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daycycle 129

[Mar 5 - Mar 11]

[OOC Plotting for this Dacycle can be found here.]

Early, Early Morning [0000 - 0400] —
Ronan Lynch, Gracie Cannell, Matt Murdock, Buffy Summers and Katniss Everdeen will be arrested and charged with treason. All former roommates will be questioned for several hours before being sedated and returned to their room before 0600. Former roommates in question will not remember the arrests or their questioning when they wake, though they may feel the lingering active effects of the sedative for several hours into their day.

The memory of those arrested ever being at Alpha will be erased with varying degrees of success from all those they came into contact with.

Morning [0800 - 0900] — All Troubleshooters Report for Duty
It is announced that there will be a mandatory ceremony for all Troubleshooters this evening in the Commissary. Not attending is treason.

There is no Mission assigned to any Specials Today.

Afternoon [0900 - 1600] — Service Firm Positions

At 0900 hours, all Troubleshooters are to report for a mandatory second headcount in the Commissary. The purpose of this second headcount is not to confirm that all Specials of Alpha are present, but to keep them all on one place as a high profile investigation takes place until 1200 hours. Once Specials are released from this mandatory time stall, they will hear a slew of rumors making their way through the Complex with only some facts staying consistent in almost every version of the story.

At 0830 hours, Teela O'Malley was found dead in her private trailer, slumped over her expensive designer couch. The only evidence found is a small puncture mark on her neck, and the word MOD was written on the wall above her in what seems to be bright red lipstick. The studio is shut down for the day as the investigation continues, and Jack Harkness is questioned extensively before it is confirmed that he is not a high profile suspect at this time.

All Troubleshooters not assigned a mission should report to their Service Firm for their daily duties, unless specifically assigned a different shift.

Evening [1600 - 2200] — Citizen Improvement
All Alpha citizens are encouraged to better themselves through Alpha’s wide variety of educational, entertainment and cultural opportunities offered each evening. Attending these sanctioned events are not mandatory, but is highly encouraged by The Computer. Citizens choosing not to take advantage of these opportunities, have a growing number of other options available to them in how to spend their hard earned credits and free time.

Tonight’s event will be at 1800 in the Commissary and will be hosted by ~~The Humanists~~ Alpha's Wellbeing Organization. The purpose of this gathering is for Specials to talk about the recent string of murders and how it's affecting their mental health. Don't be shy, come and talk about your feelings with your fellow Specials in this most difficult time.

Alpha Curfew Restrictions
All Alpha citizens should be in their quarters within the Wagon Wheel by 2200, unless they’ve been given permission from a GREEN or higher clearance level citizen. Sleeping Aid gas is dispelled each night in the Wagon Wheel at 2200 to assist citizens in getting a productive sleeping period.

Confession Booths
There are hundreds of confession booths available around Alpha Complex if a citizen would like to communicate directly with the computer. Please use these confession booths to report mission statuses, report treason or terrorist acts, unregistered mutants, confess your trespasses against Alpha Complex, request propaganda or speak with Your Friend, The Computer, at any time.

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As much as Tony likes to wake up at Steve's apartment, after spending the previous day feeling like he's incredibly far behind on his work, he had opted to stay in his own room for the night. He had stopped working, of course, when he heard IntSec approaching this door, but by the time he wakes up he doesn't remember that part. He also doesn't remember the way they dragged him out and took him in to interrogate him. When he wakes up, he just feels dazed, almost hungover even if he knows that's pretty much impossible since he hasn't had a drop of alcohol since the ball, and it feels like in the blink of an eye he's in his room before he's suddenly at work, starting to pull apart bots to work on circuitry. His hands are shaking, he notices belatedly as he continues working, but he assumes it's just the lack of sleep. Or the way that he still feels off, although he can't quite put together that it's because of the memory wipes he has gone through in the last two days.

Before he can truly begin working, though, he's notified about the second mandatory headcount and he grudgingly makes his way back to the Commissary. Damn, he thinks, don't they know he needs to get the hell back to work? For a moment he expects to be released shortly after the headcount, but...no. They're held there for three hours, and Tony forces himself to not pace as he sits at one of the tables and drums his fingers to pass the time. To anyone passing by, it looks as just idle and random movements, but mentally he's just writing code. It helps his brain wake up from the haze it's still in, and he just sighs under his breath as he waits for the holding time to pass by.

Once they're free and he goes back to work, it's impossible to avoid the rumors flying around as he walks back to Bot Processing, but Tony hardly really pays attention to it. He never knew the woman that was killed, although he remembers her face, but what really grabs his attention is just how many people have been targeted and killed. It makes his stomach twist, because he hates feeling like they're trapped and waiting to see what strikes next, but he tries to shake the cold sensation that settles in the pit of his stomach as best as he can.

The rest of his day is spent working, before going out for a walk instead of going to the Commissary for dinner. On the way back, instead of going back to his own room, he goes to Steve's apartment instead. He should probably work all night again, and he knows it, but he'll just start working early in the morning instead.

It's now day four of Steve's suspension from Armed Forces. Not a terribly long time, given that investigations back home normally took a week at minimum. But he's also been busy. Steve hasn't kept from Tony that he spends his day investigating the recent murders off-book, even if he's kept it from most of the Specials. He might not have privileges inside Armed Forces anymore, but he's still GREEN. The other sectors still have to respect that, and most of them don't even know about the internal investigation anyways.

But it also seems like he and Tony have some kind of unspoken agreement that's naturally evolved in the past few days. It's not that they don't talk about what they're doing during the day, but unless one of them really wants to, they don't do so extensively. Instead, as soon as Tony walks through the door, Steve writes down whatever last-minute notes are still in his head, and closes his files on the dining room table.

A soft, tired smile emerges from his face as he looks up at Tony. "Did you eat dinner today?"

The little bot that loved Tony for a day still loves him, but is back to being mute, and greets his maker at the door instead of attacking. And now that Tony basically stays here whenever he wants, he'll be used to the basket full of art supplies in the corner. It's still barely unwrapped, except for a sketchbook and some charcoals that Steve has propped up against one side of the sofa. For the fourth day in a row, it doesn't seem like Steve has touched any of those supplies.

There's a sense of comfort that settles in Tony every time that he walks through Steve's door and into his place. This place doesn't leave a whole lot of room to feel at home, but somehow here is different. It could be argued that it's the fact that it's private, that there's no surveillance keeping tabs on them in Steve's place, but he knows the truth. Even if it's something that he's not quite used to - even if it's something that he hadn't expected not only here, but with Steve of all people - he feels like he's home.

Which, god, it's almost a little terrifying. After Pepper, Tony had essentially sworn off relationships, because clearly he's just not made for them. He may be able to fix and improve things around him, but when it comes to people, he wrecks everything. He has managed to quite literally ruin every single damn relationship in his life at one point or another, and...there's still that piece of him that is afraid that he'll do this here, too. The fear is no longer that Steve will end up hurting him, or leave him in shambles like he did in Siberia. The fear is that now it will be Tony destroying him - destroying them - and somehow letting himself enjoy this is just a way to ignite the bomb that will wreck everything.

But then Steve smiles at him, no matter how tired it is, and Tony feels that knot in the pit of his stomach loosen enough to let him breathe again. His chest aches how it generally does, thanks to the reactor, but just the sight of Steve is enough to help him feel as if he's finally breathing for the first time all day.

Almost by reflex, Tony gives the guard bot a small pat before walking over to Steve. He feels tired, his shoulders feel so damn heavy, but he returns the smile as he walks over to him. Yes, he knows he should answer him, but first things first. And that first thing is giving Steve a kiss, a silent it's so good to see you greeting, and he shakes his head slightly as he brushes his fingers along Steve's hair. "No, I wasn't really hungry. How are you doing?"

Maybe that's what makes it all so perfect. Tony had sworn off relationships, but Steve never been in one before. He expects certain things sure — like the fact that Tony won't go around kissing other people — but outside of the obvious, they're charting their own course, together. Honestly Steve still doesn't know if he's allowed to call Tony his boyfriend yet, but they'll get there. He'll bring it up when high-level Alphas aren't getting murdered every other day.

Steve feels a warmth in his chest though, when he sees the way Tony pats the guard bot. It's a tiny detail, but it's a show of affection, and Steve knows how important Dummy was to Tony back home. Even if this little one couldn't possibly replace him, Steve's still glad that Tony looked in his closet one day and found the poor thing.

He supposes he shouldn't be surprised by the kiss — and instinctively, Steve tilts his head up from his chair to meet Tony's lips as soon he sees him leaning down — because aren't kisses what started all this? Tony had reached for his tie and Steve had realized for the first time that he wanted to know what Tony Stark's lips felt like, pressed against his own. The memory still gives him butterflies.

"Better now," he says, closing his eyes for a moment as he leans towards Tony's hand. "I left you some things in the fridge, in case you change your mind." Steve hasn't cooked in awhile, but now that he has the serum back, he eats more than usual, which means that he's also ordering more food than usual to be delivered to his apartment. It also means that he's constantly aware of how much food is around him at any given time, just to make sure his body doesn't burn itself empty.

It's such a domestic moment, this greeting, the way that Steve tilts his head and then leans closer to him, and Tony feels his heart beat a little harder against his chest. It thumps against the arc reactor, but it's not uncomfortable. It's reassuring, because it's Steve, and he feels comfortable as if he's home, and he stays lost in this moment even if it's just briefly.

He almost even misses what Steve says, but then it clicks, and he leans in again. This time he doesn't kiss his lips, though; this time he presses a kiss against his forehead, and he lingers before smiling again. "Thanks, but I'm okay. I think I'm more tired than hungry today."

Which Steve might be able to notice now that Tony's this close. Especially because, now that he's not moving out and about in the Complex, and now that he's around him, it's almost as if he's finally relaxed enough to let it show how he's feeling. It's probably the fact that he worked all night, and sure it's probably also the fact that he has barely eaten throughout the day, but his head still feels too fuzzy to focus on hunger.

Honest, he's mainly just focusing on how good it feels to be here. Everything else is secondary.

"You can continue working, if you want," he motions to Steve's paperwork before turning back to him. "I'll just keep you company, if that's okay?"

There's a part of Steve that's tempted to keep working — because he's Steve. Not only a soldier, who knows to always carry on in the face of war, but a supersoldier, who's been given a body that has the stamina to keep up with the demands of his stubbornness. Another moment spent working is another moment that will bring him closer to finding this serial killer. Yet, all week, he's run right up against wall after wall, and even though Steve has managed to learn more than he knew four days ago, he also knows that he needs to take a break. He needs to stop thinking about this, so that he can come back it fresh, with new ideas.

"No, I-" He sets the pen that was still balanced between his fingers on top of the file, and pushes it to the far side of the table before he takes one of Tony's hands into his own. "I'll start again in the morning." The way he kisses the back of Tony's hand feels like a transition. Like Steve is setting everything down and shifting his focus over to Tony this way, because he sees it — the fatigue in Tony's eyes, and Steve knows that he isn't the only one who's pushing himself hard these days.

"Come on," he says, as he stands up, still holding onto Tony's hand as he takes one step, then another towards the bathroom. "Let's get cleaned up." Afterwards, they can just lay in bed and talk, or just be, until they fall asleep.

Although Tony had been wanting to just sit on Steve's lap and maybe burrow his face into the crook of his neck, he had been serious about his offer to just keep him company as Steve continued working. Just being there with him would have been good enough for him, even if he would have been on another couch or working on the bot, but Steve says no, that he'll start again in the morning, and Tony can't help but smile.

And, okay yeah, maybe he should assure him that it's okay if he wants to work. Maybe he should make it clear that he had been serious, that he wouldn't hold it against him if he wants to keep working on his investigation. But, for a moment that selfish side of Tony peeks out enough to make him want to just keep him to himself - especially after that kiss to the back of his hand - and whatever argument he could have prepared is gone.

"Wait, wait, before we do that..." Even if they're in the hallway, Tony stops so he can tug Steve closer to him and kiss his lips softly, sweetly. He just needs this calm moment, this stillness after today, and he rests his forehead against Steve's shoulder blade.

"...I missed you."

Even if he hadn't expected it, everything that happens feels so smooth. Like now that he's found someone who could be the right partner, Steve's awkward limbs finally have grown an instinct for how to move.

There's a hint of surprise, when he feels that gentle tug against his hand and he finds himself kissing Tony, but it only lasts half a second before Steve feels like he's just relaxing into Tony entirely. And it is smooth, how, when he feels the way Tony leans his forehead to rest on his shoulder blade, Steve's arms move to enclose him — to protect Tony from the world and to surround him with comfort, and Steve's unique kind of warmth.

His right hand moves up into Tony's hair, brushing through it gently as he kisses the top of Tony's head. Some day in the future, this is exactly the type of moment that Steve would tell Tony that he loves him.

"I missed you too," he says, his voice a low hum, and Steve will just stand here and hold him, stroking Tony's hair, for as long as Tony wants.

Something was going on. When he'd first woken up, there had been a status quo. It hadn't been a particularly appealing one, but the danger had come from the Computer and its occasionally malfunctioning components. Now there was something more subversive going on: murder. If he could reach the cause to its roots, he would likely find the Computer as well, but since pointing that out was treason, they were going to have to come at this from a different angle. You could only punish individuals for so long before having to tackle the underlying problem.

Evenings were no longer the time to be active, instead they were his refuge. They were the time when he could lose himself in the gym. Before, they'd simply been that. Refuge. Now, most days, it was closer to training. If they were going to have to deal with murders and riots in addition to the usual nonsense, he was going to need all his wits about him.

But tonight he'd found someone in the armory that was a little more old-school than he was used to seeing. He'd found a bow. A decent one, too, although it wasn't one of the ones he'd custom-built himself. It felt good to have a bow in his hands and he eyed the target for a moment before letting loose one, two, three arrows.

He wondered if he could requisition one of these. Or maybe find the material to build his own.

The day had been... strange. Despite having lived with as much death as Clint had, it was always a little different when it was someone you knew. Not that he knew Teela well at all, or even liked her (at all), but she was still a familiar face that he'd had one-on-one conversation with and absolutely not involved with various military groups in any way. When people died while working for S.H.I.E.L.D. or in the army, it was sad, even tragic, but not a shock. A television personality wasn't supposed to be brutally murdered.

Clint was almost a hundred percent certain that none of the Specials were involved with the MOD killings, but public opinion was definitely turning against the Specials. The plan he, Nat, and Jack had cooked up to give them all a better "face," a more human one, would likely work, but it would need time to settle and circulate, and only one day after their television appearance wasn't enough. So after work in Weapons Testing and shoving some nourishment (not actual food) down his throat, Clint headed back to the armed forces sector and the gyms and shooting ranges. He needed to clear his head, and since he couldn't really build anything here, shooting was the only way to do it.

So he was surprised to see someone else there he'd never seen before, shooting a bow at that. Shooting a bow more than competently, even. He'd walked in as silent as he always was, but he didn't stay that way as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Not a lot of people favor those, you know."

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daycycle 129

[Mar 5 - Mar 11]

Tony Stark | Open

Evening

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Oliver Queen | Open

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