening his eyes and getting a full face of someone, Garret couldn’t quite react to the whole ‘show-and-tell’ thing going on in front of him. He needed a breather and, well, he got one for all of two seconds - his dufflebag, fortunately, had been dropped at his feet and shoved under his seat. The recognition hit before the words, however, and before Garret could stop himself a bright grin broke the firm line of his lips. His arms did their best to wrap around the assaulting body and his mind raced to understand the words. French. That one he’d been a little rusty on; both Nat and his father always broke off into Russian when it had only been the three of them (or when they wanted to make it look like they were talking about Tony behind his back). It took longer than necessary before Garret’s pinched expression turned into one of understanding.

“[color=ccf0ee][i]Ralentissez, s'il vous plaît ! Je suis un peu rouillé alors tu dois le parler un peu moins vite,[/i][/color]” he muttered, eyes darting to the crowd of people shoved in the tiny box with them. Garret raised a hand to address everyone, trying his best to scoot around Nick - quite a long time friend - and adjust the guy better on his lap.

“[color=ccf0ee]Sorry, name’s Garret, but Gary’s fine, too,[/color]” he said. A polite smile graced his lips and he almost reached out to start a chain of handshakes, but stopped himself short. That ingrained politeness urged him forward and he had to force himself to lean back, a hand curving on Nick’s hip. “[color=ccf0ee][i]Je vais vous parle anglais maintenant. D'accord?[/i][/color]” he muttered to Nick, leaning in as he spoke.

“[color=ccf0ee]I’ve got no powers to speak of, if that’s what you all were talkin’ about. I just shoot things,[/color]” he made a little finger gun and motioned toward the group, “[color=ccf0ee]and play James Bond and the Man From Uncle from time to time. Not sure how I even got in, to be honest. So, take it easy on me, guys... and ladies.[/color]” He was being humble, sure, but even if he had the arrogance to show off to everyone, they’d still be leaps and bounds more powerful and better at their jobs than he was. Just the simple nature of being a fleshy meatbag.

After his introduction, Garret turned toward Nick with a fond smile. “[color=ccf0ee][i]Tu pouves remercier Natasha pour convaincant Fury, ils besoin d'un gars comme moi dans l'équipe. J'aimerais pouvoir dire que Cap avait quelque chose à faire avec elle, mais lui et Bucky avez savait pas que je suis même ici,[/i][/color]” Garret whispered between them, knowing they were well enough friends that he could carefully place his forehead against Nick’s as they talked in hushed tones, “[color=ccf0ee][i]Je suis heureux d'être ici, cependant. Ils ont fait tant fait pour moi dans la tour, je dois payer cette de retour. Donnez au suivant. N'importe quoi. Je me sens comme si je profite du leur hospitalité quand les gens comme vous et autres innombrables sont ici se prouver après qu'ils ont pris en vous, je ne suis pas assis sur mon cul plus. J'ai quelque chose à prouver.[/i][/color]” He stumbled over quite a bit of words, probably butchered some sentence structure in there, but Garret got his point across as best he could. It was also possible Nick didn’t understand some phrases, seeing as he always spoke Canadian French. They usually got by, though.

Honestly, Nick hadn’t been sure when he’d get to see his best friend again. If Nick had to tell it like it was, then he’d say yes, Cap took him “under his shield” (as Nick said [i]each time[/i]), but Garret had been, like, his first friend ever. It took a little bit for Nick to come out of his shell with Garret but Garret had always treated him like he was a long time friend and it didn’t take long for Nick to start behaving the same. So, saying a goodbye to Garret had been hard, though he tried to pretend it hadn’t been (Garret saw through it, of course). Seeing the young man here, so suddenly, made Nick feel like he was flying higher than the Quinjet. He owed a lot to Garret, to be honest, and he saw him as a brother. Garret had always been a touchy person, from the get-go (which had, at first, bothered Nick to the extreme since he hadn’t been used to friendly interaction at that time), but over a short time, Nick grew to be just as touchy. So, when Garret hugged him back, he beamed even more. Having someone like Garret taking this journey with him was so relieving - it would help keep him centered and it was always nice to know someone when going into an unknown place. He laughed when Garret told him to slow down and further sunk down into Garret, breathing a little easier now. Even though Nick had been confident and loud before, there had been some natural nervousness creeping in the back of his mind, but with Garret here, he felt more relaxed. 

Nick playfully stuck his tongue out a little when Garret said he was going to speak English but nodded, looking over at everyone with a smile that looked almost proud. He was proud of Garret, proud that he was here, that he was doing this. Alongside him, at that! Bonus, right? Totally a bonus! Nick let out a small gasp at Garret’s words. “[color=#eb7171]Nonsense! He got in here because he’s [i]amazing[/i]![/color]” he said immediately after Garret’s introduction, not allowing his best friend to be humble. Nick could brag for the both of them, that wasn’t a problem at all. 

His attention turned back to Garret when he began talking in hushed French tones, not even noticing as the other man laid his forehead upon his. This was common for them so Nick didn’t see it as weird or even think about how it could be perceived as romantically intimate. He frowned as Garret continued to speak to him. It took some of it a second to click in his head, because Garret wasn’t perfect in the language, but he caught on pretty quickly. “[color=#eb7171][i]Mec, sérieusement? Tu sais qu'ils ne le voient pas comme tirer parti, mais que ce soit, l'homme. Si vous vous sentez comme vous avez à faire cela, je te soutenant![/i][/color]” Nick was rarely serious, but in that moment he was. It didn’t last long. He broke out in a huge grin as he continued speaking, though he had force himself to speak slower for Garret, “[color=#eb7171][i]Je suis tellement putain content que tu sois ici. Par ailleurs, ne sont pas les ailes plumes a génial? Comme, je veux caresser les chiots, mais il avait déjà essayé de se trancher la gorge de cet enfant ouvert pour faire cela et j'aime mon sang dans mon corps ainsi.[/i][/color]” Of course, Nick was exaggerating. Damon wasn’t going to do anything, and it hadn’t even been a dramatic occurrence, but Nick usually made things sound like a dramatic occurrence. Nick, being as scattered-brain as he was, hadn’t even realized he didn’t actually get around to explaining his powers. If he had remembered, he wouldn’t care anyway, because [i]Garret[/i].

Moving from one instance to the next seemed rather easy, easy as it had been. They’d flit here to there quick as a fiddle and then focus in one thing. Garret didn’t really suffer from the ADHD Nick had, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t keep up when Nick when a thousand miles a minute. To be honest, it felt refreshing to be in that state of mind again, like a kick of adrenaline before combat and then suddenly you’re in the thick of things. Trying to keep track of everything seemed impossible, yet they’d accomplish it every time. Maybe that’s why they fit so well, a pair of puzzle pieces waiting for the other to click into place.

From where Garret sat, he could see just about every expression that flit through Nick’s face as he talked. And he talked fast, still, even when that dent in the middle of his brows pinched in focus. Garret smiled, raising a hand to ruffle the back of Nick’s hair. “[color=ccf0ee][i]Je n'ai pas remarqué! Ainsi que par plumes tu veux dire le garçon d'oiseaux en colère criantes à l'enfant, n’est-ce pas? Il a vu à peu près tout et pourtant tu trouves toujours les plus petites choses excitant.[/i][/color]”

Of course, there were other people beside them, though Garret found it hard to notice. They were being impolite, which Garret didn’t find hard to notice, at all. Star spangled asshole teaching him how to be star spangled polite. He keeps getting gosh darn star spangle tangled and it’s irritating to deal with a conscience that sounds suspiciously like your star spangled idiot of a father.
“[color=ccf0ee]Sorry,[/color]” Garret coughed and turned toward the group, “[color=ccf0ee]You, uh, all can continue. I didn’t mean to interrupt the flow of things.[/color]” Hard to apologize for something like that when a fully grown guy still sat cozy in your lap like he belonged there or something. He swore it wasn’t like that, even if he was like that, but he’s not like that with Nick. Garret took a deep breath, breathing in while an embarrassed blush tinged his face. “[color=ccf0ee]So, am I the only one here without any powers to speak of?[/color]”[/color]

[hider=Translations (In Order + Color Coded)]
“[color=#eb7171]Je pourrais être votre homme français.[/color]” 
[indent]I could be your French man[/indent]

“[color=#eb7171][i]Que diable faites-vous ici?![/i][/color]” 
[indent]What the hell are you doing here[/indent]

“[color=#eb7171][i]Oh mon dieu pourquoi êtes-vous ici, [b]comment[/b] êtes-vous ici?! Ils ont dit oui?! Tu m'as manqué! Oh mon dieu, je pourrais pleurer, j'ai manqué votre visage stupide![/i][/color]” 
[indent]Oh my god why are you here, [i]how[/i] are you here?! They said yes?! I've missed you! Oh my god, I might cry, I've missed your stupid face![/indent]

“[color=ccf0ee][i]Ralentissez, s'il vous plaît ! Je suis un peu rouillé alors tu dois le parler un peu moins vite.[/i][/color]” 
[indent]Slow down, please! I'm a little rusty so you gotta talk a little slower.[/indent]

“[color=ccf0ee][i]Je vais vous parle anglais maintenant. D'accord?[/i][/color]” 
[indent]I’m gonna speak English now, alright?[/indent]

“[color=ccf0ee][i]Tu pouves remercier Natasha pour convaincant Fury, ils besoin d'un gars comme moi dans l'équipe. J'aimerais pouvoir dire que Cap avait quelque chose à faire avec elle, mais lui et Bucky avez savait pas que je suis même ici.[/i][/color]” 
[indent]You can thank Natasha for convincing Fury they needed a guy like me on the team. I wish I could say Cap had something to do with it, but he and Bucky have no idea I'm even here[/indent]

“[color=ccf0ee][i]Je suis heureux d'être ici, cependant. Ils ont fait tant fait pour moi dans la tour, je dois payer cette de retour. Donnez au suivant. N'importe quoi. Je me sens comme si je profite du leur hospitalité quand les gens comme vous et autres innombrables sont ici se prouver après qu'ils ont pris en vous, je ne suis pas assis sur mon cul plus. J'ai quelque chose à prouver.[/i][/color]”
[indent]I'm glad to be here, though. They've done so much for me at the tower, I need to pay that back. Pay it forward. Whatever. I just feel like I'm taking advantage of their hospitality when people like you and countless others are out here proving themselves after they've taken you in. I'm not sitting on my ass anymore; I got something to prove.[/indent]

“[color=#eb7171][i]Mec, sérieusement? Tu sais qu'ils ne le voient pas comme tirer parti, mais que ce soit, l'homme. Si vous vous sentez comme vous avez à faire cela, je te soutenant![/i][/color]” 
[indent]Dude, seriously? You know they don't see it as taking advantage but whatever, man. If you feel like you have to do this, I'm supporting you![/indent]

“[color=#eb7171][i]Je suis tellement putain content que tu sois ici. Par ailleurs, ne sont pas les ailes plumes a génial? Comme, je veux caresser les chiots, mais il avait déjà essayé de se trancher la gorge de cet enfant ouvert pour faire cela et j'aime mon sang dans mon corps ainsi.[/i][/color]”
[indent]I'm so fucking glad you're here. By the way, aren't those wings Feathers has awesome? Like, I want to fondle those puppies but he already tried to slit that kid's throat open for doing that and I like my blood in my body so.[/indent]

“[color=ccf0ee][i]Je n'ai pas remarqué! Ainsi que par plumes tu veux dire le garçon d'oiseaux en colère criantes à l'enfant, n’est-ce pas? Il a vu à peu près tout et pourtant tu trouves toujours les plus petites choses excitant.[/i][/color]”
[indent]I couldn't tell! And by feathers you mean the upset bird boy glaring at the infant, isn't it so? You've seen just about everything and yet you still find the smallest things exciting.[/indent]
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[sup]Disclaimer: All the French you see in this post is courtesy of flimsy knowledge garnered from high school French and barely retained. Most of it is Google Translate assistance with a few tweaks. I... kinda just gave up in the middle of it, so if you do speak French and you're wondering why this French is so bad, well... there you have it. This is an explanation for it. T-T I'm so sorry we butchered your language.[/sup]