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Tony opened his eyes, wincing at the light streaming in through the windows. His head was pounding and he could hardly remember the events of the night before. All he remembered was a man with a blue scarf and a deal he had made. He put his fingers to his temples, massaging them as he slowly brought himself to standing.
He surveyed the damage. The display case was open and his suit was sparkling clean, sitting in it. The floor had been newly vacuumed and soaked, and was impeccable. The glasses were all in their places, the empty bottle had disappeared. Tony shook his head, he wasn't certain, but he was pretty sure that the house had been a lot worse off.
He heard two voices in the kitchen, talking, in hushed whispers. He stumbled in to reveal Nick Fury and Agent Romanoff sitting across from each other at the kitchen table.
Natalia stood up, smiling. "Have a nice sleep Stark?"
"As a matter of fact, I did. Now, is it okay for me to ask what you are doing in my kitchen, or is it really none of my business?"
Fury sighed, furrowing his eyebrows. "We were informed of the security breach at your house last night, we sent Agent Romanoff over to check it out, turns out that all you needed was a cleaning lady and to be tucked in. Need I remind you of the issues we already have, keeping the initiative a secret. Please, Mr. Stark, for the sake of everyone: Don't be stupid."
Tony laughed, showing his perfect teeth, "Me? Stupid, what do you take me for?
Natalia scoffed, picking a bright red apple out of the fruit bowl sitting on the counter and taking a bite, passing by him on her way out the door, leaving the two men alone.
"In the meantime we will have someone to come stay with you. We have a few people in mind before we transfer all of you into SHEILD headquarters and you can stay there."
"I really don't think I need to be babysat."
Nick Fury stood up and unlocked his cell phone, pushing it into Tony's face.
The display showed a rather unflattering picture of Tony himself, on the ground, passed out, soaked in sweat, surrounded by pools of his own puke. He looked terrible. Tony winced.
"I don't this is what a grown man should look like, do you?" Fury said, putting his phone away.
"Well, I definitely don't think that a child should look that way." Tony said, looking straight into his eyes.
Nick Fury crossed over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I think it is advised." He smiled sharply, patting him on the back twice before turning to leave.
"I don't need a babysitter." Tony said, stopping him dead in his tracks.
"You can make enemies, Mr. Stark, and trust me, you wouldn't want me to hate you."
"Hm, that's funny, last time I checked, I was the CEO of one of the biggest weapon industries of the world. And you? You are trying to revive a superhuman program that was big in the seventies. You also lost the most powerful energy supply known to mankind because someone waltzed in and took it from you. And, if I remember correctly, I am funding this little project of yours. You need me."
"If you don't keep quiet, Mr. Stark, I will make you, is that clear?"
"My house, my rules" Tony said with a smirk, which faltered when he saw the look on Fury's face.
"I will be sending a copter here in a few days to bring you into SHIELD, all of the members will rendezvous there as a trial run, to prepare and debrief. If you refuse, I gave them permission to taser. But I really don't want to resort to that." And with that, Fury walked right by him, leaving Tony Stark standing in his kitchen with a baffled expression on his face.
…
He continued his day fairly regularly. Taking an aspirin and lying on the couch with a cold compress on his head, keeping all of the drapes closed and the lights off. He didn't remember what it was he agreed to, but he knew it must have been something important. He remembered a tall man with a blue scarf and a very suave coat who didn't want the suit. He couldn't remember why though.
He looked over at the coffee table, where his old chest piece was sitting. He remembered the phone call and suddenly it all came rushing back to him. The invincibility, the man who wanted an inconspicuous device that would maintain life, the British man who knew everything. He knew about the initiative. Sherlock Holmes. The name stuck in his head, repeating itself over, and over, and over again.
He pushed the panic away, as he felt it rising in his chest, a blue light radiating in the center. His life.
He thought about Nick Fury and the whole Avengers project. He wanted to save the world as much as the next guy, but he really wasn't a favourite with the people involved. Agent Romanoff hated him, Nick Fury hated him and the rest of the members were all a mystery. He hadn't really been told anything. He sighed, closing his eyes. He should have done his research. He usually did. He was angry with himself.
There was a buzzing at the intercom. His babysitter, he presumed. He reassured himself, putting on his million-dollar smile and matting down his hair and moustache, checking to see in the mirror what he looked like.
"Not too shabby," He winked at himself. Nonchalant. No panic, nothing wrong. He pushed away all the feelings with a sigh.
He walked over and checked the security camera to reveal a small car with tinted windows. He bit his lip in anger.
"Jarvis, who is at the door"
"I'm not sure, sir, my system is not able to identify"
"Alright, turn on the intercom." He said, reluctantly.
"Of course"
"Hello?" Tony said into the speaker.
The car honked.
"Who are you?"
The car honked twice
"I need to identify you before you're allowed in, sorry."
The car honked three times.
"Sorry, no can do."
The car honked once for a painful amount of time. Tony waited until the horn went silent, without showing how uncomfortable it was making him feel. He wasn't worried about the neighbours, seeing as though he didn't have any, but it was loud and hurting his, still tender, head. The annoying sound was feeling less and less authoritative and more and more irritating.
"Not going to happen," he said.
The car window slowly rolled down, revealing the man who he had been thinking about, not minutes earlier.
"Please?" Sherlock said, in a very serious tone, displeased at the thought of ruining a very dramatic entrance.
Tony rolled his eyes. "You again. Hooray."
"I am detecting sarcasm."
"Why yes! Yes you are." Tony laughed, incredulous.
"I see. Well I've come to solidify our deal. You've had most of the day to think about it. You slept on the sofa, I presume? Or was it just the floor. " Sherlock paused, analyzing the entire conversation that was had and the state of entrance to the house. "I wasn't inclined to move you."
"Right. Well, bye bye now."
"No. I am here for your end of the deal. In return I can offer you my services. I figure your boss was here, or something of the sort. The Avengers initiative. I can be a great asset." there was a long pause as Sherlock struggled to spit out the last of his sentence "Please"
"How do you know all that?" Tony said, feeling slightly exposed, eyeing his apartment. If there were any secret cameras or weird electronic hookups that weren't authorized, Jarvis would have found them and fried them. He remembered trying to put in his I-Phone before letting Jarvis know. No, his house was definitely not bugged. He felt an odd spark of excitement rise in his chest.
"Maybe if you would let me in, I would show you." Sherlock growled.
"Jarvis, are there any weapons in the car?"
"Negative."
"Alright. Let him in."
The gate opened, giving access to the house.
"Thank you." Sherlock said, exasperated
