homeless, heading nowhere.

[vied]

Oh, I don't know. It could be fun.

I'm guessing this is where I'm supposed to offer a definitive yes or no, but I think I'm just gonna leave it up to you. It's no skin off my back, whatever you decide to do.

Just don't shortchange me.

Comments

[ex_starks385]

Hey, — remember that time your definition of "fun" [ look, ma, finger quotes. ] was — I don't know — singlehandedly destroying virtually everything in your path and nearly demolishing American government as we know it so that you could, basically, just — stick it in?

Boy, you know, it's good to see times sure have changed, huh?

[debts]

[ Mildly: ]

People usually don't mind until something worse happens.

[task]

[ Hey remember that one time you took Pepper hostage and then proceeded to make her a glow-in-the-dark amazon? Cause she sure does. ]

Speaking of the skin off your back—

[vied]

[ Though it takes a pause, Killian raises both palms in a gesture of mock surrender, the long-suffering quality to his expression entirely unearned but likely the closest thing to an apology that he's going to be able to muster. ]

As nice as the conceit is, Tony, it wasn't all about the girl. Anyway, contrary to what seems to have become the popular opinion, I don't mind a little R&R that doesn't involve a body count.

[vied]

Fair point. But considering how little this one's got planned out— [ he points his thumb over his shoulder ] —I'm not all that worried about the possibility of jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire, y' know?

[debts]

No, I suppose you don't. [ What's that phrase about blood in the water and sharks? ]

You've managed to create quite a name for yourself. [ A beat; a tic of a smile. ] Or so I hear.

Sorry, I have to bother all the Killians /o\

[canyouregulate]

You bored, too, boss-man?

[vied]

[ IT WAS ONE TIME. ]

Hey. [ Ironically, he still starts off in that same half-starstruck manner, though the whole you blew me up part takes a bit of the edge off. ] Look— [ he spreads his arms out, seeming fairly pleased given the fact that the last time they'd seen each other he'd been blown to smithereens; skin off his back indeed ] —good as new, right?

[vied]

Yeah, well. [ Wryly: ] No use in pursuing supervillainy if you're averse to infamy, huh? Kind of made a bigger splash than I'd strictly intended to, but I hear the summer blockbuster is in vogue these days.

[vied]

A little, I have to admit, but I'm gathering that that's what's par the course for these parts, at least until things start getting hairy.

[canyouregulate]

Yeah, but when things get hairy, at least that's when the fun starts.

Otherwise, what's the point?

[hasthekeys]

What could be fun? Being homeless?

[Does this mean you'll go without socks forever, Killian?]

[vied]

Don't underestimate the value in simple observation, my friend. I'd much rather just hear about what goes on in some of these games than actually have to participate.

[vied]

[ Going sockless is a complement to casual summer tailoring, thank you very much! ]

Contextually, yes, but not in the literal sense. I like having a roof over my head; don't you?

[hasthekeys]

[Why not just wear flip-flops, then?]

I like having a head to have a roof over.

[No head that turns into a bomb for Happy, please and thank you.]

[vied]

[ Somebody's got to keep Sperrys in business.

Breezing over the pertinent point: ] I feel like that's generally true of most people, though the lack of a head would make the presence or absence of a roof fairly irrelevant.

[hasthekeys]

[Happy will confess that Sperrys is a good brand.

For when you're wearing summer shorts and a Hawaiian shirt light top.]

Well, even when you're dead, you've got a casket. Even if you're headless, I'm sure they still close the lid.

[vied]

[ At the least, the slacks and no socks combo works better than the t-shirt tucked into waistband he was rocking in the '90s. ]

A casket, or an urn, or a ... scattered to the wind situation.

[hasthekeys]

[CAN WE NOT SPEAK ABOUT THE '90S? THAT IS LITERALLY THE ONE THING HAPPY DOESN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT EVER PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF YOUR GIANT HOLOGRAPH BRAIN, SHHHHH]

Yeah, but most people get to choose if they want to be scattered to the wind. After they die. Not...dying by being scattered to the wind.

[vied]

[ IT WAS AN EMBARRASSING TIME FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED, WE WILL SPEAK OF IT NO MORE. ]

Yeah, well, if you think about it, sure, you can put that kind of stipulation in your will, but once you're dead you don't honestly get any say in it. You could say you want to be buried instead of being cremated, but whoever's responsible for carrying things out could just have you burned up anyway.

[ ... How did we get onto this topic again. ]

[hasthekeys]

[Ooh, Mister Killian, your generosity knows no bounds!]

You have a thing for that, don't you? Burning up. Burning things. Being...burned.

Doesn't that hurt?

[vied]

[ He tries. ]

No, it— I mean, you don't hear a lot about people getting frozen after they die except in serial killer movies, do you?

[hasthekeys]

[Now if only he wasn't such an enormous douchebag...]

You mean like those guys who chop people up and keep them in the freezer for a TV dinner in a week?

[therealgenius]

You're probably going to get shortchanged.

By a lot. So much that "short" seems like the Statue of Liberty.

[vied]

[ He's just experiencing his "douchey teenager" phase belatedly. Everyone loves a late bloomer? ]

Yeah, that kind of thing. Otherwise it's just burial or burning, isn't it?