Chapter 56

Playing Doctor

"Bruce, this is amazing. You're amazing, don't ever leave us." Tony said as he shoveled food into his mouth. Bruce had made some kind of sweet chili chicken dish with coconut rice as a side and Tony was busy feeding himself into a coma. Maybe curried chicken wasn't strictly a breakfast food but god damn, it was good.

"Do you think she'd be okay to have some?" Steve asked, returning to the dining room with a fresh jug of cold water for everyone. Natasha took the jug from Steve and refilled everyone's glasses so that Steve could sit down and eat.

"From what I can tell, she hasn't eaten in over a week. I don't know how far into starvation she's gotten. I don't want to risk her body going into shut down from solid food. Some juice and a protein shake should be okay, if she drinks them slowly." Bruce told Steve, holding a hand over his plate to stop Tony from stealing his naan bread. He kept his hand over his plate while he reached for the plate full of naan bread at the end of the table and moved it over to Tony.

Bruce began to eat now that Tony was satisfied with Bruce's offering of naan bread and was no longer trying to steal off of Bruce's plate.

"We've got heaps of protein shakes in the fridge, I'll take some down to her. I'm not sure what juice we've got though, besides that fancy stuff Pepper keeps here." Steve said, tearing some naan bread apart as he spoke.

"Go nuts, I'll get some new bottles sent over with the next grocery order. She'll understand." Tony said, with a wave of his hand to show just how 'whatever' Pepper would be about it. "You gotta eat first, she can wait. Was that rude? I shouldn't be rude to her."

Steve laughed at the comment, it was good to hear Tony's voice again. Everyone was glad they'd found him alive, though they weren't really expecting The Doctor to be with him. Clockwork had been at the tower to collect her new suit when Peter had come to Steve, about his concerns for Tony's whereabouts. Clockwork had told them they could give her a call if they needed help finding him, since he'd upgraded the suit. She'd seen the SHIELD helicopters and decided it would be a good time to test the new suit.

"I won't tell her, don't worry." Steve said, grinning over the table at Tony who glared back. They ate and talked, enjoying their company as a full team; Peter was there, in the lounge. He was watching something on TV, not wanting to be near the others but wanting to hear their voices. He hadn't told them that, just said he felt super tired. The team chalked it up to him having been so nervous the last few days, so they let the kid relax.

Once he was finished eating, Steve grabbed a bottle of juice and two proteins shakes from the fridge. He placed one of the shakes onto the couch besides Peter and kept walking, heading down to the med-bay, where he could hear talking in one of the private rooms.

"A week! You were gone for over a week! Of course I was worried!"

"I already told you, I don't need you to worry about me."

"Well obviously I didn't listen to you!"

"I told you! I don't need to be fucking looked after! You just can't wrap your beautiful fucking head around it!"

"…Are you finished yelling at me now?"

"No! I have plenty to yell about, I was kidnapped! I've had a shitty week and I want to go home!"

"You will get to go home, I just want to make sure you're safe to do so. We can arrange for a hotel or something, just-"

"I can't be with you at a hotel, or here, I need to go home."

That made Steve stop outside the little side room they were in. He'd been tidying up the main area quickly before heading over to them. He stopped, outside of their view, and froze. The emphasis on be was what caught his attention.

"…Are you being a nasty bitch to me because you're in a mood? You're ridiculous. I am not getting intimate with you after your shoulder was-"

"Shut up."

There was what sounded like a quick scuffle, and someone fell against a table with a pained groan. Steve quickly stepped into the doorway to make sure no one was hurt. The two women were near one of the metal tables; Clockwork was leaning back against the table, with the Doctor pressed into her, their chests pressed together. Steve stepped back quickly and headed to the elevator, leaving the drinks on one of the benches in the main area.

He paused inside the elevator, and thought for a moment.

"Friday, can you lock down the medbay? Without telling anyone why?"

"Of course, Captain Rogers."

"Good." He said, and took a deep breath. He stepped out into the lounge, to find everyone gone and the kitchen clean. Peter was curled up on the couch, watching footage from the rooftop. He had a pad of lined paper and different coloured pens near his hands.

"…What are you up to?" Steve asked, standing behind the couch.

"It was the suit's first real test today, so I'm taking notes on what we could change." Peter said, pulling his blanket tighter around him, relaxing into the soft fabric.

"Sounds good." Steve said, then continued walking to his room. He showered and changed into clothes for the day since he was going to go grocery shopping with Bruce, maybe Natasha if they could drag her along. He was distracted while he got ready; what the hell had he walked in on?

It wasn't that it was two women, he had no issue with that. It was…who, he had walked in on. Something about those two women actually being close, made him pause and think but he couldn't place why. Was it because they were both criminals? He wasn't actually sure if Clockwork was a criminal, so that wasn't it. Maybe it was just that he'd misunderstood their relationship. He'd figured it was at most a tense friendship, maybe more built on 'favors' than an actual friendship. The Doctor didn't seem much like someone who would want that kind of intimacy.

Yes, that was it. He was simply shocked by it, that was all. He had no issue with them, not really; The Doctor freaked him out a bit, that was a definite but it was hard to be frightened of her when she'd been so broken just the day before. He'd never tell her that though. He finished getting ready and grabbed two more protein shakes from the fridge; one for him and one for Bucky, before he had to leave with Bruce.

"Taking more down?" Tony asked from the kitchen table. Steve snorted at the look of annoyance on Tony's face.

"No, these are for me and Bucky, why do you look like that?"

"I can't get into the medbay."

"…Don't you own this place? Why can't you get in?"

"I don't know! Friday said something about the girls wanting 'privacy', whatever the hell that means."

Steve paused. What could he say?"

"They…were arguing, earlier, when I went down. Pretty loudly. Maybe they had a fight?"

"Who had a fight?" Clint asked, walking into the kitchen with Natasha. Both of them were dressed casual, to go out.

Clint must be coming along as well.

"The weird ladies that are in my medbay." Tony said, exasperated.

"Oh those two? Yeah, that's not surprising. They don't get along that great, I figured Clockwork would make sure Doc was alive and then head off, surprised she's still hanging about." Clint said, shrugging. "Are we going now? Natasha said we could get donuts."

"Yeah, let's go." Steve said, shaking his head but smiling. They collected Bruce from the lab, left the protein shake in the gym for Bucky, then headed out.

A few hours later, Clockwork emerged from the medbay to find more drinks for The Doctor. She thought it was only a few hours but it seemed...dark, in the tower.

"Man, Tony Stark never heard of lights?" She asked herself, grumbling. There was a gentle hum, then the room brightened slowly, just enough so she could see her way to the kitchen from the elevator. "The wonder of technology. This place is so fucking weird."

"Apologies Miss, the lights are dimmed if there is nobody present in the vicinity. I was undergoing a maintenance check when you entered the room, so my sensors did not detect you." Friday explained, from the ceiling speakers.

"All good computer lady, I'm just mumbling to myself." She said, opening the fridge and looking at it's contents. "Man I'm sick of protein drinks, do these guys not own anything else? Oh they've got more juice; do you think I'm allowed that?" She asked outloud, wondering if the house was listening.

"Mister Stark confirmed you could help yourself to anything you require." Friday answered.

"Neat, I'm taking all of these then." She grabbed the last three bottles of juice and used her hip to close the fridge door. The fridge closed with a bang, and someone on the couch nearby sat up suddenly, giving a strained yelp as they grabbed onto the back of the couch with their fingertips.

"What-!" She startled at the movement, dropping two of the juice bottles with smashed against the ground and spilt over the tiled floor; who even makes drink bottles out of glass? Idiots, dammit.

"Mister Stark?" Peter asked, struggling to catch his breath. "We've gotta…he's missing…we-" Peter jumped off the couch at the noise from the bottles breaking. His foot caught the coffee table and stumbled forward, landing on the ground with a thud.

"Whoa, kid!" She half shouted, putting the unbroken bottle on the dining table so she could hold her hands up. "Easy, I'm just getting drinks."

"Mister Stark has been notified of Peter's distress." Friday announced.

"Ahh fuck, why?!" She shouted. "Come on, I just needed drinks!"

"Peter!?" Tony shouted as he stepped out of the elevator, catching her figure off to his side. "What happened? What did you do?!"

"Miss Clockwork was retrieving drinks from the fridge. The sound of the fridge closing startled Peter awake, causing her to drop her drinks in surprise." Friday answered.

"Oh thank the computer lady gods, jesus christ." She mumbled, looking at the mess of glass and juice at her feet. "God I am so over today."

"Go back to medbay. I'll clean it up, just…fuck off." Tony said without looking over at her, crouching down to pull Peter towards him.

"Can do, boss." She said, grabbing the last drink and heading back into the elevator towards medbay.

A little while later, when Peter was settled in Tony's bed, asleep, Bruce called for Tony to join him in the lab to go over some scans.

"What have you got, doc?" Tony asked when he finally got down to Bruce's lab.

"I've finished the finalized prosthetic plans, just need you to go over them and we can start fabrication."

"Any luck with the rest of the research?"

"…No, we've still got no idea what's inside her chest."

"Maybe we should…ask her?"

"I'd rather not, thanks."

"Come on, it's fine. Worst she can do is say no."

"You sound awfully confident." Bruce said, shaking his head. He still followed Tony to the medbay however.

"The medbay is under lockdown, my apologies." Friday was telling Tony.

"It's important Friday, open up."

"Medbay is on lockdown."

"Friday! Open up!"

"Very well." Friday finally gave in. Tony grinned at the doors as they slid open and he stepped into the main area of the medbay, noticing that the door to one of the side areas was partially closed.

"…Is that the shirt she was wearing earlier?" Bruce asked, pointing at a shirt on the floor; it had been stained with blood and dirt. The Doctor had refused all offers of a spare shirt from the team. "Did someone convince her to get changed?"

"Good for her, she needed to get cleaned up." Tony said, stepping over to the door and pushing it open slowly; surprising two potentially murderous people wasn't a good idea, and he hoped to live through this. The first thing he noticed was a second shirt on the ground, as well as a pair of black leggings.

"Huh." Tony said as he scanned the ground for more clothes and a little further into the room he noticed something on the ground. He moved over and realized it was a very expensive looking bra.

"Tony?" Bruce asked, glancing around the room which was empty of people besides the two of them.

"Uhhh…."

"I don't want to go anywhere." A voice came from a corner of the room that was blocked off by a heavy white curtain suspended from the ceiling.

"You're bloody, dirty and sweaty. You need to have a shower." Someone said back, gently. "You can go home when you're looking less…halfway to dead."

"Well it's your fault I look like this, not mine."

"Only one of those things is my fault, thank you very much. Go have a shower, it's bound to be nicer than your shower at home. You're in the Avengers Tower, you brat."

"Sounds like you've become a fan."

"Did you see my suit?" Clockwork asked, and Tony could hear the smugness.

"Fine, only if you're going to join me."

"You say it like you had a choice."

The curtain began to shift, and a hand appeared at the edge to pull it aside.

"Gogogogo!" Tony said quickly, pushing Bruce back and out of the room, then they kept going, running into the elevator and shouting for Friday to get them out of there. They stumbled out into the lounge, where the rest of the team were hanging out, getting lunch ready.

"What's wrong with you two?" Bucky asked from the dining table, where he was setting the table for lunch.

"We- they- in the lab!" Tony tried to say, lost for words at what they'd very nearly walked in on. Had walked in on; oh my god what had they walked in on?!

"…What the hell happened?" Clint asked, carrying a huge bowl of potato salad over and putting in the middle of the table, carefully so that he didn't disturb the work Bucky had done already.

"Well." Bruce said, trying to catch his breath. He hadn't planned on running today. "We…I think we walked in on the two of them playing doctor."

The team was silent.

Bucky was the first one to burst into laughter, followed by Clint and Natasha. Steve…looked suspiciously unsurprised.

"Steve…you don't seem very…stunned by this." Bruce pointed out, and Steve looked sheepishly at the others.

"Steve don't tell me you guessed it already and didn't tell us!" Tony said, ignoring how loud the others were laughing.

"Err, no. I overheard them talking the other day."

"…You said they were fighting!"

"They were! Then they weren't."

"…What did they say?" Bruce asked.

"Well, they were mostly fighting about how Clockwork wasn't allowed to be worried about The Doctor, and someone…hit a table I guess? So I went into make sure they weren't trying to kill each other and…"

"Oh my god did you walk in on them getting it on?!" Clint asked in a shout, which made the three of them laugh even harder.

"They were just kissing!" Steve shouted the correction, trying to defend himself.

"…You put the medbay on lockdown, didn't you!" Tony shouted accusingly.

"I didn't see anything wrong with asking Friday to keep people out." Steve said, shrugging.

"…How muscly is she?" Tony asked, suddenly very serious.

"What?" Steve stared at Tony, taken aback by the question.

"Dude, I saw her arms, she's like a fucking tank."

"…They were dressed when I went down."

"Man, I know I shouldn't want to know but-"

Tony was cut off by the vent in the ceiling suddenly opening and Peter dropping down, gently landing on the dining table and jumping onto the floor, without disturbing the table setting.

"What the fuck-" Clint stepped back into Natasha, who shoved him aside into Bucky. "Where'd you come from?!"

"The ceiling?" Peter asked, pointing up at the vent. "Sorry if I'm late for lunch, I got caught in the elevator."

"What? How?" Clint asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That Clock lady was in there, she asked me if there was a shower they could use. I told them there were some spare guest rooms on the floor above this one."

"…You mean where Loki is currently staying?" Tony asked, breaking into a grin. "Good, he can deal with them. Can we just…have lunch, and ignore how today is currently going?"

"Yes!" Peter said, dropping into a seat. "I'm sick of today, why is a Saturday so awful?"

"Mighty Peter, what troubles you?" Thor asked as he dropped into a dining chair. When did he get there? He was getting stealthier, somehow. Likely Loki's fault.

"Just stuff with the decathlon team and the apartment and just…life? And! I can't believe some of the stuff we overlooked with the suit!"

"Like what? We were fine-toothed-comb careful with that thing." Tony said, sitting next to Peter at the table. Peter aimed his wrist at the vent and shot a web out to grab the notebook that was peeking out over the opening, and pulled it into his hands, to hold it out to Tony.

"…Alright." Tony said, taking the notebook and laying it out on the table, reading over it as the others served lunch. Clint filled Tony's plate and passed it back, amused by Tony taking it without looking up from the book.

"Peter." Tony said later on, once everyone had finished eating.

"Mmm?"

"…We're idiots."

"I know!"

"This could be causing her more pain! We'll need to reconfigure the power supply in the whole suit, she can't wear it out again like this. Come on, we can go start work now." Tony said, leaving the table; Peter followed with a grin, beaming as they made their way to the lab to start work.

They loved working together. Peter was very vocal about it in random bursts of words he'd say then regret. He was still a little awkward around Tony; he didn't want to fall into some kind of hero worship trap. It was easy to forget that Tony wasn't the man the media reported about; he was so much better than that.