Once again, Insanity's Servant has been very merciful in allowing me to hijack her account with my stories. You might remember me from How to Live with a Demigod 101: Alassiel is back! But not with a comedy this time. This is a very different, standalone fic, but I got hit with a plot bunny at 2:00 AM on Saturday, and when I pulled out my laptop to sketch out a few notes, it grew into a small three-part story.
Set before Iron Man 3 and after The Avengers, I wasn't quite sure where this little story fit in, so I simply filed it under "Avengers." It spills over into the Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. universe; spoilers ahead if you haven't at least seen the pilot episode. Some minor (but spoiler) references to the 11th episode "It's A Magical Place" later as well, and if you've been following along, it will explain why Coulson is the way he is in Part II of this fic.
Those of you who are following Case Red know that I have been struggling to keep my head above the water with illness and education and my original writing endeavors, and that updates have become a rarity lately. I'm sorry we are not yet able to officially suspend the hiatus; however, please humor me this introspective tale, and I think you'll enjoy gazing through the window into the past life and present dilemmas of Tony Stark.
Part One: Midnight Call
"There's no better cure for the fear of taking after one's father,
than not to know who he is."
― André Gide
"Mmh…"
Rolling over, Tony Stark buried his face in the memory foam mattress and pulled the pillow over his head. What was that incessant buzzing? Was he having a hangover, or was he dreaming again?
Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.
Clamping his elbows down over the ends of the pillow, Tony shifted to a more comfortable position and kicked the covers down a little further. It was a warm summer night and he'd left the windows open.
Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.
It was more muffled now, but still an unpleasant intrusion on his hitherto pleasant sleep. He'd just been woken up from a wonderful dream about a pool party… Something to do with several dozen adoring women in designer bikinis, and he was desperate to find out how it ended.
Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.
Grumbling profanties, Tony shoved the pillow to one side and fumbled in the bedsheets, feeling for something hard and square. There was no denying it now. That had to be his phone. Hadn't he turned it off before bed?
Bzzt. Bzzt. Bz—
Dragging himself across the lumpy covers, Tony made a blind swipe for the nightstand and missed. His knuckles grazed the surface, but the phone went spinning wildly out of reach and tipped off the edge of the table, flopping under the bed. A more muffled vibration scolded him from under the plain white dust ruffle.
Fffvvt. Fffvvt. Fffvvt.
"Oh, for…"
Wriggling to the edge of the mattress, he draped himself over the side of the bed and felt underneath, combing the soft carpet with his fingertips.
Cold, flat, and rectangular, there it sat.
With a triumphant little "hah," Tony fished it out from under the ruffle and held it two inches before his eyes, blinking in the dark at the little white caller I.D. At least, it should have been the caller I.D., but all it said was Protected.
It took several minutes and a few more curse words for this to register, but when it did, Tony took a few wild guesses at who would be calling under a secure number and then moved his finger toward the talk button.
Except he pressed the "End Call" button instead.
Stuffing his phone under the pillow, Tony flopped down on the memory foam and covered his eyes with the back of his arm. Back to that dream…
Fffvvt. Fffvvt. Fffvvt.
Sliding his hand between the pillow and bedsheets, Tony withdrew the phone and let it dangle above his head from two fingers. There was only one annoying top secret organization who would have the nerve to call him at this hour.
Bzzt! Bzzt!
Cradling the phone in his palm, he brushed the talk button with his thumb.
"Who is this… and whatever you want, I don't have it," Tony mumbled, speaking around a mouthful of sleep. His lips were dry and cracking and his tongue felt a little numb.
"Mr. Stark?"
"Does this have anything to do with a pool party?"
"A… no." The voice faded for a moment, and then returned with more conviction. "Mr. Stark, this is an urgent call."
"And I have an urgent need for sleep, so unless you look good in a bikini or you're about to offer me a margarita with a little umbrella in it, I can't take your call."
"This is Agent Coulson."
"That doesn't change anything."
"It might if I said you'd be a lot happier if you cooperated."
Stifling a yawn, Tony tried to rub some of the sleep from his eyes with his free hand. "How did you even get this number?"
"I said this was an urgent call. We need to talk."
"I could have sworn I had it changed…"
"Mr. Stark, I'm sitting with Mr. Botoni, Attorney at Law, and he wants to arrange a meeting with you today at exactly three o' clock in our debriefing office."
Attorney at Law? Was he being sued again for the collateral damage caused to New York? Tony blinked and sighed, trying to keep the ceiling from spinning around. "AM or PM?"
"PM."
"No."
There was a brief moment of silence. "AM?"
"Ha ha."
"Listen Mr. Stark, this is serious."
"Am I being sued?"
"Not exactly."
"Prosecuted?"
"I'm afraid not. Does the name 'Lila Harding' sound familiar?"
Tony stopped breathing for a moment and his heart gave an ominous thump. A few vivid flashes of memory assaulted him, and then a long silence of the mind. If he'd been dreaming before, he was wide awake now. The static from the connection filled in the dead space as Tony brooded.
"Mr. Stark?"
With a soft flick of his thumb, Tony ended the call. His phone went dead and dark, and fell from his hand to his chest with a quiet clink. The gentle glow of his arc reactor lent the room a ghostly ambient light as he held his breath, listening to the silence.
The phone slept on.
Tony made a mental note to tell Pepper he had an appointment at three o' clock.
If your curiosity is piqued, tell me! I'm sure all of you know the power of a piece of constructive criticism or a kind remark, and even when I don't have time to answer them all they still bring a smile to my face. Some may wonder why Tony Stark was not surprised by Coulson's appearance, but my only explanation is that it simply works better for the flow of the story. At some prior time, it is implied that he has been notified by SHIELD, likely with the rest of the Avengers.
And make sure you check out Insanity's Servant's works of fiction – she's an amazing writer, and recently uploaded a heartpoundingly good one-shot based on the Elder Scrolls Series. I'm not a gamer, but I can recommend it for the sheer dramatic impact.
As always, review for an update! I'll do my best to finish this little adventure before the month is out, but again, my time to write freely is limited.
Much love to all,
Alassiel