The car pulled up to the party and Tony handed the keys off to the chauffer as I stepped out as well, lightly tugging at the tie around my neck.
"When's the last time you wore a suit?" Tony asked. "Or, you know, cocktail dress. I would've brought one, but you've got wide shoulders. Pepper's wouldn't have fit."
I shot him a mildly annoyed look. "Never wore a dress and never plan to. Orphanage couldn't make me because I'd sneak out the back and not return for a day or two until they gave up."
Tony whistled, not making a comment about my lack of family.
"As for the suit, only military uniforms for the meetings or award ceremonies I was forced to attend."
"Do you have one of those little…" he waved at his head and I sighed, spotting approaching women and press.
"It's a beret, and yes. In my closet."
"Oh, I'll definitely have to get you in uniform next time," he teased, waving and smiling as cameras went off and women began to scream.
"Hey, Tony. Remember me?" A blonde asked, and he strolled right past.
"Sure don't." He pat a man on the back as he passed as well. "You look great, Heff." He glanced at me then, seeing I looked more annoyed by the crowd of celebrities than pleased. "What? Not a fan of Hugh Heffner?"
"I don't care about celebrities," I muttered, eyeing the crowd for anyone out of place.
I was here as his security detail, after all.
"Because you were busy in the military?"
I snorted, glancing at him from the corner of my eye. "Because I saw what celebrities did to soldiers. Turned them into goo."
Tony poked me in the stomach, wincing when his finger didn't exactly sink into fat. "You could do with some goo. How are you staying trim? You better not be starving yourself."
I scoffed. "I'm pretty sure I eat more often than you do, thanks. I'm the one always reminding you to eat when Pepper's not in. And I simply continue my exercises from the military. It's easy enough and with your paychecks, I've bought the equipment I need." I hesitated before admitting something. "It keeps me busy."
He hummed, not adding any other comment as we approached a familiar face. "What's the world coming to when a guy's got to crash his own party?"
Obadiah chuckled, looking strained. "Look at you. Hey, what a surprise."
"I'll see you inside," Tony said, patting his arm.
"Hey, listen. Take it slow. I think I've got the board right where we want them."
"You got it. Just cabin fever. I'll just be a minute," Tony replied, nodding to me. "Come on, Kat."
I passed Obadiah also, sparing him a look and watching the way his lips turned down in a small frown until the press began to question him once more and I stepped away.
"He's not pleased you're here," I muttered to Tony who scoffed.
"Please. I'm sure he's secretly thrilled." He walked up to the bartender with a smile. "Give me a scotch. I'm starving."
I, however, noticed the man beside him who was sporting his own smile.
"Mr. Stark?"
"Yeah?"
"Agent Coulson."
"Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. The guy from the, uh…"
"Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division," Coulson filled in for him.
"God, you need a new name for that."
"Yeah. I hear that a lot. Listen, I know this must be a trying time for you, but we need to debrief you. There's still a lot of unanswered questions and time can be a factor with these things. Let's just put something on the books. How about the 24th at 7:00 P.M. at Stark Industries?"
I gave Coulson a look, turning back to Tony. "Should I escort him elsewhere?"
"We need to speak with you as well, Miss Summers."
I ignored Coulson, still watching Tony as his gaze was locked on something across the floor. "I can use force if you want."
"I really wouldn't—"
"Tell you what," Tony said, reaching a hand out to Coulson. "You got it. You're absolutely right. Well, I'm going to go to my assistant, and we'll make a date."
He stepped away to go see Pepper—the one who'd caught his gaze—and I looked to Coulson.
"He's not going to make a date."
Coulson sighed. "Yeah. I know."
I chose to stay nearby but out of Tony's way as he spoke with Pepper—soon dancing with her as well. This also meant ignoring the way I kept a tight hold on my glass of scotch and looked everywhere except Tony and Pepper. The two moved out to the balcony and I shifted to stand by the door, deterring the few reporters who'd tried to follow and a rather drunk woman hanging off the arm of an equally drunk celebrity. Then, someone recognized me.
"Oh? If it isn't Captain Summers," the man spat, decked to the nines in his uniform and holding a full glass of alcohol. "Oh, sorry. Is it ex-captain now?"
I blinked, keeping a tight hold on my emotions as the brown-haired man looked to the blonde woman in a tight dress hanging off his arm.
"See, this is the woman who murdered my brother. Sent him off to his death on some mission and didn't look back when he called for help even though he was her partner."
I'd forgotten Fallon's brother was a firefighter and hadn't known this little party was a charity event for said servicemen.
"I carried him home," I offered, though I'd had this conversation with the man hundreds of times before.
"You carried his corpse," Trevor spat, sliding his arm out of the woman's and stepping almost nose-to-nose with me. "You dragged him into that god damn building with you and let them shoot him while you completed your mission like he wasn't even there."
"I did my best," I countered, though not as confidently as I'd like it to be and he scoffed.
"If you did your best, he'd be alive. And now look at you. All bits and pieces put back together. Face so scarred up no man will take you." He waved a hand near my face and it took everything in me to not lash out at him for it.
A crowd was starting to form, murmuring between celebrities and their guests as they watched and waited for something more. Something I couldn't let happen because I was on a job. Because Tony was there and might see… Because he was right.
"What use are you now? Why are you even here?" He mocked, before noticing my limp right sleeve and smacking it. "Not even a whole person anymore, are you? Should have just died. World would have been better off. My brother might have been alive then, instead of making the mistake of caring for some brute like you."
"Better than sleeping around with whatever he could get his hands on," I commented before I realized my verbal filter had failed at its job.
"Excuse me?" He growled, pouring his wine onto my shirt. "Try saying that again."
At this point, I couldn't help it, glancing down at the ruined suit Tony had presented me with a hint of fury. "Michael—" God, it hurts to say that name again after so long avoiding it. "—was a far better man than you could ever be, and I'm sorry I couldn't have saved him, but I did my best." And for once in my life, I meant it. "Now… leave."
He snarled, hand snapping out and grabbing the front of my suit, pushing me back into the wall behind me before striking my face. I clenched my eyes shut, allowing the ringing in my head to stop as the crowd gasped and the woman who'd been hanging on his arm grabbed him again to stop him. When he shoved her off, causing her ankle to twist and fall to the floor, I whirled on him. My hand whipped up and caught his wrist on my shirt and I twisted out from under him before kicking the back of his knees. He crumpled and I jerked his arm up behind his back, hauling him back up to his feet and pressing him against the very same wall he'd had me on.
"Kat?"
I loosened my hold on the man the same instant some of the men came over to haul me off him, jerking me away and shoving me out the door as camera flashes went off. I was pushed off the front steps and soon grabbed by police officers as well before being shoved into the back of a cop car and driven away. Shame burned within me as I sat quietly in the station, eyeing the cuffs around my wrist and the bright red stain on my shirt. The sight brought terrible memories of blood on Tony's chest, on Fallon's, and I hastily looked away. It was going to be a long night, especially if Tony had seen what I'd done.
"You okay?" Tony glanced over at Kat who'd not said a word since he'd picked her up from jail, explaining to the officers that she was under his hire as security and was legally allowed to have the concealed weapon she'd had on her person.
As well as pulling up footage from the party revealing that she'd been attacked first. He wouldn't mention to her that he'd threatened to cut funding if Trevor had chosen to press charges too.
"I'm fine," she said, barely speaking above a murmur.
He looked at her shirt stained pink and the bruise that had formed on her face, making the scar stand out against the violet coloring of her skin. "You do know, I'm not going to believe that… Who was he?"
She was quiet for a moment before speaking. "The brother of a man I'd gotten killed. My…" Her voice cracked, surprising Tony, though he made sure not to change his expression. "My partner on missions."
Michael Fallon, he remembered, seeing something in her slowly crumbling mask that said he was more than just her sniping partner.
He pulled into the garage and parked the car, the two sitting in it and remaining quiet for a second before he spoke.
"I don't know what he said to upset you, and honestly, whatever it was would have probably made me hit him too."
"I didn't hit him."
Tony held up a finger, stopping her as he turned in his seat and smiled a little. "Which is why you're the most amazing person I've ever met."
She shot him a look of disbelief, appearing more downtrodden than he'd ever seen her.
"Now, don't give me that. You look like someone kicked a puppy." He reached over the center console and rested his knuckles against the raised portion of her face, ignoring the way she'd stiffened slightly. "You're a good person, Kat, and that idiot is the biggest moron in the world—No. The universe, if he thinks you did anything less than your very best to help save his brother. And the best part? You didn't even hit him back! Anyone in the world would have sucker-punched him the first chance they got, and you just ignored it until he pushed that woman. That makes you my hero."
"Tony—"
"And as such, I think you deserve some credit. Something special." He climbed out of the car, hearing her sigh and get out as well. "Ta-da!"
She raised a brow at the drinks his robots had poured, resting on a table near the metal arm he'd finished.
"Drinks and… part of your suit," she muttered.
"Nope. Not even close. Hold out your arm."
She lifted her hand, but he waved his hand at her.
"Your other arm."
She did so slowly, and Tony tipped his head with a small frown.
"No. That's not going to work. Strip."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me," he teased. "Unless you want me to do it for you."
She rolled her eyes, but pulled off the suit jacket, tie and went to unbutton her shirt before pausing. "If this is just some trick to get me to take my clothes off—"
Tony mock gasped. "Trick? Honey, I wouldn't need a trick to do that."
Her eyes drifted to the ceiling. "I don't know why I bothered."
She nimbly undid the buttons and took off the shirt, making Tony pout at the white tank top underneath.
"Really? Layers?"
She eyed him before reaching under the back of her shirt and pulling out a blade, making his eyes widen.
"Kinky."
She scoffed, though he swore for a second the edge of her lip quirked up and he felt pride well up in him at the thought as she removed the shirt as well. Again, he was impressed. She had explained keeping up with her military regimen, but the woman was pure muscle. And for a split second, he wanted to reach out and brush his hand across a particularly long scar on the muscles of her stomach, before clearing his throat and getting a hold of himself.
"Right! Now, hold still. I've pretty much figured out how to get it working. It's just a matter of getting it fitted and keeping it on without any sort of surgery… Got it! What do you think?"
He'd fitted a strap up her arm and around her opposite shoulder over her sports bra for security—adjusting the fabric cloth full of muscle sensors so it ran up what was left of her bicep. She looked down at the arm, hesitant before the fingers of it curled towards the metal palm and straightened back out.
"So?" He pressed, drawing her bright emerald eyes up to him before her lip twitched up into the first smile he'd ever seen from her.
"It'll do."
That was probably the wrong thing to say, judging by how he hounded me through our takeout meal about how it felt, if the movements were smooth enough, and ways to improve. The only way I was able to distract him, however, had turned out to be even more of a poor decision. The papers on the table were not work documents as I'd hoped. Instead, they were photographs he'd been handed during the party before he confronted Obadiah.
Turns out, I had every right to dislike the man. He'd been the one to file the injunction and was the leader of the company that was trying to kick Tony out. The pictures though, sent a chill down my own spine as I looked through them and he clicked on the television to watch the report that had been made on the devastated town in question.
"The 15-mile hike to the outskirts of Gulmira can only be described as a descent into hell, into a modern-day Heart of Darkness."
"Gulmira," I murmured, drawing Tony's attention to me as he paused in working on the suit of armor wrapped around his hand. "It's the town I was brought to after the ambush. They were already struggling before, under the terrorist's control. Now?" I trailed off, unsure what else to say as I put down the photos.
His frown deepened and every time he flexed his fist, I could hear the hum of his thrusters powering up. When I looked up to the television though, my heart leaped into my throat. Raza's face looked out from the screen.
"As you can see, these men are heavily armed and on a mission. A mission that could prove fatal to anyone that stands in their way."
Tony got up and tossed his tool away, lifting his arm and making me wince when he fired off a blast down towards the other end of the lab.
"Tony," I muttered, seeing where this was going as a light dangled uselessly from the ceiling.
He strolled past me and turned firing at the soundproof glass that separated the lab from the stairs before I grabbed his metal arm with my own. He paused, eyeing me cautiously.
"You know what we can do," he started as I let him go.
"No. I know what you can do," I corrected. "And as much as I want to stop these guys, you need to be smarter about this."
"They have weapons, Kat. Weapons I made."
"And they'll keep getting them even if you fly on down there and blow them all up, Tony. We need to find the source inside your company that's letting the weapons get there and get proof."
"Proof? Why? So, whoever did it just gets to pay their way out of jail? Kat, this needs to stop. Starting with them," he said, jabbing a finger at the television and I sighed.
I was just as angry as he was. I hated the fact that these people who'd killed my squadron were still running about. I hated that the couple who'd helped me were probably dead or struggling to survive. But I also knew that I was useless to help in this situation. Yes, it was frustrating, but I knew my limits. I needed to get used to the arm Tony had made for me before I'd be able to even be able to be his security. I needed to also get into his company and find out who was sending the weapons over there. I couldn't help him with this though. I didn't have a suit that would let me just fly over to Gulmira in a matter of moments and blow up his weapons. And, I wasn't going to be able to just stop him going either.
"Just…" I sighed, raking my fingers through my hair. "Make sure you've got plans for how you'll react to retaliation and for any military in the area who might spot you."
Tony cracked a smile. "Knew I could count on you."
"Don't get yourself killed," I muttered, flinching when his hand grabbed my shoulder and he smiled softly.
"I won't put that on you. Not ever."
"Pepper."
"Hm? Oh! Katherine, right? What are you doing here?"
I glanced around the building, already feeling naked without the arm Tony had made, knowing that it'd be suspicious if I suddenly had a metal arm. Especially when I was trying to avoid attention and hunt out a mole in the company.
"Tony asked me to drop by his office and check some things on his computer." I pointed over my shoulder. "Happy let me in."
"Course he did," she muttered but sighed. "Well, you are his security detail. Why's he having you run errands?" She asked though I could tell there was the silent question of why he hadn't called her.
"Dunno. He likes messing with me, apparently." I shrugged, following her to his office and watching as she input his username and password. "Who else has access to his computer?"
"Just myself, Obadiah, and the IT team."
"Any of them been in here?"
"Not lately, no. Why?"
"Security," I muttered, glad she accepted that excuse. "He mentioned shipping details. Would that be on here?"
She nodded, pointing to a folder on his desktop. "Should be in there. All the shipping details for the last few months. Sorry. Does this have anything to do with that project he's been working on?"
I raised a brow. It couldn't be her. Hate to say it, but she's the mousy type. She has all the access, but none of the drive. "No. Not really," I replied, not technically lying to her. "Though, I'm sure he'd appreciate it if you didn't mention I was here to anyone."
"Right, no. Course." She turned away to leave, but not before I heard her mutter under her breath. "Typical."
I let out a small snort once she was gone and began going through the files, downloading them to a USB for Tony first. I wasn't quite tech-savvy when it came to computers, funnily enough, but I knew enough to get me into what I needed and had enough business-savvy to see where the documents had been doctored. Someone's been changing the addresses, marking the wrong number of outgoing and incoming products. Little bits here and there, which could add up to a rather large problem if someone put it together. And nothing outrightly dangerous if it went missing alone. Not enough to draw attention. This is someone smart. The thought of Obadiah came to mind and I frowned.
Tony seemed adamant that the man wasn't someone who'd stoop to such levels, but from what I could see, the man was greedy and prideful. He was head of the company until Tony had shown up and even then, he could get away with under-the-table dealings if he wanted to because Tony was mostly just a figurehead. Now that he'd come back, determined to change the company, Obadiah had started to show his true colors. He's willing to shut Tony out completely, has been trying to get Tony to give up information on his chest piece, has been lying straight to his face, even.
"This is not looking good," I murmured.
"Something wrong?"
My gaze snapped up and I felt my stomach clench at the sight of the very man I'd just been thinking about. I had a strong hold on my expression though, keeping my shock and frustration at myself for not paying attention off my face. Obadiah smiled and held up a glass of amber liquid.
"Didn't mean to startle you. Just saw the light on in the office and thought Tony had dropped by. Does he know you're here?"
"Yes," I said calmly, shutting the files I'd accessed with a few quick keys and starting the shut-down process as he wandered to the side of the desk I was on, leaning on the edge. "He wanted me to check on a few things."
"Right. The, uh… 'not good' looking things. Anything I should know about? The company shares the same system, after all."
Damn, he's got a good poker face. "Just recommended password changes more often and having hard copies of documents should the system crash," I made up as I stood, not the least intimidated by the man, but remaining cautious. "Double checking files with a new set of eyes would be smart too. The usual."
"Hm, I see," he nodded, though I caught his eyes wandering towards the right side of my chest where my gun holster was peaking out of my jacket. "I wanted to offer you something, Miss Summers, if I could."
I blinked silently, wondering what he was going to try and pull.
"I'm willing to pay you triple whatever Tony's offering for you to start working security here for me," he smiled, standing and facing me as I kept my spine straight. "Nice job, good insurance, security should anything happen to the company or physically."
I resisted the urge to bristle when his eyes went to my limp right sleeve.
"I'd get you the best prosthetic the medical world can offer too, and all I want is one tiny favor. Just a peek at what Tony's working on because I know your angry at those men who ambushed you. Anyone could see that. And what he's got, the technology he's hiding from us, is something we could harness to ensure that nothing like that happens again. Not to them, not to you, not to anyone. What do you say?"
Oh, he's just going out of his way to prove I'm right, isn't he? "You know, you're rather similar to them."
"Hm?"
"Those men who killed my squadron," I said coldly. "The people who look at something powerful and go out of their way to tear down anyone who tries to stop them from harnessing it. People who claim to fight for peace by adding to the war and turning a blind eye to the people they stepped on to get there."
His smile had fallen at this point and his eyes turned chilly.
"At least Tony is living up to his mistakes. You could do with even recognizing yours before somebody finds out and you get yourself killed. Selfish prick," I spat turning from the room and nearly bumping into Pepper on the way out.
"O-Oh. Already done?"
I shot her a glance. "I'd take a vacation if I were you."
"W-What?"
"Think about it." I looked over my shoulder as Obadiah stood at the top of the stairs, watching us. "Tony would hate for you to get caught up in this."
"Caught up in… Katherine? What do you mean? Caught up in what?"
I left her there and hastily returned to the mansion, hating that I felt like I'd put a target on my back and that I'd have bad news for Tony when he returned.
He hadn't taken the news well, and after snapping at Kat and sending her back to her apartment in his frustration, things only grew worse when Pepper had shown up. Pepper seemed determined to make him give up this plan of his. At least Kat understood. He'd now argued with the woman twice and hated even more that she'd brought up Kat's little trip to his company office. And upon explaining that he hadn't sent her there, she informed him that Kat had gone searching through the shipping documents and apparently had an altercation with Obadiah himself.
He knew she didn't like him but had just chalked it up to his bald head reminding her of the leader of the terrorist group who'd attacked them. It was silly. He knew that, but he wasn't about to say her gut instincts were right without any proof to back it up. And once Pepper left again, mentioning going back to the office to inform Obadiah about taking a vacation for a bit, Tony begrudgingly gave in to the thought nagging the back of his mind.
He had Jarvis pull up the shipping documents Kat had copied and left for him on a USB and began to go through them, seeing immediately what Kat had found. Small parts, large ones, a semi-explosive bit. All of them were either missing or miscounted or sent to the wrong address and never properly received. Someone had signed off on this, and it most certainly wasn't him. Although, he will admit that he did tend to skim paperwork that needed to be signed but he rarely touched shipping documents. And with everyone he seemed to read, his stomach twisted in guilt.
Everything Kat had told him started to make sense. Obadiah's falling from company head would have made anyone angry. Him getting it back only for Tony to return and try to change the whole thing would have definitely added to that. Tony would be the first to admit that he wasn't exactly the best business leader but even he would be frustrated if some jabbering monkey got put in a higher position—which is undoubtedly how Obadiah felt. And I just went and yelled at her. He rubbed at his face, feeling guilty and alone.
Pepper had left in anger because she didn't understand what he had to do, and she didn't want a part of it. Kat had left for him to cool down, and he wasn't sure if she'd come back because it seemed that anyone would have taken their argument as a breaking of trust between the two. And now, he finally understood that his long-time business partner had been trying to take his company, his ideas, and may have also been trying to kill him.
"Sir, there is a ghost file on this drive. Would you like me to access it as well?"
Tony nodded, interest growing as the drive was opened and his heart sank. Multiple shipping invoices and blueprints for his weapons were in there and then, a video popped up, which when translated, made white-hot anger fill him. Obadiah had ordered the ambush in Afghanistan. Tony was supposed to have died there but hadn't because Obadiah hadn't paid the group as much as they wanted. Soldiers were dead because of him. Kat had lost her arm because of him. Then, came the blueprints of a suit. His suit. Not the new and improved one, but a suit, nonetheless.
"I'm gonna kill him," Tony murmured, heading up the stairs and searching for his phone as it started to ring.
He frowned upon finding it tucked under the sofa pillow, positive that's not where he left it. The caller ID was Pepper's and he picked it up with a heavy sigh as he sat on the couch only to go rigid and unable to move.
"Tony? Tony, are you there?"
The phone was taken from him and hung up as someone lowered him back onto the couch.
"Breathe. Easy. Easy." Obadiah held up a small device with a smirk. "You remember this one, don't you, right? It's a shame the government didn't approve of it. There's so many applications for causing short-term paralysis." He moved around to sit beside Tony, adjusting the man's face so he could see. "Ah, Tony. When I, uh, ordered the hit on you, I worried that I was killing the golden goose." He pulled out a device and took out Tony's chest piece. "But, you see, it was just fate that you survived that. You had one last golden egg to give. Do you really think that just because you have an idea, it belongs to you? Your father, he helped give us the atomic bomb. Now, what kind of world would it be today if he was as selfish as you?"
He pulled out the wires, making Tony choke as his heart fought to function.
"Oh, it's beautiful. Tony, this is your Ninth Symphony. What a masterpiece. Look at that. This is your legacy. A new generation of weapons with this at its heart. Weapons that will help steer the world back on course, put the balance of power in our hands. The right hands." He put it into his suitcase. "I wish you could've seen my prototype. It's not as… Well, not as conservative as yours. Shame you had to involve that soldier woman of yours. She has been proving to be really bothersome. I'd say I'd have preferred if she'd lived, except… I don't really believe that."
The door opened just then, and a voice echoed through the entry as Obadiah smirked.
"Jarvis, is Tony downstairs?" Kat questioned, pulling off her motorcycle helmet and frowning when she wasn't immediately greeted by the AI.
All it took was her taking a few steps to see Tony slumped on the sofa. No. No, please. Kat, he's still here! Tony wanted to shout as her hand reached for her concealed gun strapped to her shoulder just under her jacket. She didn't have a chance to aim it before a silver suitcase slammed across her temple, knocking the gun from her grip. She stumbled back, hitting the wall and trying to blink the spots from her vision the same instant she growled and pulled out the blade tucked under her shirt. She had rather surprising accuracy for fighting through a possible concussion, picking Obadiah out of the blurred shapes in her vision and lunging for him.
He spat a curse when her blade swiped at his thigh, cutting through his pants and making him drop the suitcase when he swung a fist. Kat ignored the solid hit to her shoulder, having dodged most of it when he aimed at her face. Her blade plunged into his bicep, enticing a cry from him before he tackled her to the ground, wrapping a free hand around her throat. Tony tried desperately to move, managing to slip off the couch and crawling for the gun on the ground before Kat swung her right fist up and hit Obadiah in the temple.
He hadn't realized she'd had both arms in this fight, and blood slipped down his head from her metal fist. She used her knees to kick him off, pulling out the blade in his arm in the process and making to lunge at him again, only for gunshots to go off.
Kicking him off had put him closer to her gun than Tony and blood began to pool on her shirt as Tony released a small whine. Obadiah stood, panting and frustrated, throwing the gun aside and slamming a hard kick into the fallen woman before grabbing his suitcase and heading for the door.
"One less problem to deal with," he spat, leaving Tony crawling desperately towards Kat with tears flowing down his face as he walked out the door.
Surprisingly enough though, Kat pushed herself up onto an elbow, pressing her right hand to her side as blood soaked her shirt. Her eyes met Tony's and he could tell she wasn't okay. She didn't look coherent, not completely, but she spoke.
"W-What do I do?"
Tony rolled onto his side, bringing a shaky hand up towards his chest now that the effects of the paralyzer were wearing off, but his heart still struggled. She nodded, pushing herself up onto her feet and taking hold of him with strength that he didn't understand. She hauled him to the elevator, and they went down to the basement, stepping out just as she stumbled. She blinked slowly, looking at her feet as if they were betraying her in some way. I-It's as if… She's in shock. She's not registering that she's shot or bleeding out. She is only moving because of adrenaline. Tony sagged, legs giving out of him and she laid him down as best she could before moving towards something on the table.
He looked up, catching sight of a glass display, and felt his chest warm at the sight. He'd almost forgotten about Pepper's gift. Kat must have noticed it at some point and remembered, because she was already bringing it to him, falling to her knees and shattering the glass. She picked up the chest piece and plunging her hand into his chest to hook it up. He sucked in a gasp of air when it connected, reaching out and grabbing Kat's shoulder as she sagged forward and someone came shouting down the stairs.
"Tony! Tony, are you okay? There was blood and—God."
Rhodey hurried over as Tony rolled Kat off him and laid her down, still struggling to catch his breath.
"S-She was shot. O-Obadiah."
Rhodey began to put pressure on the gunshot, making Kat wince and suck in a staggered breath of pain. "I-I need to call an ambulance. Do you know if the bullet is still in?"
Tony had no idea, but Kat was somehow still focused.
"N-No," she choked, beginning to feel the pain now that there was pressure on her side and the adrenaline had worn off a bit. "T-Tony."
"I'm here," Tony said quickly, concern displayed plainly on his features until Kat glared.
"Y-You idiot. Go after him!"
Exhausted as he was, Tony couldn't help but smirk. "Yes, ma'am."
He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it before pushing himself up and heading for the platform for his suit.
"Jarvis, ambulance, now."
"Yes, sir. An ambulance will be arriving momentarily. I called as soon as my systems were back online."
"Good. Now get me in my suit."
"I said, I'm fine!" I snapped, ignoring the way my vision swam and was fuzzy on the edges, pushing away the nurse as I tried to get off the bed.
"You were shot!"
"It was a through and through," I urged, glaring at her. "The scans confirmed it. I just needed a blood transfusion. I'm fi—"
"Summers, you need to calm down."
I glared over at Rhodey as he was brought in by another nurse. "Obadiah just shot me, tried to kill Tony, and is still out there trying to—"
"He's fine, Summers. He's on his way right now, so do the nurses a favor and lay back down."
"He's okay?" I asked, allowing the sighing nurse to lightly push me back onto the raised bed.
"Yeah. Scrapes and bruises, but he's doing all right. Look."
Rhodey showed me his phone and I let out a soft sigh of relief at the text from a minute ago saying he was on his way, back in possession of his arc reactor.
"And Obadiah?"
Rhodey sighed, turning on the television in the room where a news station was announcing that there was an incident at Stark Industries. The helicopter images showed clean-up crews working on putting out flames that were within the broken-down remains of the building, but no sign of any robot suits.
"Tony will let you know anything more. I've got to write up a press conference that's undoubtedly going to happen in the morning."
There was a small commotion going on down the hall and Rhodey sighed again.
"I don't doubt that's him. Have fun."
He stepped out just in time to get nearly run over by a figure and I fully relaxed when Tony stumbled in. He didn't seem too bad off, though there was a nasty gash on his nose and I silently wondered if the few bandages haphazardly put on were of his own doing or Pepper's-who hadn't been able to get her vacation like she'd hoped.
"You're okay," he breathed out, a little out of breath but appearing relieved as well.
"You're the one who nearly exploded," I muttered as the nurse finally left after hooking me up to another blood bag.
"You got shot," he countered, eyeing my side. "Are you sure you're—"
"I'm fine," I grumbled, tired of telling everyone the same thing. "Blood loss, mostly. The surgery was quick. My body fights anesthetic anyway, so it had to be. Through and through, missed all my organs except nicking my kidney, but they weren't too concerned. I'm on bed rest for at least two weeks. You?"
He waved at his face. "Few cuts, nothing bad."
I narrowed my eyes. "You're limping."
"Yeah, well, that happens when you get thrown into a bus. Bruises. Really," he pressed, settling down in a chair nearby.
"Obadiah?"
He frowned at the name, giving me a glance as I turned off the tv. "Dead. Fell into an exploding arc reactor."
I was quiet for a moment, leaning back against the bed and closing my eyes. "You were seen."
"Yup."
"Rhodey's not happy. He's going to be sticking his neck out for you in the morning."
"With some fanciful lie that no one will believe, no doubt."
I peered an eye open. "You're going to keep doing this, aren't you? Flying around in your suit."
"…Maybe. You disapprove?"
"You'll get yourself killed," I reminded him, eyes cold. "I don't want to be responsible for that."
He sat up, wincing slightly. "Who said you'd be responsible?"
"I will be if I stay as your bodyguard. More so, if I keep helping you with your suits."
He smiled. "You're staying?"
"I said if," I grumbled.
"Yeah, but you're staying, right?" He pressed. "I'll really need a bodyguard after this, and you are using my tech. The press might get wind about it, and then what? I would have to sue you if you aren't already my employee."
I scowled, but he leaned forward and placed his hand over mine.
"I could really use your support, Kat."
"You've got Pepper," I muttered, frowning at the hand over mine.
"She doesn't understand. We… sort of had a big fight earlier about the suit. She wants nothing to do with it. You, at least, appreciate the concept."
"Appreciate isn't the word I'd use," I grumbled, and he sighed, squeezing my hand.
"What I mean is… would you… please stay?"
I eyed him for a minute, unsure what exactly he was trying to do by making me stick around, but I knew there was a problem. The fear I felt when seeing him slumped unmoving on the couch was more than I could bear. It was the same fear that settled in my gut when Michael was shot. I hadn't cared about my mission, myself, or anything. I just wanted to make sure they were safe. And now, I wasn't sure if I could handle the responsibility that came with getting to that point with someone new.
Tony must have seen my hesitation, pulling his hand away. "I… understand."
What? No. I haven't said anything yet. I went to say something, but he already started to get up and I cursed, jerking forward despite the pain it sent through me and grabbing his arm.
"Wait, y-you idiot."
He raised a brow as I huffed.
"I'll… I'll stay, but don't go expecting anything to change."
"I don't know what you mean." He grinned, knowing exactly what I meant.
"Stubborn ass."
"Language."
