[@Bounce]

Fuuuck. Nathaniel you idiot. Why would you joke about AA in front of Tony-Fucking-Stark? Good job you. In my defense I was nervous, oh great that’s my defense. Could you regulate your emotions just for once, maybe even for five minutes? Quit cycling and think like a functioning adult for half a second. 

Breathing. Inhaling. Then exhaling. Think calm happy thoughts. Maybe you shouldn’t. They didn’t have enough time with Viral, but he seems like he’s going to be a pain in ass. A sentient brick if you will. Which is great when you want to break windows. Not so great when that sentient brick goes levitating and breaking windows with a will of its own. Especially when you’re trying to be stealthy. Hope, this Micheal guy has enough control over his sentient brick that it won’t break windows. 

Only briefly turning his head to Chie as she introduces herself. He gives her a thumbs up every now and then. See she’s doing great. One of the crew. She’ll fit in nicely. Even if she doesn’t think so. Encouragement, encourage her Niel. See you’re already being normal. Good job. You. Okay maybe take that down a notch because it’s getting sickening.

Right. There is still that kid. How old is he? Like eleven? 

That’s a bag of trauma waiting to be stuffed full of nightmares.

“What’s AA?”

This is a chance to redeem himself. He’d let the young man continue his introduction. Niel is your chance to sound serious and also like you haven’t lost your marbles. You think so me, because I am pretty sure the moment I kicked out an elevator control panel and threatened to sell it for parts, my marbles scattered  everywhere.

“That’s so cool, Excalibur, like the sword,” Niel pipes up, “You wanted to know what AA is. I mean I really shouldn’t be the one to explain this. FIrst off, I’d like to declare that the joke was in poor taste. I see the error of my ways on that. Oops. No pun intended with the taste comment. Okay. I am overthinking the answer.” how do he explain this in a sensitive way, “You see when someone loves alcohol very much.” that sounds like sex, just roll with it by now, “they um - drink too much of it and can become violently self destructive and or environmentally deustrctive.” Looking at Tony Stark, “I mean that only in the factual sense, you, you are an admiration. Um. Anyway, AA is where they go to um heal from their extreme drinking.”

That could have gone a hell of a lot better. 

Niel claps his hands and laughs nervously, he sounds slightly unhinged doing so, “Rooms. We all should be getting rooms, right? Unless we don’t. I could be wrong. When are we going to our rooms?”

Save me from burying myself a bigger grave.