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cap_ironman2008-02-24 04:37 pm
crimsonquills.livejournal.com) wrote in cap_ironman2008-02-24 04:37 pm
Entry tags:
discussion post: could they retire? would they?
Between the fact that I'm very much a happily-ever-after type of reader and writer and the fact that I find older (and by older I mean in their 50's) men hot, I've found myself frequently wondering how life would work out for Steve and Tony as they grow older. Which inevitably begs the question:
Could these two men ever actually retire from superheroing?
Eventually--even if the actual time is delayed by moderate healing factors--they are both inevitably going to get too old to do this stuff. They'll start slowing down, they won't heal as well or as quickly, they won't be able to maintain as much muscle mass...it's the natural progress of age for two guys who, despite their bizarre histories, are still human. Experience will make up the gap for awhile, but eventually they'll get to a point where it'll be retire or choose to die in the saddle, so to speak.
So, would they retire? Either of them? What would it take for them to actually give up "active duty" and take on a purely mentorship/advisory role? ('Cause you know that even if they left active duty, they'd never get out of the game 100%.)
I have a scenario in my head that I'm rather fond of, though I don't know how "realistic" it is. *g* Basically, the new breed of Avengers--to whom Steve and Tony are very much mentor/parent types--realize that Steve and Tony really are getting too old for this game and that they're going to get themselves killed if they don't take a step back. But the newer, young Avengers also realize that neither Steve nor Tony will ever take that step back for their own sake.
So they cook up a plan: Tell Steve that they're very worried about Tony, blah blah blah, but they know he'd never even consider retiring if anyone suggested it to him. But if Steve were to tell Tony that he, Steve is retiring, and that he's feeling kind of odd about it, and they've done everything together for decades, and would Tony consider coming with him, just to, you know, keep him company? Then maybe Tony would actually do it. And, of course, Steve has been worrying about Tony, too, and Steve realizes that he is getting older and maybe he does only have a couple of years left in him, and if he has to give up a couple of years to keep Tony safe, well, that's worth it, right?
And then they live happily ever after. *g*
Could these two men ever actually retire from superheroing?
Eventually--even if the actual time is delayed by moderate healing factors--they are both inevitably going to get too old to do this stuff. They'll start slowing down, they won't heal as well or as quickly, they won't be able to maintain as much muscle mass...it's the natural progress of age for two guys who, despite their bizarre histories, are still human. Experience will make up the gap for awhile, but eventually they'll get to a point where it'll be retire or choose to die in the saddle, so to speak.
So, would they retire? Either of them? What would it take for them to actually give up "active duty" and take on a purely mentorship/advisory role? ('Cause you know that even if they left active duty, they'd never get out of the game 100%.)
I have a scenario in my head that I'm rather fond of, though I don't know how "realistic" it is. *g* Basically, the new breed of Avengers--to whom Steve and Tony are very much mentor/parent types--realize that Steve and Tony really are getting too old for this game and that they're going to get themselves killed if they don't take a step back. But the newer, young Avengers also realize that neither Steve nor Tony will ever take that step back for their own sake.
So they cook up a plan: Tell Steve that they're very worried about Tony, blah blah blah, but they know he'd never even consider retiring if anyone suggested it to him. But if Steve were to tell Tony that he, Steve is retiring, and that he's feeling kind of odd about it, and they've done everything together for decades, and would Tony consider coming with him, just to, you know, keep him company? Then maybe Tony would actually do it. And, of course, Steve has been worrying about Tony, too, and Steve realizes that he is getting older and maybe he does only have a couple of years left in him, and if he has to give up a couple of years to keep Tony safe, well, that's worth it, right?
And then they live happily ever after. *g*
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^____^ It's entirely heartwarming.
And dang, makes me want to color my hot-old-guys pic now :P Curse you!
-Tro
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I think it would be adorable though if the Young Avengers actually did get in over their heads their first few times around and Tony and Steve would whisk in and sort everything out, because let's face it, they've still got it.
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I can SO see that. *snerk*
I think it would be adorable though if the Young Avengers actually did get in over their heads their first few times around and Tony and Steve would whisk in and sort everything out, because let's face it, they've still got it.
*wibble* That's just too adorable a mental image. It really is. And the Young Avengers would be all fanboy/fangirling in that magical way that they have *heart*
-Tro
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*grins* Except I bet by the time Steve and Tony can bring themselves to retire for real, they'll have trained a couple of generations of superheroes! So in theory there will be a couple ranks of really experienced superheroes between them and the really new folks who need occasional rescues.
Although it would be funny if they did have to save and the day and one of the new, young Avenger is all, "OMG, we just had to have our asses saved by a pair of sixty-year-olds! I'm going to die of shame!"
At least they're sixty year old legends, right? *g* (Assuming they aren't even older when they retire; healing factors could keep them going quite a while!)
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LOL, I bet it'd be like they just got their party crashed by their parents. "DAD! You're embarassing us! Go home~!"
At least with a few generations under his belt, Steve would finally have a more obvious reason to be out of touch with the new fads and the 'young people', right? XD!
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That's perfect! Especially if Cassie is there.
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*laughs* And by then Tony has not only gotten old enough, but had some of Steve's habits rub off on him enough, that he's started to do it, too. "Hmm. When I started the Avengers..." And the youngsters all exchange glances and roll their eyes. *g*
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*almost spits tooth paste all over* I really shouldn't read this while brushing my teeth! *will giggle once mouth is free once more*
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This just makes me think, "I'll do it if you do it!" "Okay, but you first!" "No, you first!" "Okay, on three..." *grins*
I can totally see several (SEVERAL) 'false starts' at retiring - they retire, something comes up, they come out of retirement. Rinse and repeat.
Oh yeah. It'd take a few tries. I figure the first couple of tries one of them would try to retire on their own, though. It's a lot easier not to leap out of bed for a crisis if your lover is there with you, nuzzling your neck and saying, "The kids can handle it. They can. We have to let them handle... Right?" *grins*
And dang, makes me want to color my hot-old-guys pic now :P Curse you!
*utterly fails to regret this* :-P
Of course, it makes me want to write it. But my brain can't decide if they're already lovers when they retire or if the act of retiring makes them realize just how entwined they are in each other's lives and how much they really only want to be with each other.
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EXACTLY :) LOL, then the argument over who broke the agreement to retire first *snerk*
Oh yeah. It'd take a few tries. I figure the first couple of tries one of them would try to retire on their own, though. It's a lot easier not to leap out of bed for a crisis if your lover is there with you, nuzzling your neck and saying, "The kids can handle it. They can. We have to let them handle... Right?" *grins*
Yom yom, nice visual~ Mmm, if I get good enough at drawing to do a small, one page piece, I'll do that.
*utterly fails to regret this* :-P
*cough*tramp*cough*
Of course, it makes me want to write it. But my brain can't decide if they're already lovers when they retire or if the act of retiring makes them realize just how entwined they are in each other's lives and how much they really only want to be with each other.
Hmmm, tasty either way, but I think I'm pretty far toward the idea that if they've grown up enough to have the common sense to try to retire, they have the common sense to have figured out what they mean to each other :) Plus, I really, really want them to have as much time together as they can *melty*
-Tro
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*snorts* Being dense about this kind of thing doesn't necessarily have anything to do with being grown up (or not grown up, as the case may be). So, uh, in what dream world do you live? And how can I get there? *grins*
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Hey, I would like to point out that I at no time said anything to imply that 'getting older' and 'growing up' were the same thing! But if they stopped acting like dumbasses (re: growing up) enough to figure out they should retire, I feel they would have, by that point, also figured out they love each other - since I think that's JUST a touch more obvious than them giving up the super hero gig *g*
-Tro
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I never thought you did. But understanding each others and their own feelings and having the common sense to know when to stop going into fights are different kinds of growing up.
That would make a good poll in the MU for the Young Avengers and co! *giggles*
But that would mean that Tony's grown up enough to realize that he is allowed to be happy!
There's a simple solution, though, to the overall problem. Either they grow up enough to figure their feelings for each other or one (or more) of their friends is helpfull and points it out. Because most of theirs friends are going to realize that pining after each other for twenty-something years is getting to be ridiculous. Right? So, by the time both are old enough to reitre they would undoubtedly have somehow managed to finally get together. *grins*
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Nah. You can be mature and in love and still fucked up. ;p I'd like to think that he'd have resolved some/most of his issues by that point, of course.
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*giggles*
One can always hope, yes. *grins*
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While the rest of the Avengers watch and roll their eyes because Steve and Tony are so incredibly married. *g*
Yom yom, nice visual~ Mmm, if I get good enough at drawing to do a small, one page piece, I'll do that.
Practice makes perfect? Draw lots and then take a shot at this one? *innocent*
*cough*tramp*cough*
*shameless*
Hmmm, tasty either way, but I think I'm pretty far toward the idea that if they've grown up enough to have the common sense to try to retire, they have the common sense to have figured out what they mean to each other :)
Yeah, that does make sense. As you said, their feelings for each other are just a LITTLE more obvious than their need to retire. *g* Plus, I think their friends would get impatient with their clueless pining and smack them each with the clue bat long before their friends would sit them down and talk to them about retiring. *g*
Plus, I really, really want them to have as much time together as they can *melty*
*also melty* Yeah. Lots of happy years. *happy sigh at the thought*
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*giggles*
*points up* That's what I said!
*sighs dreamily* And now we've all arrived in the dream world in which Tony and Steve are married and have their happily ever after with or without being on active duty. *grins*
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Practice makes perfect? Draw lots and then take a shot at this one? *innocent*
Excuuuse me? Are you trying to unfairly bunny me into drawing you stuff again?!?!??!!!
-Tro
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What, you're surprised? *loves on your art*
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And then they would totally get out of bed anyway, and go watch everything on the security cameras, courtesy of Stark-cam.
Of course, it makes me want to write it. But my brain can't decide if they're already lovers when they retire or if the act of retiring makes them realize just how entwined they are in each other's lives and how much they really only want to be with each other.
Oh, they're all ready together. By that point, even they'd have figured it out. Plus, I'm not sure the scenario works quite as well, otherwise.
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And Steve would have to repeatedly stop Tony from yelling advice/orders through the comm-links, and then Steve would break down and do it himself and Tony would turn and glare at him, because that's just so unfair. *g*
Oh, they're all ready together. By that point, even they'd have figured it out. Plus, I'm not sure the scenario works quite as well, otherwise.
Well, certainly the nuzzling in bed wouldn't work as well. *grins* But yeah, it'd work a lot better to ask your lover to retire with you than your best friend.