A/N* Bit of a short one this week because I'm going back over earlier chapters and polishing them. Have a good week!
Tony Stark barged into Aubrey's room not long after she had changed and was just starting to eat breakfast.
"Nope!" He grabbed her plate of scrambled eggs and took the fork, taking a bite and chewing loudly. "These are delicious by the way."
"I would have known that if you hadn't taken my breakfast," Aubrey grumbled tiredly, not bothering to reach for it back.
"Well it's too late for that now" Tony spoke around a mouthful of eggs as he motioned for Aubrey to get into her wheelchair. She mumbled something under her breath as she situated herself in it, following Tony who was already out of the door. He led her to a room that had been cleared of its contents. Its outside walls were made of glass.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y? Eagle protocol please" he winked at the use of Aubrey's former name.
"Yes boss" F.R.I.D.A.Y responded as the glass tinted gray, a see-through metal sheet coming down to cover them.
"Thank you, okay Aubrey sit down." He positioned himself on the floor several feet from where Aubrey sat on her wheelchair.
"I'm already sitting Sherlock" she snipped.
"I meant on the floor genius."
Aubrey grinned and slid onto the metal floor, using the cold prickle on her legs to center herself. She splayed her fingers on the ground and looked at Tony expectantly. He fiddled with something in his pocket and slid it onto his hand. Holding his hand out, a gasp sounded from her as Aubrey watched Nano's rise up and create a rough square, it's edges weren't sharp but it was more then Aubrey could've done.
"How-" she started but he held up his other hand.
"Close your eyes."
"But-"
"Close your eyes Aubrey" Her eyes fluttered closed as she listened to Tony's instructions.
"Now I want you to concentrate….feel the Nano's in your blood and how they connect to your mind."
"Is this how you-" she tried, excitement in her voice but Tony shushed her.
"Shut up Aubrey and focus"
Aubrey closed her eyes and did what Tony said, feeling the hot zip of the Nano's in her blood, it was then she noticed how they pulsed when she thought about them.
"Okay, now I want you to feel the connection you have with them and just think of what you want them to do."
She breathed deeply and held her hand out, mentally directing the Nanos. A warm tingle started and she heard Tony suck in a breath. Her eyes fluttered open to see a small bird sitting in the palm of her hand. It shimmered a silvery color and it seemed to be buzzing with energy. Leaning closer, Aubrey saw how the Nano's pulsed and moved together, creating the bird down to every last detail. Eagerness welled in her chest and she couldn't help but let a smile light up her face.
"Good" Tony breathed, looking from the bird to Aubrey. "Make it move."
She thought about how a bird moved and tried to make hers do the same but the Nano's flashed and fell apart, entering back into her body through the pores in her skin. Tony's face fell slightly but he shook his head. "It's fine...I haven't been able to make mine do it either." She heard the disappointment in his voice and shrugged, trying not to show how upset she was.
Tony scooted slightly closer and held out his palm, creating another square, he nodded to Aubrey and she breathed deeply, holding her palm out and focusing her eyes on it, willing the Nano's to copy his design. It took several minutes before slowly a stream of Nano's exited from her pores, they clumped together and created a larger version of Tony's square.
"Smaller" he whispered, watching the Nano's movement. Aubrey nodded, puffing a small breath out of her lips as she willed some of the Nano's to leave. One side of the square fell off and disappeared, only making it slightly smaller. Tony nodded and changed his shape, this time two squares appeared, one small and the other large. Aubrey copied him, both her squares ending up too large.
"You had beginner's luck" Tony raised an eyebrow at her huge shapes.
"No...I..did..not" Aubrey grit out, focusing on making one of the squares smaller and smaller until it was the size of her fingernail. She looked up to see the triumph on Tony's face but when she looked back down, both shapes were gone. Aubrey growled, lightly pounding her fist on the floor.
"You knew this was going to be hard" Tony leaned back, sensing she needed a break.
"Well...yeah but I hoped that because everything else had been so hard…." Aubrey trailed off and he finished for her.
"You thought this would be easy"
She nodded and leaned against the wheelchair, her sleepless night starting to catch up with her. "But I should have known that this life is rarely easy."
"Your right" Tony fiddled with his Nano bracelet, ignoring Aubrey's look of surprise.
"Wait, you're not going to try to tell me that life gives you challenges so you become a better person….or maybe that you know I can do it because of the other crap that's happened?"
"Nope," Tony got to his feet and held out his hand, helping Aubrey back into her wheelchair before he spoke again. "I'm not going to say that because you've heard it a thousand times Aubrey. But we all know that I have no filter between my brain and my mouth. Your past sucks and so does mine, so does Barnes, Rogers, Wanda, Rhodey. Everyone has things that have sucked in their pasts and they keep on chugging, many of them don't even have people to encourage them but they find a way and you will too."
"Such a poet you are" Aubrey grinned before sobering. "But seriously….thanks"
Tony shook his head "don't get sentimental on me, we gotta get you to your physical therapy appointment." He followed her wheelchair out of the room, making sure Aubrey knew where the room was. While they were walking he started
"F.R.I.D.A.Y told me about your little..adventure last night."
"Are you mad?"
"Nah, I would've done that too if I'd had a nightmare...heck sometimes I go to the lab when that happens. Just be careful and don't push yourself too hard, capiche?"
"Capiche" Aubrey agreed before saying goodbye to him as she went into the therapy room.