There's no getting around it: the building where the meetings are held is starting to look pretty depressing from the outside. It makes sense. They've got enough money to keep the place running without a backer like Russo. There's nothing in the budget for a new paint job. It's not the end of the world really unless you've got a drama queen like Rogers around to complain that it isn't right for the place to start looking so rundown. He is going to do something about it.
Steve does the only sensible and mature thing one can do in this situation: bully Curtis into letting him have an outside wall for his birthday. He's Captain America. The least he can receive is a wall!! Really Curtis is doing him the favor here. It really has nothing to do with the fact he already knows no one is going to let him pay for a full job even with back pay from the Army burning a hole in his pocket.
(God knows Tony never lets him pay for anything.)
After a lot of bothering, Steve gets his way. He only gives the date and time a young artist from Brooklyn will show up to decorate it in case anyone wants to see the show with him. It is going to be something special if his work in Brooklyn is anything to go by. The day comes and Steve gets called away Avenger business an hour before the guy is set to start. He only has enough time shoot Frank a quick text to take some pictures as a favor to him before going radio silent.
If Frank does go he will find that Steve was not exaggerating about the artist being young. A teenage boy is already hard at work surrounded by large collection of yellow, brown, blue, and green spray paint cans sitting on top of a large tarp to protect the pavement. He already has some groundwork down already, the stems of something spread over the length of the wall, when he catches Frank out of the corner of his eye. He stops what he is doing, staring at the older man before waving. "Hey!" He sets his spray can down, lowers his protective face mask, and jogs over. He looks sheepish once he actually reaches Frank. Wow did he not think this through. It might just be some random guy passing through and not the audience member that Mr. Rogers told him to expect.
"Uh, I know this sounds weird, but could I maybe borrow your shoulders for a bit? It's important."
Frank isn't really sure what this is about, he just knows he wouldn't dream of telling Steve "no." So when the other man asks him to go to the VA office and wait for some kid, he answers before he even thinks about what he's agreeing to. He's aware that his presence can be imposing, let alone to some kid, but Miles is high energy in a way no kid he's interacted with has been. His kids would get hyper, sure, but in an erratic way, or in Frank Jr.'s case: often violent. If Miles recognizes him, it doesn't seem to faze him, and all he can do is blink dumbly a few times at the question, not registering the greeting quickly enough to return it.
"Only if you promise to give 'em back," he quips, but again it's before thinking about what he's even being asked. Frank looks up at the wall and realizes he's about to be a human ladder. There are worse things he's been asked to do, he reasons to himself, stooping down a little so Miles will have an easier time getting on his back.
If Spider-Man was hated by the Davis half of the Morales-Davis home, The Punisher was completely taboo especially after the hospital stunt. Miles knows as close to nothing about Frank Castle as one can get considering his infamous killing spree. To Miles he is a faceless, scary guy who shot a lot of people and got away with it. He's gone now so out of sight, out of mind, right?
Miles is too busy giving a side eye at that dad joke to even consider this guy could be dangerous. He spares Frank anything harsher since the old guy does catch on quick. "Everybody's got jokes." He complains even if his tone tells a different story. Maybe he does find that joke funny in how unfunny it is. "You'll get 'em back." Miles readjusts his face mask, grabs a yellow and brown can, before climbing onto Frank's shoulders effortlessly.
Once secure in his new setup, Miles begins working fast to build on those stems. It'll take a few minutes and a step back to see his vision. He is working on his take on one of Van Gogh's takes on sunflowers. They might be covering him in school at the moment.
He watches the flowers start to take form on the wall and slowly his expression softens as he starts to realize what he agreed to. Even if the guys might pretend shit like this doesn't matter, they're going to love this. And it's got Steve written all over it.
Miles breaks out into a grin. He's never getting over the fact he knows Captain America even now. He works and talks without breaking a sweat. "It's kind of a long story, but we met at my school. Visions Academy?" He pauses to see if Frank recognizes it before moving on. "They hosted an exhibit of his art from back in the day. I'm talking about back when he was a student like us. Pretty cool, right?" Miles gushes. Like any kid he is pretty hyped his hero has something in common with him. Something close to pity seeps into his voice soon after. "It was actually a whole thing since the collector bought them off a guy who stole them from the government who took them from Captain America's apartment while he was overseas. We had protestors show up and everything." He's quick to bounce back and continue gushing. He appreciates how Cap handled it. He's not sure he could half as nice about it if someone took his art.
"Captain America actually snuck in and started to talk to people about what was going on when he made some of the pieces. We thought he was a history teacher for like an hour. It was pretty great."
Frank has never heard of the school, but the rest is familiar enough. He laughs gruffly, reaching up to secure Miles' ankles without thinking. As easily as he got up there, Frank doesn't register the weight, at least not physically. He's starting to get a bit cross with Steve, thinking he knew exactly what he was doing when he asked Frank to do this for him.
"He is a fossil, so I get the mix-up." Jokes, jokes, jokes. It keeps Frank from spiraling out just like always. Frank Jr. would probably be close to this kid's age, and if he could learn to manage his anger, just as good of an artist.
"Hey, he's our fossil." Miles warns him. There's no heat behind it. He laughs. He knows this guy has a claim to him too as another vet. He's not trying to undercut him. His parents raised a polite boy.
Miles continues to chat and spray. He gives Frank a hints to move on to the next section of wall by leaning. He's not giving up his quality human ladder just yet!!! "You know he made still lives like Van Gogh? We were having this big talk about why he kept drawing this vase of flowers over and over again so we could write a paper on it. That's how we found out it was him. Cap straight up told us they were for his mom." Miles grins. "My mami almost cried." Miles almost cried too, but shut up!!! He's a sensitive boy!!!!
That shuts him up easily. He tries not to think in possessive terms when it comes to Steve, because he never knows when their time will run out, but he understands what Miles is going for here. Everyone in this city - probably in this country - owns a piece of Captain America. He knows how much it weighs on Steve, sometimes, but he can also see it from the other side. He was once an admirer just like this young man.
"I did know that, actually." He points to his busted face with one hand before it immediately staps back to making sure Miles is steady. "Not as dumb as I look."
Miles snorts at that. It's hard to deny the guy might look dumb to some with all those bruises. He's huge! Who actually has the guts to beat on him anyways? That thought actually makes Miles' guts twist a little. Maybe he should find out. He's a superhero, right? He can't let someone hassle vets even outside his turf.
"You should learn to watch the hands then." He doesn't seem the least bit worried about falling. He actually has excellent balance for such a small kid. He doesn't seem the least bit tired either though that isn't all that unusual for kids. "What's up with you anyways? You've got to be friends with Cap and you're not exactly Tiny Tim. You run face first into doors or something?" He actually impresses himself with how coolly he asks that. Mami would be proud, he thinks. Just gonna test the waters and see what's up.
Frank lifts his hands up and places them in his pockets without shifting. He does notice the good balance and he's not about to force the issue. If the kid falls that's on him, right? He's trying the aloof thing, too, and he thinks he's pulling it off. Like when that question hits him, he has to laugh a little, the deep rumble moving his shoulders for just a moment.
Miles doesn't even notice the absence of Frank's hands. The rumble weirdly doesn't even compromise Miles stance whatsoever. It's like he's glued in place regardless of what Frank does. Miles tries to play his concern off, adapting a cool tone like it doesn't bother him either way. "It's cool if you're in Fight Club. If someone is hassling you, that's what Cap is for, right?" It comes out so smooth. His dad would peg in a minute he's mimicking his uncle. This is a stranger so Miles thinks it goes over well.
He pauses for a second to inspect his work. It's turning out better than Miles could have hoped. The sunflowers might need a little pop before he calls it, but he is ready to move onto the sky. "Let me down for a second, viejo. It's time to get some blue in here."
Real cool. He lifts an eyebrow but doesn't respond to that. It's the follow-up that gets him. "Yeah, uh, think he's got bigger fish to fry these days than me fallin' down some stairs." Goddamnit, Miles. He stoops a bit to oblige the request, though he does roll his eyes a bit at the nickname. And he unironically sees zero hypocrisy in being offended. "What's your name anyways, kid?"
Miles hops down with a surprising amount of grace considering he's clearly heading to the most awkward part of puberty if those super long legs are any indicator. "I'd say talk to my dad, but don't actually do that if you're in fight club. He'd definitely have a problem with that." He walks on over to switch out his cans. He opts for blue and white this time. He smiles at Frank's question.
(Not that he ever stopped smiling. The kid is pretty sunshin-y when he's not painfully awkward.)
"Miles. What's your name, viejo?" He's already walking back to return to Frank's shoulders in true kid style. Just climb all over adults. It's cool!!! You live to go along with his whims, etc.
Miles hops back on without skipping a beat. He's rushing through the vision in his head with expert precision. He couldn't sound or look any happier. "Nice to meet you, Frank. And thanks for helping me out with this. Not every day Captain America gives you a mission, you know? This has to be great." The sad part is he hasn't even figured out Steve is paying him via his dad to avoid getting the money back. This is purely a passion project for Miles.
"Trust me, I get it." A smile works its way into his tone despite himself, watching the flowers start to really pop once colors are added around them. A wanness enters his expression, remembering Frank Jr. painting at the table. And then on the table, and then on the wall... "You won't let him down. He picked you for a reason."
He doesn't know this guy at all, but Miles has gotten better at accepting feedback. He had to after losing the guy whose word he trusted most. A warm smile crosses his face as he continues on. "Thanks, man. I appreciate that." He keeps at the grind until finally Miles' sunflowers are complete.
He is hyped up by this point. Miles taps Frank's head before asking to be let down. "Come on! Let's take a look at this." The excitement jumps out of his voice. It's practically screaming, 'Let's do this!!!'
He rolls his shoulder to launch Miles off to the ground, a big mitt of a hand immediately going to his scratchy chin as he surveys the work - like he knows a damn thing about art.
He lands smoothly on his feet. "Showing your age, viejo." Miles quips as he hurries to shuffle back to get some space. His mood doesn't get any less brighter as he surveys his creation. "Yeah-! That's...." The teenagers is swiftly returns to Frank's side to clap his arm with a surprising amount of strength for such a small kid. "I think we pulled it off, Frank! Take a few steps back. We gotta big picture this!" He'll just helpfully drag the giant man with him. No big deal!!! Hormones or something. Lala. Just move!!!
Frank shoots him a glare, but doesn't bother countering. Nor does he try and fight being shoved around. Once Miles eventually puts together who he is, this whole night will probably be hilarious in retrospect. Once he's a few steps back, the true artistry does take form and he's silent for a long moment, admiring it.
"You do this kinda shit a lot?" Tag buildings. Seems like a good way to keep a kid out of trouble, to Frank.
Miles watches for his reaction. The silence seems like a good thing so he's happy. He shrugs at the question. It is a little loaded even if Miles isn't the kind to dwell. "Yeah when I can find a place that'll let me." He tacks on gently. "My dad is a cop. I can't even get a sticker on a street sign past him. Everything I put up has gotta be approved by whoever owns the buildings or you know where no one would ever find it." He laughs it off but, haha that's what he did. :) #Anywherecanwearthemask
"Yeah? I get it. My old man was tough too." Though he'd needed to be, to deal with Frank. It's more a reflection of himself being hard on his son, when he truly analyzes it, but as usual he tries not to. There's surely no judgment in his tone when Miles admits altering some out-of-reach places. It does give him an idea, however... "I might be able to find you some more real estate, if everything you do is this good."
It sobers him up that Frank can relate. Things have gotten better between the two of them, but their damage can't be erased overnight. He is right back to being hyped up at the possibility of more places to hit up. Miles smile is bright as can be as it sinks in that this guy may really hook him up. God he loves Captain America so much for setting this up. "Are you serious? Because I need you to be serious right now. My hopes are way up!" He pauses a beat before adding in smoothly. "The next one will be even better, you know. Cap didn't hire an amateur." Except......... he literally did. Shut up, Miles!!!
"You mean you didn't save your best work for the vets?" he asks, leveling Miles a look. He isn't serious, because he never is, but it's not like he ever lets on either way. This kid is just too damn wholesome, he has to give him a hard time. It's like, required. "Let me see what I can do." For some reason: people like him so it shouldn't be too hard to convince a few slumlords to let some free work get done. That's pretty much business as usual for him anyway. And he also knows a lot of sketchy places Miles probably hasn't been to yet that no one would ever find.
Edited (we were due for a one letter edit people) 2019-09-05 04:22 (UTC)
Miles opens his mouth, keeping it that way for a few seconds before snapping it shut. He points at Frank only mildly annoyed. He is getting what he wants. Something tells Miles that Frank is the kind of guy who gets things done. "You're messing with me." He lowers his hand and mumbles something along the lines 'I hope he's messing with me' under his breath. A quick look at his work confirms that no one has reason to doubt his commitment to the cause here!!!
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set in that stevefrank verse!!!
Steve does the only sensible and mature thing one can do in this situation: bully Curtis into letting him have an outside wall for his birthday. He's Captain America. The least he can receive is a wall!! Really Curtis is doing him the favor here. It really has nothing to do with the fact he already knows no one is going to let him pay for a full job even with back pay from the Army burning a hole in his pocket.
(God knows Tony never lets him pay for anything.)
After a lot of bothering, Steve gets his way. He only gives the date and time a young artist from Brooklyn will show up to decorate it in case anyone wants to see the show with him. It is going to be something special if his work in Brooklyn is anything to go by. The day comes and Steve gets called away Avenger business an hour before the guy is set to start. He only has enough time shoot Frank a quick text to take some pictures as a favor to him before going radio silent.
If Frank does go he will find that Steve was not exaggerating about the artist being young. A teenage boy is already hard at work surrounded by large collection of yellow, brown, blue, and green spray paint cans sitting on top of a large tarp to protect the pavement. He already has some groundwork down already, the stems of something spread over the length of the wall, when he catches Frank out of the corner of his eye. He stops what he is doing, staring at the older man before waving. "Hey!" He sets his spray can down, lowers his protective face mask, and jogs over. He looks sheepish once he actually reaches Frank. Wow did he not think this through. It might just be some random guy passing through and not the audience member that Mr. Rogers told him to expect.
"Uh, I know this sounds weird, but could I maybe borrow your shoulders for a bit? It's important."
Re: set in that stevefrank verse!!!
"Only if you promise to give 'em back," he quips, but again it's before thinking about what he's even being asked. Frank looks up at the wall and realizes he's about to be a human ladder. There are worse things he's been asked to do, he reasons to himself, stooping down a little so Miles will have an easier time getting on his back.
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Miles is too busy giving a side eye at that dad joke to even consider this guy could be dangerous. He spares Frank anything harsher since the old guy does catch on quick. "Everybody's got jokes." He complains even if his tone tells a different story. Maybe he does find that joke funny in how unfunny it is. "You'll get 'em back." Miles readjusts his face mask, grabs a yellow and brown can, before climbing onto Frank's shoulders effortlessly.
Once secure in his new setup, Miles begins working fast to build on those stems. It'll take a few minutes and a step back to see his vision. He is working on his take on one of Van Gogh's takes on sunflowers. They might be covering him in school at the moment.
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"How do you know Captain America, kid?"
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"Captain America actually snuck in and started to talk to people about what was going on when he made some of the pieces. We thought he was a history teacher for like an hour. It was pretty great."
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"He is a fossil, so I get the mix-up." Jokes, jokes, jokes. It keeps Frank from spiraling out just like always. Frank Jr. would probably be close to this kid's age, and if he could learn to manage his anger, just as good of an artist.
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Miles continues to chat and spray. He gives Frank a hints to move on to the next section of wall by leaning. He's not giving up his quality human ladder just yet!!! "You know he made still lives like Van Gogh? We were having this big talk about why he kept drawing this vase of flowers over and over again so we could write a paper on it. That's how we found out it was him. Cap straight up told us they were for his mom." Miles grins. "My mami almost cried." Miles almost cried too, but shut up!!! He's a sensitive boy!!!!
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"I did know that, actually." He points to his busted face with one hand before it immediately staps back to making sure Miles is steady. "Not as dumb as I look."
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"You should learn to watch the hands then." He doesn't seem the least bit worried about falling. He actually has excellent balance for such a small kid. He doesn't seem the least bit tired either though that isn't all that unusual for kids. "What's up with you anyways? You've got to be friends with Cap and you're not exactly Tiny Tim. You run face first into doors or something?" He actually impresses himself with how coolly he asks that. Mami would be proud, he thinks. Just gonna test the waters and see what's up.
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"Yeah, kid. I'm real clumsy."
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He pauses for a second to inspect his work. It's turning out better than Miles could have hoped. The sunflowers might need a little pop before he calls it, but he is ready to move onto the sky. "Let me down for a second, viejo. It's time to get some blue in here."
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(Not that he ever stopped smiling. The kid is pretty sunshin-y when he's not painfully awkward.)
"Miles. What's your name, viejo?" He's already walking back to return to Frank's shoulders in true kid style. Just climb all over adults. It's cool!!! You live to go along with his whims, etc.
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"Frank. Call me Frank." He doesn't see the point in lying, really. Plenty of Franks in this town, right?
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He is hyped up by this point. Miles taps Frank's head before asking to be let down. "Come on! Let's take a look at this." The excitement jumps out of his voice. It's practically screaming, 'Let's do this!!!'
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"It's bright," he points out helpfully.
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"You do this kinda shit a lot?" Tag buildings. Seems like a good way to keep a kid out of trouble, to Frank.
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