Chapter 52
Tony
Tony entered S.H.I.E.L.D. dressed in his normal attire, a suit with a dress shirt. He walked into the elevator to head down to the medical wing of S.H.I.E.L.D. Tony could not believe they actually took down Red Skull. Well, he believed it, but he was more surprised Mark made it out alive and with his powers. Tony figured the Arc Reactor bomb would have taken them all out if Mark didn't manipulate the metal inside it to stabilize the bomb more causing the blast radius to be much smaller.
Tony exited the elevator and walked down the hallway. He opened the door to the hospital room. "How is the patient doing?" Tony asked when he saw Steve propped up in his bed excited. Steve slumped down when he realized it was Tony.
"I am fine, they said once my bones fully heal I can leave. They give it another day," Steve said.
"Well I thought you would be excited to see a friend," Tony said, pointing out Steve's mood.
"Sorry, I thought you were Mark," Steve said.
"He hasn't come in to visit you today?" Tony asked.
"Not yet, He usually is here earlier, but today he is late. I don't know why," Steve said.
"So you and Mark made it official yet?" Tony asked.
Steve let out a little blush at the question; he never was good at hiding things from anyone. "I think so. I mean I want it to be. He said he was my boyfriend when he knocked Red Skull through four crates," Steve said.
"Nothing says 'I'm yours' like causing bodily harm to a super villain for someone," Tony said sarcastically.
Steve laughed at Tony's comment.
"What makes you think you are not together? You both risked each other's live for one another," Tony asked.
"I don't know. I'm worried it was a heat of the moment type of thing. And he risked his life way more times for me than I have for him," Steve said.
"That would tell me he cares for you, Steve. Any sane person could see that," Tony said.
Steve sighed, "You're right. I guess I am just worried he is gone on some crazy, stupid mission again."
"He is known for those, but I would say he has turned over a new leaf and hung up his assassin…" Tony paused for a moment thinking of the right words, "Cape? Hood? Ninja scarf? Whatever assassins wear now a days."
"He doesn't wear any of those, Tony," Steve laughed. "And what makes you think he gave up his assassin life?"
"For one, he didn't kill Winter Soldier. He did proclaim he was going to kill him for what he did," Tony said looking at Steve. "Instead, he brought him in and cuffed him. All because someone asked him to be an Avenger that day and not an assassin."
"You really think he is giving up the assassin life for me? It is his whole world and what he has done for over a hundred years remember," Steve said. He looked down when he realized what he said and the truth behind it.
"I don't think you are giving yourself much credit to the whole thing. He stopped because you asked him to be an Avenger. He also has been a little busy since you have been in this hospital bed," Tony said.
"What do you mean?" Steve asked.
Then the door opened, Tony looked to see who it was. In walked in Mark and Andrea, Mark holding a coffee for himself and Steve's favorite drink for him.
"Are we interrupting something?" Andrea asked with an eyebrow raised.
"It would be quite the scandal if we did," Mark said as he walked over to Steve. Tony noticed Andrea had two sodas, one he hoped was for him. Tony eyed the soda.
"And what makes you think this is for you? I could have gotten both for myself," Andrea said with a smile. Tony kissed Andrea on the cheek and whispered in her ear, "Please?"
"I like it when you beg," Andrea said as she handed him the soda and kissed him on the lips.
"Gross," Mark said as he handed Steve a drink. "Sorry, I am late, got held up a bit getting this for you."
"Don't 'gross' me, you always have to ruin a snuggly moment," Andrea said.
"Only yours," Mark said with a smile. Andrea made a face at him. Tony watched as Steve grabbed the drink and had a small smile on his face.
"What held you up?" Tony asked.
"Nothing major, just a long line and a lot of tourists in the city today," Mark said.
"Liar," Andrea said as she walked over to the television hanging on the wall and turned it on.
"You always need to call me out on things, don't you?" Mark said as he glared at Andrea.
"Only the things you hide which show your good side," Andrea said and then stuck out her tongue.
"That's implying I have a bad side," Mark said. Steve spat some of his drink from laughing at Mark's words. Mark looked over at Steve, "You're not helping."
"What did he lie about?" Tony asked.
"No one is helping my case today!" Mark shouted.
"Shut your face," Andrea said. "I am trying to find it on the news. Oh here we go," Andrea said as she turned the volume up.
Tony watched as the news broadcast spoke about a heist which went down at the local bank. It happened a few blocks away from the coffee shop. The reporter talked about a hero who came in and helped the hostages in the bank. The culprits were in police custody. One was knocked out while two more were found stuck to the walls with daggers. No one knew who the hero was who stopped the bank heist.
Tony looked over to Mark when he saw the photos of the daggers which held the two culprits to the wall. It was the same daggers Mark makes when he manipulates metal in his hand.
"Tourists in the city?" Tony asked.
"They think they own the city. Walking in, demanding money, holding guns to innocent people's heads, such a pain," Mark said as he took a drink of his coffee.
"And no death I see," Tony said and he looked at Steve hinting at his earlier comments.
"Should I have killed them? I am unfamiliar with the Avenger protocol, next time I will make sure they are cold to the touch," Mark said.
Steve grabbed Mark's hand and squeezed it. "What?" Mark said.
"What happened to the way of the assassin?" Steve asked. Mark just laughed at Steve's questions. "Since when has there been 'a way of the assassin?'"
Andrea tried to hold back her laughter, but she spit some soda out as she laughed.
"I think what our friend here is asking, are you trying to be an Avenger?" Tony helped Steve with the question.
"Not sure, it's been a fun run, and I might want to stick around," Mark said with a smile.
"Always with the cryptic messages," Andrea said.
Mark sighed, "Yes, I didn't kill them. Yes, I did that by choice. And yes, I want to stick around. You take the fun out of everything."
"Told you," Tony said to Steve.
Andrea and Mark looked at one another. "I think they are jealous of our secret language and made their own," Mark said.
"The world is jealous of our secret language," Andrea said.
"True," Mark agreed.
They heard a knock at the door. Before Steve could respond, they saw Nick Fury walk in the door.
"Did I hear right or has hell frozen over?" Fury asked.
"Damn," Mark said. "I am never going to live that one down."
"Nope, for once I finally have something to hold over you, so you want to actually join the Avengers," Fury said with a smile.
"I could always hold a knife to your throat again," Mark said.
"Still doesn't compare to the years you argued against it and now you finally want to join. Who said I will let you join the team?" Fury said.
"Well there you have it, folks, Fury said I am not on the team," Mark said as he sat on the bed next to Steve.
"That's not what I said?" Fury argued.
"So I am on?" Mark asked.
"Why do I feel you turned this around on me?" Fury asked.
"Cause it's what I do to the one-eyed man," Mark said with a smile.
"You realize you are the only one I let live after insulting me," Fury said in a firm voice.
"And I take full advantage of that," Mark said with a smile.
Tony looked at Fury, "Why does he get to be the only one who gets away with that?"
"Cause I can only deal with one asshole at a time, Stark. Sadly for you, he was first in line," Fury said. Fury looked back to Mark, "As regards to the team, you know as well as I do, it is a complicated decision. I can't just give the okay to something like that."
Mark sighed, "I know," he said is a serious tone.
Fury threw a letter on the bed, "But in the meantime, you have been summoned."
Mark glared at the letter, "Who did I leave alive to summons me?"
"The United Nations," Fury answered.
Tony looked at the letter in shock, "What?"
"Open the letter, I don't know all the details," Fury said.
Tony watched as Mark picked up the letter and opened it. Mark read the letter.
"I am being summoned to appear in front of the United Nations? What do they want?" Mark asked.
"My guess is to review your stance here at S.H.I.E.L.D." Fury said.
Mark looked at the letter again.
"And it is to discuss your place on the Avengers as well," Tony said.
"Stark is right, this is a big meeting for you," Fury said.
"So it seems," Mark said.
"When is the summons for?" Steve asked.
"It's in about a week and a half," Mark answered.
"Well good, we deserve a break from all this work, I think we should focus on some relaxation time for now," Andrea said.
"You mean until the next crime happens?" Tony said.
"We can always have Mark secretly save the day," Andrea said with a smile. Mark made a face at Andrea.
Mark was just looking at the letter the whole time.
"What has you so interested in the letter, you know when the summons will be," Tony said.
"How do I prepare for this? I mean what will they ask me? And more importantly, should I care what they say? I mean I can just join up if I want to," Mark said in anxiety.
"Yeah if you want war declared on us," Fury said to Mark.
"I am on this side, we would win," Mark said with a smug look on his face.
"But would it cause harm to others around you," Fury said looking at Steve. Mark looked over at Steve in the hospital bed, "True."
"Well let me know how the meeting with the United Nations goes, I got a some other business to attend to, I can't be sitting around like the rest of you," Fury said as he left the room.
Tony looked over to Andrea, "Why don't we grab some lunch and leave these two alone?"
"Something with cheese?" Andrea asked.
"You know it," Tony said as Andrea kissed him. "We will leave you two love birds alone, we will see you at the mansion tomorrow when you are discharged."
"I will see you tomorrow," Steve said with a smile.
"See ya guys," Mark said.
Andrea nudged Mark in a playful way as she walked by, Tony was a little envious of their communication. He had his own communication with Andrea, which left them both exhausted in the bedroom, though.
"So do you think things will go well for Mark at the meeting?" Tony asked as they waited for the elevator.
"Don't know. I am on the same page as Mark. What will they ask? What do they care? I wouldn't mind a war for the right to do what we want," Andrea said.
"You two are unbelievable," Tony said as they walked through the elevator doors.
"Isn't that what drew you to me?" Andrea said with a smile.
Tony paused for a moment to irritate Andrea. It worked, then he kissed her, "Yes and so much more kept me here," Tony said.
"Steve seemed nervous while we were in there, what's up with him?" Andrea asked.
"He thinks Mark doesn't want him anymore. He thought Mark left him again when you guys were late getting the coffees. He is not sure Mark wants to be with him," Tony said.
Andrea laughed and almost fell to the ground if she didn't hold on to Tony's arm. "Really? Wow, that's just bad. He doesn't see how crazy Mark is for him?"
"Nope," Tony answered. "I tried to tell him but he has some doubt in his head about it all. Understandable. Look at Winter Soldier, Steve didn't pick the best person in the past."
"Yeah, let's not mention that name again. Like, ever. Unless I get to hurt him," Andrea said.
"Deal" said Tony.
"So food? And dessert later?" Andrea asked with a smile.
"What did you have in mind for dessert?" Tony asked in a suave way.
"Ice cream of course,"
"Oh," Tony said with some disappointment.
"You are so easy to trick," Andrea said kissing Tony.
"You enjoy doing that to me," Tony said when he pulled away from Andrea's kiss.
"Imagine that, a woman who can tease the infamous Tony Stark," Andrea said.
"You are a one of a kind woman for sure," Tony said wrapping his arm around Andrea's waist as they walked.
"It takes a unique man to be with me," Andrea said.
"That I know," Tony said smiling as he walked to lunch with the woman he wanted to be with at his side.
