Uh, yeah, I'm back. And with more Avengers this time, yaaay... Contrary to popular belief, I'm not dead, comatose or otherwise maimed to the point of being unable to write. I'm simply busy. Very, very busy.

I have been working though. On a lot of stuff. I was planning on detailing what, but I've stopped caring...

Anyway, new Avengers story, based after the movie and focusing on Tony and his machine obsession. Rated because I have zero clue where this is gonna go.

I don't own the Avengers, blah blah...rights to their respective owners and whatnot. Anyway, here ya are.


"Talk dirty to me Jarvis."

"I'm sorry sir, I'm afraid I can't do that."

A single, dark eyebrow rose up Tony Stark's forehead as he tossed a virtual wad of paper into an equally fictional trashcan. "Did I not program you with a bedroom voice?"

"No sir." Concise, simple; Jarvis. Excellent.

"Huh. Imagine that. Seems a little…" The (supposedly) therapeutic desk chair slid back as Tony leapt to his feet, "…unlike me to leave out something so…crucial."

"Sir, I believe it is passed your bedtime," replied the AI dryly.

"Oh poo, Jarvis, cut it…would ya? It's not like I'm sleep deprived or anything, I do this all the time…" A piercing, clanging crash erupted through Tony's workroom as he attempted, and failed rather spectacularly, to lean on an unsuspecting Dummy. "Geez… Dumm- Really? I swear, I'm going to turn you into an oversized coat rack…" As he once again scrambled to his feet, Tony could all but hear Jarvis's nonexistent, British-accented sigh of exasperation. "I… Well, I think I'm done with my work for the day."

"The last three days, you mean, sir?"

Tony grinned as he began stripping on his way to the shower. Had it really been that long?

"Someone's feeling sassy today."

"As always, sir."

XxXxX

It was nearly four o'clock in the morning by the time Tony rolled into his rarely-used bed. By his calculations, which were slightly fuzzy due to lack of sleep, he had been awake for sixty-seven hours this time; not a record, but enough to send him stumbling stupidly around the bathroom in a somewhat dismal effort to ready himself for the bed he hadn't slept in in nearly a month. The darkness was wonderful, soft and velvety against his closed eyes and bare chest.

"Jarvis?"

"Sir, I really must insist that you-"

"Umm, yeah, but I really need you to… And I asked you to do it this morning, and the thing with the Mark XXI-"

"Sir, you're making absolutely no sense. However, I am currently running diagnostics on the Mark XXI, and debugging both the Mark XX and XXI as well as installing remote software in all models over Mark X."

Tony blinked against the darkness, searching in vain for something else to say. Though he knew it was sad, pathetic and borderline psychotic, the self-made AI was his only friend at the moment, and he hated to stop talking and surrender to sleep. He knew what sleep held; the ghostly horrors brought forth from his subconscious mind to torture his body and psyche in constant spasms of terror and cold water and wet burlap-

"Sir? I could prepare some sleeping medication if you would like."

"You're an angel, Jarvis. Truly a gift from God." A quirky smile lit up the man's features for a split-second. "Oh wait…that would be me. Bam!" An indistinct gesture towards the lofty ceiling proceeded this pronouncement, followed by a crackly giggle as the desired sleeping pills were delivered to his waiting palm. A quick swig of water sent the drugs on their way, and Tony fell back against the pillows to await the inevitable.

"Good night, Jarvis."

"Good night, sir."

Even with the pills, sleep came slowly for the self-proclaimed genius. The hollow silence set Tony on edge, frayed as his nerves were by months of constant nightmares and lost sleep. The only solace from this unease came in the form of machines; inventing, building, repairing, suits, artificial intelligence, other software, gadgets, technology. It was all he had, and it never left. He was never without it, some small reminder of his workroom, his sacred refuge of whirring parts and metallic hearts and brains and minds, all of which he could call his own. All his, for once, his own creations laid forth in a grotesque shrine to his own inability to function normally.

And then there was Jarvis, the pinnacle of it all. If his machines were his children, then Jarvis was his best friend, his only friend; in fact, the stately AI served as his best friend, his mother, father, teacher, mentor, babysitter, lover, pet and any other social position Tony could possibly require. He lived in solitude, relying purely on his own ingenuity to satisfy his growing need for social interaction. Jarvis was always there to talk, regardless of the situation or Tony's mental state or any other ridiculous scenario life could chuck the man into.

"Jarvis?"

Tony's heart leapt into his throat as the echoes of his voice died unanswered.

"Yes, sir?"

Relief, blissful relief… "Have you ever been in love?"

"Pardon me for saying so, sir, but if I had eyes I would roll them."

"Alright then, have you ever gone crazy?" Another brief pause.

"Sir, you did not program me to be insane; quite the opposite, as a matter of fact."

Tony smiled cheekily at the wall as he curled around a giant pillow in the middle of his bed. "How about-"

"Sir, as much as I would love to chat, I must insist that you get some rest. I would hate to tranquilize you, but I was programmed to monitor and, if necessary, regulate your well-being."

"Ooo, kinky. I thought you said you couldn't talk dirty Jarvis." He was tired…he was safe though, he had his machines, his suits… He could sleep, right?

"A happy accident, sir."

"Good night, Jarvis."

"Good night, sir."

There was that softness again, the silky black against his skin. Comforting now, almost affectionate…

Humans believed machines to be cold and calculating, chill against the warmth of skin and flesh and bone. Tony knew otherwise. Technology was a part of everything, every plant, every animal, every human; advancements were constantly being made, bugs diagnosed and fixed, impractical prototypes weeded out. Machines were but a physical manifestation of these everyday practices, able to be harnessed and put to use, controlled by impossibly yielding human hands.

No nightmares plagued Tony Stark that night. His dreams were filled instead with dancing manifestations of his own creations; gleaming schematics for another project, unfeasibly complicated notes detailing new software, wires and circuits and deliciously expensive metals blending together and resulting in a lustrous state of blessed assurance.

The technology would always be there; the technophilia would always be a crushing, glorious disease Tony couldn't- wouldn't- shake.


I love that word. Technophilia. Anyway, expect some Clint and Natasha and Steve and Thor and Banner and possibly Loki. And lots of Tony and lots of Jarvis. And yeah, I know his name is probably supposed to be an acronym or something, but I don't care. I want him to seem more human.

On an unrelated note, expect a oneshot/short story concerning an Avengers camping trip soon. This plot baby won't go away, so it must be acted on soon.

Please favorite, follow and REVIEW *hinthint* if you like it so far, and thanks for reading~