The next chapter is going to be very, very long (considering the length of the chapters prior) and may take a few days to write, re-write and post up. I appreciate you following me up until this point and I hope you enjoy the coming chapters.
Of course SHIELD dragged Tony in. It seemed Natasha had made up some sort of theory that would make sense. Tony was painfully quiet. He said hello, probably for Steve's benefit. He could probably see when Steve was worried they'd took four steps back with him.
Tony dressed like he always did, suit and tie. He chose a red shirt today. Specifically asked for it. Who was Steve to complain? Tony sat down, a steaming cup of instant coffee in his hands that Steve knew Tony hated. But he'd asked for that too before disappearing within the room with Natasha.
Tony drank it nonetheless.
Sail
XIII
Unlucky.
"Okay, Tony." Natasha slunk into the chair opposite. They were alone in the room. No CCTV, no window-hiding agents or friends. They were very much alone, together under Natasha's request. "I need answers."
"I know," Tony replied. He looked up to her, although he tried his best to place on a confident smirk, he knew Natasha didn't buy it. Of course she didn't. "I want to give them to you."
"So do it," She leaned back into her seat, folding her arms and settling in, expecting Tony to just open it up. She didn't anticipate him to just outright say it. Steve had told her about the night before – it only strengthened her theory. She needed confirmation.
"Long Island," he began with a distant look in his eyes, thumbing the burning coffee in his hands. "I was born there. You know?"
"I do, I know almost everything about you." Natasha leaned forwards, hand stretching over and taking his. It was genuine and Tony knew it. Real concern. "I did work with you for a while. I had to know everything."
"It was the perfect set-up," He let his eyes fall to their hands, fingers curling against hers. He needed this. "The guy was just smart. He knew how to break me."
Natasha hid the slight parting of her lips. She was getting somewhere but she had to tease it out. Tony's mind was fragile and brilliant. The two things that could make him pull back into himself at any given moment. She just needed a name before that happened.
"That building was burnt, broken. I was looking for the group and I fell—" He stopped, his brows furrowing on his face. "No… I didn't fall." He tried to think for a moment, moving his hand to his forehead. "I'm not sure… What happened exactly. I felt like I was falling."
Natasha just looked at him, eyes soft and searching. She remained quiet, letting him talk. This wasn't an interrogation.
"When I woke up… Everything hurt. My armor was gone. I don't know how they got me out of it."
Flashes of Tony, the pig, Tony's face behind it. Pepper. The knife. Banging his head against the wall and the chains.
His hand tightened around Natasha's, but it wasn't painful, it just felt desperate.
"I… I was left alone. But I was hallucinating. I don't know what was real and what's not." He felt like an idiot. A child who had lost their way. He was Tony Stark, he should be stronger than this. "My hometown, myself… They used it all against me."
"Tony," Natasha whispered trying to comfort the other. "Are you telling me that there was someone who did this? That you didn't go missing of your own accord? Tell me I'm wrong, Tony."
"Yes and no," Tony lifted his head up, looking at her soft eyes to his steeled ones. He was ready. "I was ambushed. Threatened. But not through violence. My helmet… it was removed, or broken. Then I blacked out."
The billionaire stood up rather quickly, but his hand didn't leave Natasha's. She merely lifted her head sharply, eyes looking to him in her own form of desperation. It still didn't make sense, but at least she knew Tony didn't do this to himself alone. He had help.
"I need to go back," And Natasha cracked a smile.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
Steve and Clint sat in an office Steve hadn't ever seen before. Clint said it was Natasha's 'make-shift-space', in which was cluttered with paperwork, plain oak furnishings and a computer that looked like it had never been turned on.
All that Steve saw was papers. Some had Tony's name on it and it was hard for him to look into it. In the end, he gave in and craned his neck to the side.
The papers all displayed people involved with the case. Maria Hill had been questioned; in a neat red circle at the bottom read 'Dead end'. Another page had Tony's name on it, highlighting parts in his profile like 'Long Island', 'Borderline psychopathic' was scribbled on intently. Steve grimaced at that, Tony did things in his own way, but he did it for the right reasons, even if his methods are a little harsh or unexplainable, he'd hardly think he was psychopathic.
Another caused Steve to reach over and grab it.
'Steve Rogers.'
"Clint," Steve began, reading the neat red pen against things in his profile. "Why was I being investigated? I didn't have anything to do with it until after."
Clint, who sat next to him with his legs completely stretched out and arms folded merely glanced over, not phased and unworried.
"Don't let it get to you, we all were." He smiled slightly, tapping his fingers against the sheet of papers, moving them. Sure enough, Bruce's file was there, Clint's, Thor's (but that had considerably less red writing on it, since 'Asgard' was circled and 'No motive' was written under the other.)
"Why?"
"Because it's usually the closest people who do this."
"So… Where's Natasha's file?"
"Sorry?"
"If we were all investigated, where's hers?"
Silence.
A beat.
Steve felt on edge, like Clint was going to outright attack him.
Then Natasha walked in, with Tony close behind. They held hands when they entered, Tony looking tired but better.
"Long Island," Natasha replied dryly. "We need to go."
"I need to remember everything," Tony whispered, moving is palm to is forehead. "I need to remember it to help you."
"Wait," Clint shuffled forwards, clasping his hands together. "Last night you told Steve that you did it. So, are you crazy or what? Because I just want to finish this soon."
"Clint," Natasha's eyes narrowed to the other, who held his hands up and leaned back. "We need to take Tony back there. I suggest me and Tony go alone and—"
"No way," Steve butted in. "I've looked after Tony until this point. I'm not leaving now."
Natasha looked at the super-soldier for a moment before shrugging slowly. "Sure, but a small team will do. We don't want to crowd Tony whilst he remembers."
Clint slapped his palms on his legs dropping his head back over his seat and sighing slowly. "To Long Island then."
Steve's eyes moved from the archer, to the billionaire and then to the spy. He wasn't sure what to make of all this now, those moments a few seconds ago. Something was very wrong here.
Very wrong.