So because I have been away awhile you can have this chapter. Fair warning not a lot happens, besides some poor attempt at humor on my part - you'll know what it is once you read it, it happens pretty early. Anyway, you don't need to listen to me talk. Go, go read, I won't stop you.
"Your security is a joke! That man was able to walk into this room, drug Pepper, and nearly kill Tony. If you think your argument for 'their own safety' is going to work now you are sorely mistaken." Tony frowned, confused. That sounded like Rhodey, and he was angry, which was strange because Rhodey only ever got mad at him. And who was he yelling at, certainly not Pepper, no because he said someone had drugged Pepper – not cool – and nearly killed, him, Tony. Wait, what?
Tony opened his eyes and shut them again. It was bright, too bright. Definitely not his room then, Jarvis knew that Tony preferred dulled lights in the morning, mostly because Tony usually had a hangover, something that he had not had in a long time. The smell was all wrong too, too clean, too sterile. Sooo, hospital then. Wait, he already knew that didn't he. Right, the cave, the almost failed escape, and then Pepper and Rhodey.
Rhodey was yelling again, "I don't care what you say Fury, either you let us leave or I will have Jarvis destroy every file and record you have stored away, and then have him send very specific information to the biggest news corporations on both sides of the Atlantic." So Rhodey was yelling at Fury, that was something worth seeing.
Tony, prepared this time, opened his eyes slowly. The occupants of the room were all facing away from him, some standing and others sitting, but each person was faced towards one other occupant, Fury. That was annoying, if Tony was in a hospital bed and there was a crowd of people in his room he would hope they would at least have the decency to realize he was awake.
Fury stood glaring at Rhodey, "I do not care Colonel. The lag in security has been fixed, it will not happen again!"
"You're damn right it won't because we are not staying here. He was pumped full of betropion Fury." Whoa, there goes Banner, "Induces seizures, we have no way of knowing what kind of side effects there will be. Not until he wakes up, and when he does I'm sure he will not allow the fact that Pepper's life was endangered under S.H.E.I.L.D.'s watch go unchecked."
Tony's eyes flashed as Fury glanced his way, "I sure as hell am not." It was rather comical to watch seven heads whip around in perfect timing. Tony smiled, "Glad to see you're all clued in that I am in fact not dying, again." Pepper stepped over to him and grabbed his hand, Tony tightened his fingers around hers, "You alright?"
"Yeah Tony, I'm alright. How are you?"
"A little light-headed, but I'll live." He glanced around the room, "Does anyone want to clue me in on what happened."
Rhodey stepped through a gap in the circle of people and stood behind Pepper, "You had a seizure Tony."
"Yeah, I gathered from Banner's declaration. I would like to know how?" Tony said with a hint of casual annoyance lacing his tone.
"A man came in last night while I was watching you, he gave me some tea that had been drugged and then injected you with the drug betropion. The doctors weren't sure if there would be any side effects."
Tony's eyes widened and his hand went to his Arc reactor, feeling the edge through his hospital gown. Bruce spoke up, "It's fine Tony, I checked it out. It's still the model you built in the cave, we haven't gotten a chance to get one from your labs because someone won't let us leave." Bruce jerked his thumb back towards a still scowling Fury.
"Well then I suggest you pack your bags." Tony said sitting up with Pepper's help. The nasal canal that was wrapped around his ears itched slightly, he moved to take it off but stopped at Pepper's glare. He gave a small smile and squeezed her fingers she nodded understanding his silent communication. Fury took a step forward, Tony dropped Pepper's hand snapped his fingers and pointed his finger at Fury. "I would be very careful Fury. I am very cantankerous with you right now. Standing in the hospital room of a man you left in a cave to die and demanding he remain in your care does not give you countenance to remain in his good graces." The room of people looked surprised, Tony waved a hand, "You guys aren't nearly as quiet as you think you are."
Bruce leaned towards Rhodey, "Cantankerous?" he whispered.
Rhodey nodded, "He starts using big words when he's angry. Used to make the older students at MIT rather cross, or should I say cantankerous, towards him." Rhodey chuckled at the distant memory. His chuckle was interrupted by a rather angry outburst from Tony.
"I don't give a fuck if you're the Pillsbury Dough-Boy!"
"We had everything under control–"
"I don't see exactly how you did."
"The leak has been delt with–"
"I should hope it was."
"The death of Mr. Baqi was only a setback–"
"I'm sure it was– Wait What!" Tony's eyes were huge, "He survived?" He glanced around the room, anger burning when he saw several heads nod.
"He didn't survive long Stark if that is what worries you." Fury's voice held some mirth mixed with irritation.
"Yeah, I got that from the whole he's dead thing. Exactly how did he die?"
"He hanged himself."
"And you just permitted him to have rope?"
Fury gave a huff of annoyance, "No."
"Am I to assume this security leak supplied that man with the necessary equipment needed to hang himself." Tony said. Fury didn't say anything giving Tony the answer he had anticipated. "Right." He shifted and swung his legs over the side of the bed, much to the alarm of all but one in the room.
"What the hell Tony." Rhodey said putting a hand on Tony's shoulder to stop him.
Tony waved a hand in Fury's direction, "What makes you think I am going to trust my life to these degenerates any longer. I think your right Rhodey, we should leave." Fury opened his mouth to protest but was interrupted by a 'Hup-up-up' from Tony, "Don't even think about it Fury, if whatever security leak you have can make it all the way down to those not-so-secret cells then I don't trust your precious doctor's and their pointy needles." He made a move to stand up, but Pepper pushed him back down.
"No," she said firmly to his annoyed glance. Something in her hand beeped, it took Tony several seconds too long to realize that it was her blackberry, she read the message on the display, "Right, I think an escort off the base and to the airport in Johannesburg is in order. That was Happy." She said to Natasha who nodded.
Tony looked down at the blackberry, "How did you get that in here?" Pepper flicked her eyes towards the red-head on the other side of the room. "Ah."
"That is a security risk Miss Potts." Fury said.
"Oh, I think you've had plenty enough of those, one more certainly won't hurt anything." Pepper turned towards Fury. "I would suggest that you call for that escort, though I am sure Agent Romanoff and Barton are certainly capable of that small bother."
"I can see that I am clearly outnumbered here." Fury glanced around at the faces staring at him, he flared his nostrils slightly but then pushed through the blockage at the doorway and marched down the hall.
"Alrighty. I'm going to go see about that escort then." Barton moved towards the door with Natasha right on her heels.
Tony glanced around and noticed that there were several bags lying on the couch. "That better not be for a slumber party." Tony grumbled. Bruce grinned.
"We were promised a beach front property in Malibu, who were we to say no." Bruce shared a grin with Steve and Thor.
"Rhodey told us that you have an awesome entertainment system." Steve said.
"Pepper remind me to get Jarvis to order super-indestructible remotes, actually no remind me to design super-indestructible remotes, we're going to need them." Tony leveled an accusing finger at Steve, "I didn't know you even knew what an entertainment system was."
Steve shrugged, "I didn't, Rhodey explained. I have to say he does a better job than you." Rhodey smirked.
"Don't get used to it Platypus." Tony groused. "I'll make you teach both him and Thor how to use Jarvis's computer system.
"Teach them yourself Tony," Rhodey said, "You're the one locked out of the lab."
Tony's eyes widened, "What, no, Pepper!" Tony whined.
She shook her head, "Nope, doctors orders Tony."
"What doctors, these doctors, if they were as skilled as they boast they wouldn't be hauled up in a place where they must treat men and women who don't technically exist. Besides I bet they are all dim witted, ostentatious, exaggerated fools." Tony noticed the smirk that was mirrored on everyone's face, "And it was Banner who gave the order." Tony didn't wait for an answer as he turned a smile towards a blank faced Bruce. "Bruce, buddy–" He didn't get much further when Bruce shook his head and cut him off.
"Sorry Tony, kissing my ass won't change my mind. You need to rest."
"I've rested, I've gotten plenty of rest. Tell him Pepper, tell him I've gotten plenty of rest." Pepper shook her head and gave a definitive 'Uh-uh'.
"I mean real rest Tony, you can't replace real sleep. You've been sedated more times this past week than the number of pop tarts Thor can eat in one sitting." Thor turned to Rhodey and started enthusiastically explaining his love for the 'Wonderful Midgardian breakfast treat', "Your lung is still healing, you should be fine in a couple of days but for now there is no lab time."
Tony brightened, "So I can go after a couple of days?"
"Once you're out of the wheelchair." Pepper stated.
"What, why would I need a wheelchair?"
Pepper raised an eyebrow, "You can't walk on that leg Tony, and you can't use crutches because you have a bullet hole in your shoulder."
"The surgery fixed the hole Pepper." Tony muttered.
"Too bad they couldn't fix that hole so you would just be an ass instead of an asshole." Rhodey paused, then scrunched his brow, "That came out wrong."
Tony nodded, "Uh-huh, sure did." Tony cocked his head, "How would that even work, I mean it has to come out somewhere."
Bruce spoke up, "A stoma inserted at the end of the lower intestine."
Tony blinked, "Really?"
"Yes, they would sew up the rectum and divert all material waste to the stoma, it would be inconvenient though because you would have to empty the bag yourself." Tony grimaced.
"I don't even want to know how your conversation got there." Clint was at the doorway with an uncomfortable expression on his face. He shook his head and turned to Tony, "So, Tony, Colonel Fun-times here says you have a wicked entertainment system."
"Oh, Lord." Tony groaned.
AVENGERS
"Happy we need to stop being reunited like this." Tony grinned as Happy shook his hand.
"If you would stop getting carted away to Afghanistan then I wouldn't have to." Tony grimaced.
"Pepper already used that." But Tony grinned. Their departure from the S.H.E.I.L.D. base had gone far smoother than anyone had hoped for – ulterior motive Barton had grumbled – and they had made it to Johannesburg in under an hour. They had been carted to a more private airstrip to keep from them away from curious eyes so their departure was slightly delayed but they reached the Stark Industries private jet minutes later.
Happy had greeted them from his seat he had taken on the bottom stair, he had shown a little surprise as Tony was seated into a wheelchair and – much to Tony's aggravation – supporting the nasal canal and an obtrusive oxygen tank, but he was pleasantly surprised when Tony showed his usual enthusiasm at seeing him.
Happy turned towards Pepper, "I brought along everything you asked for."
"Even the –"
"Yes; although, Jarvis had to help me pick the right one, I don't know how you can tell them apart." Them turned out to be Tony's vast collection of Arc Reactors, all extra versions of his newest models so that he will never be without. After the harder-than-it-should-have-been experience to get Tony onto the plane without him standing, Tony gave a wonderful sigh of relief – and a promise to invest in a chair lift – when he changed out the substandard creation for the superior one straight from his lab.
"Happy you are a god-send, next to Pepper of course, I don't know what I would do without you." Tony grinned.
"Slip into a depression, nearly get yourself killed, and get abducted, again."
"You're just full of sarcastic comments today aren't you? Both you and Jarvis, I suppose he would want to catch up on the days lost." Tony wheeled himself playfully over to the couch against the wall, pulled himself out of the chair with little difficulty and then spread his legs across the length. Pepper propped his leg up with several pillows she had filched from the on-board bedroom.
Tony ignored the gaping face of Steve – who sat at his feet – as he started hitting buttons on a clear tablet beside his head. Jarvis' disembodied voice floated from the ceiling.
"Good day sir. And might I say it is wonderful to see you home alive once again."
Tony nodded absently as he plugged away on a hand held device, "Uh-huh. Not home yet Jarvis."
"I would advise that you do not make a habit of this sir. I calculated that your return at one-point seven-eight percent."
Tony paused and glanced up, "Jarvis, remind me to work on your welcoming skills."
"Will do sir. Captain Rogers I am pleased to have heard you made a full recovery." Steve blinked in surprise.
"Uh, thanks Jarvis." Steve touched the area of hair that had been shaved away, the stiff bristles tickling his fingers.
Pepper took a seat in a leather armchair and crossed her legs, she too picked up pad and started to click away at it. Happy, with the help of Bruce, stored Tony's oxygen tank behind the couch. Tony waved a hand at it.
"Hey doc, how long until I can get rid of my extra appendage?" Tony had been ready to shed the nasal canal when they left the hospital, but he had been forced to endure until they were on the plane. He had been assured that he needed it for his still heeling lung, Tony didn't like the fact that the plastic tube showed the outer world how vulnerable he was in his present state. His leg and arm were one thing, but the tube was a sign that many identified with the infirmed, that was an image that Tony Stark was not happy with.
Bruce shrugged from his place on the other side of the room, "You probably don't need it now," he grimaced when Tony ripped it from his face, "but I would suggest you keep it because you're still short of breath and flying in a plane won't help." Tony shrugged before he began picking at the blue sling around his shoulder, Bruce shook his head, "No, Tony, you still need that." Tony scowled.
They all sat in silence as the plane was taxied out. Steve swallowed briefly when he clicked a seatbelt on still weary of flying again so soon. Tony seemed to notice because he cast him a meaningful glance which Steve chose to ignore, he was relieved when Tony let it slide.
"Hey Tony I saw this on a news stand, thought you might get a kick out of it." Happy, disregarding his professionalism, reached out to hand Tony a news tabloid while he undid his tie. Tony grabbed it and glanced at the cover, he blanched and opened the papered magazine to a certain page. His eyes scanned through it quickly, he let out a laugh and passed it over to Rhodey who looked equally amused.
They passed the tabloid around, Steve received it last and read through it quickly. He looked up at Tony who was watching him carefully, "Someone needs to check their math?"
"I don't know Cap, I always wondered about dear old dad." Tony let a chuckle out, which swiftly turned to laughter and than a round of coughing when his lung and still smarting ribs caused him to catch his breath. Bruce stood up grumbling something about listening before he handed Tony the discarded nasal tube, which he took back regrettably.
Steve looked at the cover of the tabloid. On the front was a picture of both Tony and Steve, neither of them were aware of their picture being taken, and both dressed in nice suits, they had been attending a benefit dinner with Pepper, Tony had donated a graceful amount of money and the organizers of the benefit had asked if he and the team could make an appearance. When the subject came up later Bruce had left the room grumbling about safety, Thor had been conveniently off planet, and both Natasha and Clint had both been sent away overseas. So the happy pleasure had gone down to Steve and Tony, later Pepper had graciously agreed to accompany them.
It had been an awkward night for Steve, Tony had been every bit as flattering comical as ever, and at one point a very persistent man had dogged Steve's every move including in one awkward moment when he had cornered Steve in the bathroom, Tony had saved him from that specific fiasco.
When the reporter had asked for a quote later on Tony, not even the tiniest bit drunk, had said, "Just making sure that dad here gets home safe."
The man had taken it literally because plastered in large yellow letters across the cover were 'Tony Stark's Hidden Secret'.
The article had explained that Steve Rogers, or the Ice Man as this man deemed him, had had an affair with Tony Stark's mother and she had gotten pregnant, and when Steve had disappeared Tony's mother had passed the child off as Howard's.
Steve watched Tony grin like a child in a candy store. Tony noticed his look and waved his hand, "Don't worry about it Steve. No one takes that shit seriously, last year they reported that a woman had been eaten alive by her baby Apatosaurus. I don't know how an extinct herbivore could have eaten a woman made of meat but there you go."
"I don't even know how that is possible, your father wasn't even married when I knew him."
Tony nodded, "Yeah, and if you think about it I would be in my seventies, so I think it is safe to assume you are free of scandal Cap." Tony threw the magazine onto the floor, "As for me, there isn't a year that goes by that someone doesn't claim to be or to know my real father." Steve opened his mouth but Tony cut him off, "If it makes you feel better Cap I do in fact have proof that Howard Stark is indeed my dear old dad."
"You shouldn't worry about it Steve. Tony's name is frequently mentioned in this particular tabloid, none of it has ever amounted to anything." Pepper picked up the discarded paper and threw it into a garbage bin behind her. "He insulted a reporter once and he's dogged Tony ever since."
"Yes, Steve had the pleasure of meeting him during that dinner a few weeks ago." Tony said while he poked at Steve's leg with his toe, "Don't worry about it Cap, if you want I can buy the whole damn company and fire the guy."
Steve smiled and shook his head, "No, that would just make him angry."
Clint yawned, "Yes, well that was a great way to pass the time, but we still have over 20 hours of flight time. I'm thinking movie marathon. Jarvis can help us there right Tony." He looked over at Tony who nodded and reached beneath the armrest he was leaning on and clicked a button.
A movie screen slipped down in front of them and Tony gave a vague wave, "Jarvis, you mind?"
"Of course sir." The lights dimmed, "Might I suggest a movie from your non-violent collection." A series of movie titles were displayed in front of them, Tony motioned with his hand and they blurred until the highlighted movie stopped on 'Sex in the City'. Tony blanched.
"I don't remember adding that to my movie list." Tony turned to Pepper who gave him a pointed look. "Anyway." Tony flicked his way through the movies again. A large bowl of popcorn later they chose a Bruce Willis movie, much to Jarvis's chagrin. It turned into a comical experience when Tony and Bruce started scrutinizing the absurdity of some of the action scenes, Clint joined in when he started throwing popcorn at the screen claiming that John McLane would never have been able to maneuver through the buildings air duct system.
"He's too big! Look those are made of cheap aluminum, it would bend underneath his weight. He would be dead faster than Cap could throw his shield."
Tony threw a popcorn kernel at him, "If you start going on about how you could do better I will dump you out of this plane."
Clint shook his head, "You would be following me Stark." He cast a meaningful eye towards Natasha.
"Nuh-uh. I've got my own safeguard. We'll let them have a cat fight. Think about it Barton." Clint's eyes glazed over for a second and then turned back to Tony.
He gave a cat like smile, Tony returned it. Both their faces dropped when they each received a bowlful of popcorn for a blanket. Clint was silent for a moment before he shrugged and grabbed a handful of popcorn from his lap and stuffed it in his mouth. Natasha rolled her eyes.
Eventually – throughout the next three movies – one by one each passenger nodded off to sleep having lain strewn across the floor, none were willing to get up and find a better horizontal surface to sleep on. Tony had the couch, he laid stretched out with his legs slightly bent to accommodate for his height, Pepper was beside him on the floor, his dangling right arm hovering inches above her own.
Steve had moved to the floor several hours ago, but he had yet to fall asleep. Mainly because the last time they had flown they had ended up in a cold dark cave, not a mistake he was willing to repeat. His head rested on the pillow he had pilfered from Thor's stack of a dozen and his back lay propped against the side of the couch, his feet just barely touching Pepper's.
Tony was shaking on the couch and mumbling under his breath. Steve could feel the couch vibrate every time a shudder ran through Tony's body and he was sure he heard his name several times. Steve sat up, it was useless, he was going to get any sleep anyway, and spotted Tony's bodyguard still sitting up and watching over him. Steve blinked, he had never met him before aside from the brief introduction Tony had given when they had gotten on the plane, so he stood up and carefully made his way over to him and sat in the seat next to him.
They watched over Tony for a few minutes and making sure his uneasy sleep wouldn't wake him. The man beside him turned to him and gave a brief smile.
"I've worked for Tony for a long time, and I still worry beyond what feels necessary between employer and employee."
Steve smiled knowingly, "That kind of worry usually indicates a stronger bond than just employer and employee."
Happy smiled, "Yeah, I guess." Happy shifted and glanced awkwardly over at Steve, "Was…was it bad?" Steve glanced over at Happy and saw the worry clearly printed in the man's dark irises. Steve took a breath, paused, but then nodded. Happy's jaw tightened. "You know when he came home the first time he got in the car I asked him where he wanted to go." Happy huffed a laugh, "He said he wanted an American Cheeseburger and a press conference. He acted like he had been on a Sunday stroll and the only horrible thing that had happened was he had lost his wallet. But that was in front of Pepper. Tony said under no circumstances was I allowed to let him frighten Pepper like that again. Of course I promised," Happy paused, "guess I broke my promise."
Steve sat there for a minute watching Tony mumble something in his sleep, "It was…rough, at first." Steve said, "He almost didn't even let us help him, said he wasn't going to let us disregard the plan and then die on him."
Happy nodded, "Yeah, I heard from Pepper about last time. If anything that was what Tony handled the hardest."
Steve opened his mouth to answer but a sharp yell interrupted him. Tony was sitting upright hands clawing at his chest, his yell not waking anyone, only causing Pepper to shift from her position next to the couch.
Happy was on his feet before Steve even had a chance to blink, stepping carefully over the strewn of bodies on the floor he made it to Tony's side and gently laid his hand on his shoulder. Tony looked up at him, his brown eyes wide and fearful, he relaxed when he saw it was Happy. They exchanged a few murmured words and then Happy reached down and grabbed Tony by his shoulders and helped him to his feet. Steve was by their side instantly and grabbed hold of Tony's other arm; although, gently as it was his injured arm. Together the two men helped Tony hop across the layers of bodies so that he could sit in a seat on the other side of the room.
They settled him into a chair beside Happy and he fell back, sinking into the cushions and closing his eyes. Happy handed him a drink, Tony squinted his eyes and laughed at the orange juice in Happy's hand.
"Not the kind of drink I was hoping for Hap."
"Sorry boss, doctor's order." Tony grumbled but he still took the glass from Happy and took a sip. Steve and Happy sat down and watched Tony for a minute, Tony ignored them and stared off towards the other wall of the plane. They sat in silence for several minutes, Thor's snores the only sound penetrating the air.
"Any idea where we are?" Tony asked after several minutes turning to look towards Happy. He reached out and tapped the translucent pad connected to his chair, Happy tapped the screen twice more and a satellite image came up with a pulsing red dot moving slowly across the screen.
"Looks like we just hit the east coast of the States sir." Happy tapped the screen again and it went dark. "We've got about five or six hours left, roughly."
Tony nodded, "Do you think Pepper would get mad if I stuck on the suit so I could get home four hours early." He glanced over at the two men and looked rather amusedly startled when he noticed their glares, "Or not."
"Bruce made it quite clear that you are not to use the suit for at least three weeks, and probably longer because of your leg." Steve said gesturing towards the limb that Tony was trying to discreetly hold.
Tony glanced down at his fisted hand holding the material if his Armani pant suit leg. He shrugged, "Meh, I can deal with that." Tony smirked at the skeptical faces looking at him, "What, believe it or not I can control myself." Happy wrinkled his face in doubt. "Careful there, you keep scrunching your face like that and it might stick."
The plane jumped, Tony grimaced and placed his hand against his ribs. "Are you alright Tony?" Tony nodded before he took another careful sip from his glass.
"Yeah, still a bit sore that's all." Happy looked skeptical, "What did I say about that face Happy." The plane jumped again causing the drink in Tony's hand to spill, Tony clenched his jaw. "You know Cap, I think I agree with you about this whole hate to fly thing you have going on."
"I don't hate to fly Tony, I hate to fly in crashing planes."
Tony laughed, "Can't argue with that now can I."
Bruce stirred from his spot by Thor, the three men watched with some amount of amusement as Bruce opened his eyes and scrunch his face in confusion, it took him several seconds to realize that he was staring at the shiny breast plate of the Asgardian. Bruce jerked back and froze when he jostled the seat next to the one Steve was sitting in.
"Hiya Bruce, you thinking about coming to join the party with us?" Tony said as he wiped up the spilled orange juice on his hand with a napkin.
Bruce sat up slowly and rubbed at his eyes before using the chair next to him to pick himself up, he let himself fall into the chair and turned to see the three amused faces. "What?" he asked crankily.
"Someone is not a morning person." Tony said with a grin, Bruce glared at him.
"What time is it?" Tony shrugged.
"We're somewhere above Maine or some state like that." Steve said while handing him some coffee.
"How long was I asleep?" He sipped at the coffee.
Steve looked towards Happy who looked at his watch, "I'd say about four or five hours." Bruce groaned, and sat back against the seat looking out a window wearily.
"I hate time zones." He grumbled softly.
Tony grinned and leant forward slightly, "Nobody does buddy." Bruce eyed the orange juice sitting beside Tony on a small table.
"That better be a virgin Tony." Tony glanced down at the drink before smiling.
"Hey if it isn't you can blame this guy right here," Tony slapped Happys' shoulder, "Deer sweet Happy here is the one that poured the drink."
Bruce glanced towards Happy who – for his credit – kept his face neutral and only raised a single eyebrow as answer.
Tony moved to stand up, he was stopped by three yells of protests, Tony gave each of them an infuriated look. "Not that I don't appreciate your concern but I kind of hoped that I would be able to use the restroom by myself." Steve was the only one courteous enough to look embarrassed. Tony snorted.
"Tony you can't put any weight on your leg." Bruce protested.
Tony rolled his eyes, "Then I'll hop to the can. Seriously doctor, the day I can't go to the John by myself is the day I give away the Ironman suit." Bruce continued to glare at Tony, Tony sighed. "Fine, Happy will you do me the honor of allowing me to escort you to that side of the cabin." Tony offered out his arm as his other hand clenched the chair next to him. Happy sighed and stood to help Tony.
Bruce watched them shuffle and jump towards the bathroom door, he turned towards Steve, "How's he been?"
"He only woke up a little while ago before you, he seems okay."
"Tony won't act anything but okay. It's when he doesn't think anyone is watching that you have to watch out for. That's what made Jarvis so valuable last time around." Happy joined them again after leaving a wheelchair by the bathroom door. Bruce chewed his lip at this information.
"That was last time though." Steve said, "Surely he would realize that he doesn't need to go through this alone." Bruce and Happy gave him a skeptical look, "Right." Steve looked away slightly embarrassed.
"Jarvis is pretty good at keeping an eye on him at home and in the tower, I don't think we should be too worried." Bruce said, "And besides, there is always Pepper."
The three looked towards the restroom as Tony opened the door and hopped out, his leg bent out in front of him. He noticed the wheelchair and looked towards Happy. "I feel like this is you shirking on the job." He grunted as he lowered himself into the chair, coughing a little. Tony waved away the question that Bruce was about to ask, "I'm fine." Tony pulled his arm out of the sling and proceeded to roll himself across the cabin towards them. "Hey doc what are the chances of me getting some of those happy pills?"
Bruce studied him, "I thought you said you were fine."
Tony nodded, putting his arm gingerly back into his sling, "I am fine, just slightly in a little bit of pain."
Bruce rolled his eyes, "You're supposed to take them every twelve hours," Bruce looked over towards Happy who stretched out his arm showing Bruce his watch, "and it has been…sixteen! Wow, really?"
Tony rolled his eyes, "We watched all four Die Hard movies Bruce, which was about ten hours. Do the math."
"I can do the math Tony." Bruce said irritably, but he reached for the small orange bottle and took out two pills before handing them over to Tony.
Tony accepted them and then used his free hand to turn his wheelchair around and then used his uninjured leg to back himself up next to the table holding his drink. "So what'd you guys talk about while I was gone?" Tony tossed his head back and took a swig of juice.
"Doctor Banner's research." Happy replied easily.
Tony nodded, "So me then."
"Very much so."
Tony and Happy continued to talk for several minutes as Steve watched the dark clouds go by and Bruce started to doze in his seat. They stayed this way for a while, until there little tranquil moment was interrupted by Thor giving a mighty snore, causing him to jump and blink his bleary eyes. He looked confused as Tony burst into laughter. Tony continued to laugh as Thor tried to comprehend what was so amusing. He sucked in a mouthful of air to calm himself when Natasha spoke up; however, his sudden intake of oxygen caused him to go into a coughing fit.
"Are you ever quiet? Some of us are trying to sleep here." Natasha said over Tony's coughs, she uncurled herself from her spot near Clint.
Tony rolled his eyes and took careful measured breaths, "Yeah right. You didn't even fall asleep, you've been playing opossum this whole time." Steve frowned in confusion, "She maybe slept for an hour at a time in the cave, I doubt she would catch up on sleep here." Tony said to Steve's silent question.
"That might be true for Nat, Tony, but the rest of us are still sleeping." Clint grumbled from his spot on the floor, refusing to open his eyes.
Tony cleared his throat and waved his hand towards the glass of water Happy held. Happy handed it over without question and continued to read the display in front of him indifferently as Tony flung the contents of the glass across the floor. Clint's eyes flew open as he spluttered as the ice water fell into his eyes and in his nose.
"Really mature Tony." Clint said after he regained composure, he glared as Natasha passed him a towel silently laughing, "What are you so happy about?" Natasha just shook her head. "Why can't a guy get some decent sleep anymore?"
"Pepper's still asleep." Tony gestured towards the still silent girl on the floor, he glanced at a bleary eyed god, "And Thor looks like he is only semi-conscious." Thor gave a grunt and pushed himself up to his feet, he shuffled over to the chair next to the couch, carefully maneuvering himself around Pepper.
"Do you think it's alright that we just left her on the floor?" Steve wondered.
"Oh, no. She'll be irritated. But she'll be even more upset if we woke her. Trust me." Tony said, Steve looked towards Happy for confirmation who grimaced and gave a nod, "It's not pretty." He muttered.
"It's best to let her wake on her own."
"For once Tony is right." Rhodey walked into the room and handed Happy a manila envelope, "That's from the Pilot, said it was for Pepper." Happy nodded and tucked them into a pocket on the side of his chair.
"Hey Platypus, making friends up there in the cockpit?" Tony asked giving a knowing smile. Rhodey rolled his eyes.
"You know that's not true Tony." He reached into a cupboard and bought out a blanket before laying it across Pepper's still sleeping form. "Your plane rides have gotten very boring since you've gotten rid of those flight attendants."
Tony shrugged, "What can I say; a child must outgrow its toys."
Rhodey wrinkled his nose, "That's gross Tony." Tony laughed and grabbed a magazine from the stack that had appeared on Bruce's lap.
"Did anything meaningful happen up there with our pilot?" Clint asked as he snagged a bag of peanuts.
"No, not much, he did say we may meet some headwind so we could be delayed arriving in Malibu." Bruce groaned from his seat, Rhodey eyed him in confusion.
"Ignore him Rhodes," Tony said from behind his magazine, "Banner is not a morning person."
Bruce glowered at Tony, "Stop saying that Tony. I prefer to have two feet on the ground thank you." He looked around unhappily.
"And here I thought we were such great company." Tony perused the pages of his pilfered magazine for a few minutes. "So Natasha what's the status of our friends the cavemen." Tony's voice was strangely neutral, that didn't mean the slight shake of his hands didn't go unnoticed.
Natasha didn't answer him at first choosing instead to the small pile of nuts Clint had dumped in her hand, "S.H.I.E.L.D. found the few who survived when they tried to return." She looked up at Tony who kept his eyes on the magazine, "I don't think we need to worry about them again."
Tony grunted flipping a page of the magazine on his lap. He placed his elbow on the armrest of the wheelchair and rested his head on a fist, he stayed in that position until he started nodding off to sleep. When his head fell forward only to jerk back up for the third time Rhodey stood up and rolled him over to the couch where he took up his previous position again and fell asleep.
Rhodey fell into a seat with a sigh, "Exhausting day huh?" he said moving his eyes towards Bruce's direction taking in the slumped man's form.
Bruce ran a hand across his face, "Yeah. It will be better for all of us when we put this behind us." Bruce glanced over at Tony's now sleeping form.
"We'll be in Malibu in less than five hours. They have a private airstrip at the ready so it shouldn't take us long to get off and go." Happy said from his chair.
Bruce groaned at the impending journey.
*/*
"Finally." Bruce closed the door to the car that had arrived to pick them up. Car wasn't exactly the right word for it, limo, limo was the right word for it, Bruce cringed when he slid across the expensive leather of the seat, in fact the entire group seemed uneasy inside the elongated car.
Though they had been living with Tony Stark for the past several months they actually had not had the opportunity to indulge themselves in some of Tony's usual expensive living styles. The Stark Tower had been filled with luxuries that none of the team – with the exception of Thor – had really ever truly experienced freely, and no going undercover as a billionaire's personal assistant did not count. Granted the plane had been great, but that was comparable to Alcatraz when contrasted to the limo they now rode in.
Tony watched them with much amusement.
After the excruciatingly long flight – in Bruce's opinion – they had managed to wake Pepper without anyone losing a limb, something that had everything to do with having Natasha wake her up, and then they had worked together to get Tony down and off the plane, he had refused outright to leaving in the wheelchair. Rhodey had said goodbye after disembarking before he got into his own car and drove off his car turning onto the freeway and heading towards the Base.
"I left this country on my own two feet and I will arrive again the same way."
"Tony if you can prove to me that you can walk out that door without any assistance I will forgo the wheelchair." Pepper said with her hands on her hips. Tony glanced at the cabin door that had yet to be opened.
"That's not the point Pepper. Besides, there are like twenty stairs, how do you propose we get this wheelchair down it." Tony smirked as Pepper bit her lip.
"Fine," she said, glowering at Tony's triumphant grin, "But the moment we get back to the house, it is back into the wheelchair."
"What? I thought I was going to use crutches or something irritating like that."
Pepper shook her head, "You can't use crutches with that shoulder Tony." Tony glanced behind pepper to look at Bruce who nodded his agreement.
"Maybe in a week or two when it's healed a little." Tony grumbled as he allowed both Steve and Rhodey help him to his feet.
After several minutes of helping Tony hop down the stairs and quickly bundle him into the waiting limo, the rest of the Avengers team quickly gathered what they could and followed Pepper and Tony inside with Happy and Rhodey taking the front two seats, they did however leave the divider down.
The drive was calmingly quite, the only sounds to break the silence was Thor's happy gasps when he realized that pressing a magic button allowed the glass beside him to go up and down, he entertained himself for several minutes before Natasha poked him in the soft exposed flesh underneath his arm.
Tony leaned back until he was able to poke Rhodey through the divide, they shared a whispered conversation for a few seconds before Rhodey handed something over to Tony. Tony passed it on to Thor whose face broke into a fantastic grin as he played with Rhodey's cell phone. The remainder of the ride was spent in silence.
When Tony's drive came into view however, Clint let out a whistle. "I have to hand it to you Stark, you sure know how to show off."
Tony shrugged, "It's a gift."
Happy pulled up next to the front entrance of the house, everyone piled out of the car and followed Tony – as he rolled himself – and allowed them in.
Lights turned on as the group made their way inside the spacious house.
"Welcome home sir. You have three hundred and seventy-two unread email messages."
"Delete all."
"Tony! Those were important!"
"You don't know that Pepper! They could all be spam!" Tony protested.
Pepper placed her hands on her hips, "No they weren't, I sent them to you myself."
Tony blinked, "Wow, Pepper you have got to get a life."
"I have a life, it just happens to coincide with my job."
"Touché."
"Well as happy lovey-dovey as this is, I think I would like to catch up on some much needed sleep." Natasha claimed from her position on the couch, she grabbed her small duffel she had brought with her and headed off up the stairs to the bedrooms lining the upstairs hall.
"Uh, yes. How about a tour!" Tony said clapping his hands before turning quickly and pushing himself surprisingly fast with an injured arm across the floor. He was quickly followed by the other sleep deprived team members.
Pepper made a move to follow them but Happy stopped her. "Wait, Pepper. Rhodey gave me these, said it was from the Pilot. He wanted me to give them to you." Pepper scrunched her forehead in confusion before she bent the metal tabs of the manila folder and opened the envelope. She frowned when she peered inside not quite sure what she was seeing, she dumped them onto the coffee table, spreading the contents out and taking a good look.
She screamed. Happy was beside her in an instant, his eyes following her wide and horror filled gaze before alighting onto the small pile of photographs on the table.
Each was different, and each had a slash of red across the front of it. Happy recognized Tony in the first few, he was unconscious and strapped to what looked like a metal table, another showed him lying on the ground with his Arc Reactor missing. The last two however featured the entire team as they gathered round an unconscious Tony's bed, a slit marring both pictures directly over the still form on the grainy hospital bed.
Tony was beside the speechless Pepper, trying to console her. She seemed to upset to even notice that Tony was not in his wheelchair. Tony turned towards Happy for an explanation, but his eyes fell on the picture in his hand.
His hands shaking, Tony took the photo from Happy's hand and turned it over, his breath hitching when he saw the photo. He turned the photo over again to read the small, nearly illegible message on the back. Tony's face drained of all color, his eyes rolling t the back of his head.
Happy and the other's in the room were not fast enough to catch the falling billionaire, his head cracking as it hit the floor beneath him.
Just to warn you guys college is starting for me, like this week so updates are going to be ssslllllooooooowwwwwww in coming. Don't worry, I don't plan on abandoning this, it is starting to grow on me. But my education must take a priority. Sad but true. But your reviews and favs are like the highlight of my dark and dreary days!