Chapter 10: Don't Stop Me Now

Clint took charge and intended to keep Steve and Tony SEPARATED. There was no way in hell he was going to leave them alone together or allow them to talk like that ever again.

NO. That was not going to happen on his watch.

Steve eventually went back into the hotel and it was his turn to get some sleep. He told Clint that he wasn't tired which was complete bullshit. As soon as Steve had his head against the pillow the super soldier was ASLEEP.

HAH. Clint saw that and he was proud to be right. (like always)

He looked at one bed and saw Tony asleep. Then he looked at the other bed and saw Steve asleep. Clint was afraid to blink because if he closed his eyes he was afraid those two would jump into bed together AGAIN.

He didn't trust them to control themselves. HE WAS NOT GUNNA TRUST STEVE.

The two slept until 9 AM. Tony woke up first. Clint watched him as he stole a towel and headed into the bathroom.

He was headed to take that shower that he tried to take the day before. Tony needed it. Clint heard the shower turn on and he stood up to get some food out of the box that Obadiah's housekeeper packed for them.

He was starved at that point and he wasn't ashamed to dig through the box. Ooh it was all typical "road trip" food. Clint started to eat one of the granola bars and he tossed one at Steve when he began to wake up.

"Good morning sunshine. Look, there are wraps in here. Want one?" Clint started to eat one. He noticed Tony's bag over on the floor.

They forgot to confiscate his drugs. Clint knew that the kid was bound to have a truckload of them stuffed in some secret pocket.

He looked at Steve. Steve said nothing to him. He simply sat on the edge of the bed and started to eat the granola bar.

"WHAT? I get the silent treatment now because you keep screwing up?" How rude. Clint sighed and continued to eat. Steve pulled the box over and he started to dig through it. He found apples and decided to take a few of those.

He still didn't say anything to Clint.

"You don't want to talk to me? FINE."

Clint took a huge bite out of the delicious wrap and began to chew. It would have been better if he warmed it up but, meh he didn't feel like it. Steve just ignored him.

Several minutes later Tony emerged from the bathroom wrapped up in the small towel.

"I almost slipped and fell on my ass twice getting out of that shower." He said to the guys in the room as he walked over to his bag.

Clint looked up. Steve looked up.

They both stared at Tony. He held onto the towel as he reached down and picked up his bag. Tony dug through it. Steve stood and walked up beside him. Tony felt nervous the moment Steve was next to him. He continued to dig through his bag and started to chew on his bottom lip. Tony busied himself.

He wanted to go back to that kiss. Tony enjoyed it and he wished it never ended. He brought out a pair of pants and he finally looked in the Yankee's direction.

"You need to give me whatever drugs you have. I'm going to ask you for them because I don't want to go through your things." Steve asked as Tony looked extremely offended and stunned. UHHWHUUUT? Tony's jaw fell open.

Steve and Tony stared at each other.

Clint just laughed at the two. The way they challenged one another was top dollar entertainment for the archer.

"I don't have any." Tony said weakly as he stared into his bag. LIKE HELL he was going to give up his master collection.

Damn it. Tony kicked himself because he put his entire stash into one stupid ziplock bag.

He looked at Steve and he started to glare at him.

"AY you know what Yankee, I'm not as out of control as people think I am. Cocaine is cool you jerk and my drugs that make sex amazing are FUN. OK? I actually GRASP what I'm doing. It's just my standards of control are not as high or as acceptable as yours. Err OR WHATEVER." Tony just vented and said whatever came to his mind because he didn't want to give up his stash.

The friggen Yankee was being lame.

"This is not a game, and I don't care what your level of control is. We are going to be up against someone that will kill you if you're not coherent. Tony you will die. So please just give me whatever drugs you have."

Ok the part Tony mentioned about drugs that made sex amazing? Steve could have done without that. He didn't want to hear anything like that from Tony.

He held out his hand and Tony's face grew angry.

"You're here to protect me RIGHT?!" Tony turned his way and challenged the taller man.

"I AM HERE TO PROTECT YOU. But I can't protect someone that is all drugged up." Steve actually raised his voice at Tony.

Ho hooo it was like they were out on the battlefield. Clint watched intently as he opened up another granola bar.

Tony was the fire and Steve was the water. Or, well he was the gasoline in this current situation.

"You didn't do jack shit to protect me the other night. He probably paid you to leave the house. Or lure me into a false sense of security THEN HAVE ME KILLED." Tony closed up his bag and gripped it tight.

Fuck off. He wasn't going to give in. Steve was instantly confused.

"What?" Steve's face felt hot. He wondered what Tony meant and he stared in shock. What was Tony talking about?

Clint was confused too. That was a direction he didn't predict.

"Who would pay me to do that? Tony, what are you talking about?"

"NOTHING. Just forget it." Tony shook his head and he ripped his bag back open. UGH stupid people. He clawed through his bag and located his stash.

"Are you talking about Obadiah? Wait. Hold on, what are you saying?" Something wasn't right. Steve did not like what he said at all and he wanted to know where it came from. Steve gently tried to turn Tony in his direction.

"What happened in the house? I was outside because he had to go somewhere." Steve pointed at Clint. Tony just stood there and glared.

Steve didn't care about the drugs at that point. He wanted to know what Tony meant.

"Tony talk to me." He said the exact same thing to the adult Tony before he took on the mission.

Both Tony's had the same exact reaction. They both got angry. Tony jerked away from him. He shoved the massive bag of drugs against Steve's chest.

"THERE. Take it. Can I go get dressed now?" Tony let go of the stash and it fell into Steve's hands. Tony grabbed his bag and headed back into the bathroom.

The door slammed and the two that were left in the room were completely silent. Clint tried to process. Steve looked down at all the drugs Tony had perfectly organized and sealed. He tossed it in Clint's direction. The archer caught it and his eyes expanded the moment he looked at the contents of the bag.

"HOLY SHIT. Tony could do twenty years in prison if he's caught with something like this." Clint examined the bag in his hands.

Steve tried to breathe and get through all the anger that he had built up in his head. Obadiah needed to die. It would take all of him not to murder the man when he saw him again.

Clint could see the anger build up in Steve. He needed to get his mind out of those dark and scary places. Obadiah was a creep and obviously took advantage of Tony in any way he could. It was horrible but, it was Tony's past.

Clint figured out that the sex the two had in the house wasn't very consensual. That explained why it was so hostile at the breakfast table. Clint needed to snap Steve out of the rage he could see.

"What's the plan CAP? Are we going to lure out Bucky and go guns blazing? With no guns, I will add. We have no weapons other than mine. I will keep bringing it up until you talk to me." Clint stated the facts and Tony overheard.

He was almost dressed and he listened to "James" talk about not having weapons. And did he say Cap? Tony wondered if it was a nickname for the Yankee.

He was too annoyed and dropped the thought. Well, Tony had a solution for the guns part of the discussion but he needed to calm down first. He stared at himself in the mirror and started to brush his teeth.

Tony realized a lot from the Yankee's reaction to what he said to him. The guy had no idea what he was talking about.

He didn't know what Obidiah did. Tony rubbed his arms a million times and thought about taking another shower.

Tony felt stupid after he blurted out all that shit but he got so damn angry! Saaa he brushed his teeth then he washed his face. The cold water helped him cool off. Eventually, Tony left the bathroom and he avoided eye contact with the Yankee.

He went straight up to James Romanov and he took one of the granola bars.

"You know my dad manufactures weapons right? I can make weapons too but, I've got better shit to do." Tony freed the bar from the package and took a bite.

Clint smiled. That was the most amazing thing he had ever heard. He was about to burst into tears and hug Tony for being such a smart little junkie brat.

OK. CLINT JUMPED UP AND HUGGED HIM.

"AWWW YOU HAVE MADE MY DAY YOU LITTLE MONSTER!" Clint gave him a warm hug but Tony was confused.

Uhh he tried to eat but his arms were trapped.

Steve was relieved to hear what Tony had said as well. He stood up and grabbed his own bag. He needed to shower too and get out of the clothes he was in. He needed to do it at a quick pace because in Steve's opinion they had stayed in the hotel for far too long.

"You need to contact your father."

Tony looked in Steve's direction but did not make eye contact.

"I can call him. He can give me the security code to his work shop back home. Then you guys will have all sorts of stuff to kill people with."

"HOLY SHIT! THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!" It was like Christmas for Clint.

He handed Tony the phone that was beside the bed. Call him nooowwwww. Tony eyed the phone and walked over. Tony dialed his father's number and waited to hear his voice. Steve set his things in the bathroom and then walked back in Clint's direction.

"Yo buddy, do you have any extra socks I can borrow?" Clint tried to get a reaction out of Steve.

Steve hid the smile that formed, but it was a challenge.

"I need a pair of socks. I didn't pack any. I know you packed a few."

Steve wanted to punch him. He ignored him and continued to say nothing to him. Tony started to talk to his father.

"Dad?" he said into the phone and he waited for a response. "Yes Anthony. I'm here. Are you doing ok?"

"Oh, I'm just peachy. Still alive. How's mom?" Tony was worried more about his mother. His dad had to control absolutely everything in the world so Tony knew that his smug ass was ok.

"She's fine."

"Can I talk to her?" Tony bit at his lip and tried to forget about the dream he had.

"No. We shouldn't talk for too long because someone could be tapping into our phones."

"OK Mr. Paranoia. I will make this brief then! I need you to give me access to your work station. What's the password."

"Why the hell would I let you into my shop."

Tony tensed up and his voice got louder.

"These guys need weapons because of the terminator that is going to fucking kill me. Remember?! We happen to have a house full of weapons."

"Let me talk to one of them." His father said as Tony scowled into the phone.

He handed the phone to Clint with a glare. He was done talking to that jerk. Tony walked back over to Steve and it sounded like he stomped his foot.

"Can I at least have my cigarettes?! I can be coherent with those." He snapped at the Yankee.

Steve sighed and nodded his head. He didn't like cigarettes, but if it made Tony a little less on edge then that was fine with him.

He retrieved Tony's cigarettes and lighter from the bag and he handed them to him. Tony snatched them from his hand and thought about yelling at him again. Clint received all the details from his dad and Tony just stared at Steve.

He wanted to spit fire and say rude things. Tony wanted to tell him that he hated him or something but when they made eye contact he changed his mind. Tony stared for a moment and thought it through.

"Thank you." He said in a quiet voice as he headed for the door. Steve gave him his space. Tony sat outside the door and he lit up his cigarette. He didn't care how the rest of the conversation went.

He was pissed off AGAIN. He didn't get to talk to his mom.

What a fuckinggg JERKKKKKK... Howard gave them the password to enter his work space so Steve took his shower. Tony finished his cigarette and Clint packed up. Eventually, Tony helped him and they got the car ready.

The car was gassed up and on the road within the hour. They were headed to one of Howard's estates back in Malibu. It was Tony's future home but without all the bells and whistles that Tony added later on in his life.

Luckily for Clint and Steve, they knew exactly where it was. They had a two hour drive ahead of them. Clint decided to make the most of it and engaged Tony in conversation.

"So, when you said you have "better shit to do" than make weapons what did you mean?" Steve drove that time so Clint sat back a bit towards his door and he was shifted more in Tony's direction.

The archer still got the cold shoulder from Steve, but that was ok. Tony was happy to answer the question.

"When I was at MIT I was working on a project so I could have ah uhh well, think of it like an electronic butler. If I want to know the time I don't want to check my stupid watch. NO! I just want to ask my electronic butler and have him tell me! Isn't that cool?"

Steve looked at him in the mirror.

Jarvis. He laughed to himself because Tony invented the very thing he spoke about.

"I want to be able to say, HEY call Obi for me. Then my butler will call. My dad keeps taking on all these government projects and putting all of us in danger with his STUPID SPY BULLSHIT. I think way outside the box I don't have time to waste making stupid weapons. I can make weapons in a heartbeat. It's just simple mechanics! My dad just does it to fund all his annoying side projects that are going to get my mother killed."

Tony still fumed about not getting to talk to his mother. But, he was happy to talk about his own projects and share his own ideas and dreams.

"My butler program is probably stupid to you guys since you're both from outer space. Hmm but whatever I didn't really get to work on it since I was pulled out of school." Tony shrugged and he lit another cigarette.

SINCE THEY TOOK HIS DRUGS Tony planned to smoke the whole damn pack. He searched through his bag for his cassettes. Tony handed the bundle of them to Clint.

"Put some music on. I'm going to die in here if we don't have any music."

"Yes sir!" Clint sarcastically saluted Tony and then he looked through the tapes.

hahah cassette tapes.

Elsewhere, HYDRA traced the phone call to Howard Stark. Howard was in Japan according to the location they traced.

Well, they would catch up to him at some point. Right now their objective was his son.

The HYDRA crusader recorded the conversation and knew exactly where they were headed. The group was already on their way from MIT and they had branched out to multiple locations in order to find Tony.

They had agents already placed in New York and Los Angeles and now they all closed in. The Winter Soldier was on his way to the Stark home in Malibu. He would intercept those that were there to protect Anthony Edward Stark and kill them all.

10:38 AM IN THE PRESENT

Tony was locked up in his shop and made sure Jarvis would not let anyone in. Absolutely no one was granted access.

TONY'S HEART WAS OFFICIALLY CLOSED so fuck off.

He told his AI that he was not intoxicated, not in danger, and absolutely not in the need of any company. SO Pepper's access would be denied, Rhodey's access would be DENIED, and any Avenger's access would be D-E-N-I-E-D.

Tony continued to run that meeting through his head over and over. The transmission of Steve was rotated in his brain and he couldn't stop it from its endless loop.

Steve said, "We were headed to Clint's family home in Iowa but we ran into some complications. There is a possibility that Hydra is sending Bucky to kill Tony. They mentioned that the person had a metal arm. We're in a hotel for now."

In Steve Rogers voice Tony heard uncertainty. He heard hesitation in Steve's voice when he spoke about Bucky. He heard DOUBT in his voice and a lack of confidence when he said that they ran into "complications". Everything was off about Steve and Tony knew that Fury was too stupid to see it.

Well Tony saw it and he wasn't going to ignore it. It sounded like Steve needed help.

The soldier was obviously blind-sided by his mission and Tony could see that he had none of his Captain America equipment to help him actually bring in Bucky. Clint's arrows were not going to be enough.

Nope. Tony wasn't going to allow that.

He locked himself in his shop immediately after he met with Fury and he started to build his own time-machine. He never thought to build one before. But if Fury and friends could do it and that idiot company ROXXON could do it without him well?

Tony knew he'd have no problem constructing one of his own.

He had already been working on the mathematics behind a time-machine for several hours. Actually, Tony thought about the mathematics behind a time-machine while he sat at that table and listened to Steve say the words, "we have left Obadiah's home."

He began to grid up some proto-types for several more hours. It was already the next morning and Tony started on the brickwork for his machine. While he started to weld he had Jarvis construct him a new suit. He couldn't go back in time and have his younger self see anything that resembled his future tech.

No way. Tony DID NOT want to fuck up his own future. He'd seen the Butterfly Effect ok? Tony had the music play loudly and it echoed throughout the work space. Jarvis turned it down so Tony could hear him.

"Sir, it's time to decide on a color scheme for this suit."

Tony stopped welding the metal and he set the torch down. Tony had to think about it because he didn't want to – AH! An idea sprung to his head.

"When I was around fifteen I thought I saw a guy all decked out in silver. He was helping my dad with something but I remember him being silver from head to toe." Tony thought for a minute.

"Well, I don't remember if I actually saw a person or imagined it after watching The Terminator too many times but the point is, I still remember that image today."

Tony continued to talk to and bring his AI down memory lane.

"Right sir. So the color scheme would be?" Jarvis wasn't fit to comprehend memory lane.

"I'm getting there Jarv. If I make a silvery metal suit and my younger self sees it then I'll just think it was the silver person I saw helping my dad when I was fifteen. Jarvis make sure it looks nothing like my tech. It has to look like liquid metal. Smoothe it out. You reading me buddy?"

"Loud and clear sir. I've changed up the diagram and it's awaiting your approval." Tony looked at the screen that had the new suit all on display for him.

"I took the slim look of the Silver Centurion armor, added longer strips of melted titanium to the exterior, so your arc reactor will not be displayed. Also, I've removed all the excess plating. You will still be able to move with ease and you will appear like liquid metal sir."

Saa it was a thing of beauty. Tony was very proud. His smile was wide. "Perfect. Send that baby to the showers."

Tony approved the new plans and he turned back to his time machine. He had the foundation built already. Now he had to build the body that would encase his armor. He still had a lot of work to do and he knew he didn't have a lot of time. Tony hopped back into his work area and he tugged his welding goggles over his eyes.

The music was turned back up and Tony went straight to work.

Notes: BOOM. Another chapter gone. Thanks for reading loves see you again soon! COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK ARE LOVE! xDD