A/N: This one's a bit longer and I kind of rushed it, so apologies for inconsistencies or mistakes. I leave in a week for vacation and I'm trying to get this done in time. Getting close to done, so I hope it's been enjoyable for y'all!
Disclaimer: Not mine. Not now, not ever.
"Have you seen Tony?"
"It's his party. He's probably around here somewhere."
"No, he isn't. Clint, I've been looking since the announcement. He's not here."
"Did you ask Pepper?"
"First thing I did. She hasn't seen him either and she's getting worried."
"Alright, alright. Let me grab Natasha and we'll start the hunt. But, seriously, he couldn't have gotten far. Someone would notice Tony Stark leaving his own party."
Holy hell! Who's bright idea was it to start clanking glasses like this was some kind of freaking wedding!?
While Tony had designed his earbud to tune out most frequencies, that apparently did not include loud, obnoxious, high-pitched metal-on-glass. Immediately, his ear had flared in agony, the pain taking his breath away and had him blindly searching and scrambling out the nearest door. He wasn't sure if anyone saw him nor did he care. Well, he kind of cared, but that was hardly the point right now. He sat hunched over in the deserted hallway he had practically fallen into, right hand awkwardly cupped around his left ear, trying to salve the suffering he was enduring. His injured arm was doing its best to hold in the fiery flames that were his ribs from the spastic movement, his shirt clinging to his back from sweat and, he could only assume, blood.
Stupid barbarian, thumping him like that! Probably ripped a few stitches, too. Pepper was going to be PISSED!
He missed the footsteps. The slapping of rubber on linoleum was not quiet, but the ringing in his ears didn't even allow his good ear to pick up the sounds. Through watery eyes, he couldn't fail to notice the brown pair of dress shoes that appeared in his line of vision, though. Looking up, he caught sight of an unfamiliar face.
Damn! Guess someone did notice.
The face was mouthing something. Tony didn't have the energy or capacity right now to figure it out. He shook his head, eyes closing involuntarily against the pain, hand remaining in its protective state around his ear.
A hand grabbed his, pulling Tony's makeshift protection away and causing Tony to flinch, eyes reopening in anger at the audacity. The scene wasn't what he had expected. There had been two people and now there was a new face. Ryker's face. The anger quickly fled into shock.
Tony was missing.
They had been searching for the past few minutes, but so far, between the six of them, no one could find hide nor hair of the eccentric man. Pepper was beside herself with worry - Bruce doing what he could to keep her calm - while Natasha and Thor set up a slight distraction to keep the guests from getting suspicious. Steve and Clint resuming the search.
Steve hadn't even noticed the door behind him, looking around wildly, until he heard a muffled yelp. It was stunted by the door and noise going on in the grand hall, but with his enhanced hearing, Steve was just able to make it out.
Worry leapt in his throat as he threw open the door and tore down the hallway behind it, seeing two unknown men looming over his wayward friend.
Ryker saw the flicker of Tony's eyes before he found himself staring down the barrel of a black, 9 mm handgun. Swiftly, he took two strides backwards, hands raised in surrender. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his companion doing the same.
Tony shot up as well, shaking legs hardly strong enough to hold the genius up. His arm shot forward and grabbed the top of the gun, face glistening with sweat and a grimace set in place.
"Steve, no! It's okay." Confusion and doubt flashed across the Super Soldier's eyes. "Promise..."
The rest of Tony's sentence diminished as he hugged his chest tighter with a moan, the sudden movement reigniting the agony, legs crumbling from under him. The good Captain adjusted his grip on the gun to both grab Tony from falling, yet keeping his weapon trained on Ryker.
An arrow accompanied the barrel and Steve allowed his attention to switch to Tony, the man ghost-white and shaking.
"Easy, Tony. I've got you." Tony just nodded, in too much pain to verbalize anything else. Steve got him sitting on the tiled floor, chest heaving, head leaned back against the wall, arms wrapped protectively around his ribs. "We need Bruce."
"No, 's okay. Give me a minute." The standstill remained as Tony struggled to reign in the pain.
"Who are you?" Clint's question prompted Steve to look up at the surrendered men. The man who had been leaning over Tony when he came in the hallway stared back, face blank. The other man shifted side to side, obviously uncomfortable.
He'd be the one to break, thought Steve.
Silence. Tension thick in air.
"Ernst." The man swallowed thickly, accent mild. "Ernst Schleiffer."
"And your friend?"
"Ryker Sawyer," Tony replied heavily for the man, attempting once again to stand. Steve his movement, ignoring the annoyed look Tony sent him.
"Yeah? What's he want with you?" Clint's eyes never leaving those of Ryker's.
"Don't know." The weariness rolled in waves off the injured man. "You guys interrupted us."
"Well?" Clint once again aimed his demand at Ryker. The man continued to stare back. Clint pulled his bow back a notch more.
"Clint, stop," Tony growled out. Two sets of bewildered eyes flickered his way. "He's not a threat. Neither of them are. Lower your weapon."
"The hell they're not! Tony, do you remember a minute ago when they were standing over you, doing who knows what?!"
"Uh yeah, they were helping me."
"What?" Clint lowered his bow a little, letting the string relax.
"But...?"
"Glass. Ear." Tony motioned lazily with his hand. Steve widened his eyes, questioningly.
"Mister Stark's ear became tremendously painful when everyone started clinking their glasses. He tried to escape the noise in here. We found him and came in to speak with him, but saw him in pain. We were trying to help when you jammed your gun in Doctor Sawyer's face." Surprised looks once again adorned Clint and Steve's faces.
"Oh, you're a doctor? Like a medical doctor or...?"
"He's a medical doctor," Ernst supplied once more.
"Why doesn't he speak?"
"He can't. Or rather, he's deaf and doesn't know what you're saying."
Clint stashed his bow away quick as lightning. 'Sorry, Doctor Sawyer, we didn't know who you were.' Clint was happy to note that, for once, it was the Doctor that seemed surprised and not them.
'You know sign language?'
'Yep. Been mostly deaf for most of my life. Still have a little hearing though.' The doctor nodded knowingly. 'Ahh, could you check him out for us?' Clint motioned towards Tony who was still sitting hunched over on the floor, surreptitiously leaning against Steve for support. Doctor Sawyer nodded.
"Hey, not an invalid here." Tony whimpered out, having a chance to watch the exchange in the quiet. His voice sounded harsh, like the drugs Bruce gave him were starting to wear off. Doctor Sawyer approached anyway, mindless of the daggers Tony was throwing.
The man ignored Tony's incredulous stare. Inspecting the offended ear, Ryker removed the earbud to peer closer. He moved away, turning to talk to Clint. The pain had started to recede to a more tolerable level and Tony took the opportunity to straighten up a bit.
'He's re-torn his eardrum. Probably hurts like hell, but he'll be fine. The rest of him, I can't know without doing a more thorough examination.'
'Should he go to the hospital?'
'He's fine now, so if you'll excuse me.' Tony was never so glad to know sign language than right now and had this been five minutes ago, he would have been geeking out, but his pride right now was telling him to flee.
Ryker Sawyer was an extremely accomplished Otolaryngologist. Probably the best in the world - well, at least he was until he fell off the map - and a man who was also deaf. Since his diagnosis, Tony had read everything the man had written when he wasn't allowed in the lab - secreting his tablet from Pepper so he could read while resting - and was shocked when he had seen him in the back of the room. Every time he tried to get closer, someone had blocked him so they could talk with the great Tony Stark.
Now, here Ryker was with a front-row seat to Tony's vulnerability. Not the first impression Tony wanted to make.
A hand on his arm stopped him. He went to push it off, but stumbled. Two pain of hands - Steve's and Ryker's - steadied him.
'Mister Stark, please. May I have a word with you?'
'Thanks for checking up on me, but really, I'm fine. I'd appreciate it if we all just forgot about all this and called it a night.'
"Tony, you're in no condition to go back out there," Steve protested as Tony tried to move off towards the party. Clint signed Steve's sentiment for Ryker, keeping the man in the loop; Tony's exasperated expression not guilting him in the least for doing it either.
'Not a problem, Mister Stark. I understand your desire for discrepancy, but I wanted to discuss a proposition with you.'
Tony frowned. 'Pepper deals with all that now.' Normally, he would have fled and left it at that, but something - rather, someone - was preventing him.
'I know and I've been trying for months to get an appointment. Please, sir, if you could take one moment.'
'First off, my name's Tony. Second, fine. Let's put it in the books. Say tomorrow at noon? That work for you?' He really just wanted to leave. His vocal cords were starting to tingle, a sure sign the compound was wearing off.
A smile of relief broke Ryker's countenance. 'That would be fine. Thank you, Mister Stark.'
'Yeah, okay. Whatever. And it's Tony.' He turned to leave again and once more Steve prevented his escape. 'What, Rogers?' He already knew his voice wouldn't work anymore. Luckily, Steve could pick up that much on his own.
"Clint went to go get Pepper and the car for you. You're to stay here."
'I'm not a child, Steve. I'll be fine.' He gingerly wiggled his way out of Steve's grip.
"Oh no you don't!" rang through the halls.
Busted!
Sighing, he turned towards his girlfriend. "Before you say it, don't 'But Pepper' me! Clint told us what happened. There's no way you're going back out there. Bruce is mad too, so don't look for any sympathy from him either." Pepper marched past, heading toward the back exit, her heels clicking loudly in the silence that followed her announcement.
Tony rolled his eyes at Ryker, sighed in defeat, and trudged after her, Steve hovering nearby just in case.