CH 11: Licorice Hating People

April 21st, 2010

Tony took Licorice into the meeting with him, her wearing her little vest and head bonnet to keep the noise low. Poor baby still had headaches from the wound that piece of human garbage Stane had given her. Tony knew this because, every time she got a headache or was in pain, she'd bury her head in her paws and rub at her face in a self-soothing gesture. He felt pretty bad about it, and even worse when he wouldn't catch the act immediately and she'd be in pain for hours before he noticed her little head petting.

Maybe he could get or make something to let him know she was in pain. Or maybe get something so she could tell him she was in pain. She was a pretty smart floof, maybe a cat door she could walk through that set an alarm off or maybe a button-

"Mr Stark," Tony was pulled from his brainstorm. "Can we pick up where we left off?"

The Senator Stern, Senator Shithead as Tony secretly called him, kept chattering. Tony took great pleasure in talking circles around the man, watching his face flush red with frustration.

And they had the au-fucking-dacity to bring out HAMMER as the tech expert. Tony wouldn't trust that over-inflated, brown-nosing asshole with his TV remote. The thought of turning over the Iron Man armor to that idiot was inconceivable to the point of bafflement. God, whoever labeled Justin Hammer as the tech expert seriously needed to, not only be fired, but a hard, painful kick to the ass. And to check for head trauma or mind control. Or bribery.

Oh Tony fuckin BET-

Ooo there was his Rhodey.

Tony hid his real grin under the fake one, going over to clap his friend on the shoulder. He was surprised to see him here, but he should have expected Senator Shithead to go below the belt. Licorice was there when he sat back down, kneading biscuits into his stomach and smacking him in the side with her tail. Her bright yellow eyes glared daggers at anyone that got too close, and Tony could feel the vibrations from her low growls when someone had the thought to actually touch him. She hissed and spat at Hammer more than once when the man got too close. It made him feel very warm and fuzzy, any anxiety he had before melting away under the pressure of her in his lap.

It was a cake walk after that, humiliating Hammer and Senator Shithead was the icing on top.

Tony took Rhodey, Happy, Licorice and himself out to lunch after the meeting adjourned, getting buzzed on overly expensive mimosas and giggling at still shots of Hammer and the Senator's pissy faces. Happy had water, and his little baby had some fresh salmon on rice from the kitchen. Baby girl did love her salmon.

What an interesting word: salmon. Salmon. Sssalmon. Sal-moon. Salm-a-lama.

Tony giggled, knocking back his fourth (fith?) mimosa.

"Alright boss, I'm cutting you off." Happy chimed in, taking his glass. He took a sniff of the dregs. "Ugh, what'd they put in this? Rubbing alcohol?"

Tony made a sound of protest, making grabby hands at the glass.

"Na, boss. We're headed to the airport now and I'm getting you home. Rhodes, you need a lift?" Happy turned to the other man, who was only slightly less buzzed than Tony.

Licorice climbed onto the table in front of him, placing her butt right where his plate had been before. Tony leaned forward and pressed his face into her fur, breathing in the earthy sweet scent of her cat shampoo. That's right, he gave her a bath right before the Expo opening the night before. Hmmm, very soothing smell.

"Yeah… yeah I gotta temp room at the nearest base." Rhodey said beside him, his voice slurring.

"God, it's barely noon you guys."

"Never too early for a Good Tony Time." came said man's muffled voice.

Happy rolled his eyes.

"Lets go, you two."

April 23rd 2010

Two days later found Tony at home, in his workshop, working hard on SI projects and flicking through legal paperwork at the same time.

Honestly, Corvin couldn't wrap her head around how he could do it all. Tony's ability to hype fixate on his work was fucking legendary. The only thing she could hype fixate on to that depth was playing out her own fight scenes when she listened to music. Or daydreaming about stories or show spin-offs. Like a nerd.

Corvin sat in her usual spot, perched on her little kitty tree. She had hopped up there after she had brought Tony some fruit snacks and bugged You or Butterfingers into making him a protein and multivitamin smoothie. He ate so much garbage, she was certain he was vitamin deficient. She wondered if she could get Jarvis to order some gummy vitamins so that she could push them onto every morning when he got up. She could even stash them in his bedside cabinet, if she could find a way to open it with that stupid 'modern' handle. Fuking stupid thing.

She sat up and scratched at an ich along her face, her collar jingling as she did. Noting the time, she gave a 'murp' to try and get her human's attention, but it didn't work.

Continuing to wait, Corvin thought about the upcoming confrontation.

Vanko, what to do about him?

On one hand, an asshole trying to kill her human. Which was Not Ok, and she'd sooner carve out his chest and use his slimy intestines as a litter box than let him lay a finger on her Tony.

On the other hand, the man was incredibly intelligent, and could be useful in the future. They would need all the help they could get against Thanos when he arrived. Together, she could only imagine all the things he and Tony could create for this world. But how would she get there? How would she convince Tony to try or Vanko for the matter?

Another thought: was it her responsibility? She knew what was going to happen, and it more or less came out for the best in the horrible situation. If she changed too much, there was no guarantee of them winning this time around.

But on the other hand…

Fuck that shiiiiiiiiit.

That whole timeline was bullshit! So much fucking bullshit, holy motherfucking shit!

BUUUULLLLLL SHIIITTTTT!

She wanted to bite something. So she started to gnaw on the side of her cat tree, her sharp needle teeth getting through the carpet and into the wood below. She chewed and picked at the threads in frustration, angry at the thought of what the future held and how little she could do to help in her current state. She needed to be able to communicate, but she still hadn't figured a solution out!

Her claws dug into the carpet and she raised her paws up and down, pulling and ripping it up in pure vexation. A low angry rumble started in her throat as her thoughts spiraled downward, only to stop as a pair of hands scooped her up.

"Oooh, my baby baby is soooo grumpy." Tony cooed at her, giving her face a smattering of kisses. Corvin was very angry still, and glared up at the man for interrupting her unhealthy coping mechanism. He just cooed more about how cute she was when she was grumpy and began to scratch at the back of her neck.

Her weak spot! He was playing dirty, the heathen.

Corvin was no match for the pettings and quickly turned into a pile of purring goop. Pepper came in at one point to go over some paperwork about a donation of some sort, something about Tony's collection of scotches. She didn't hear much past her own purrfing.

" She's my kitty pie,

brings me snacks such a sweet surprise!

Purrs so good, helps me when I cry

Sweet kitty piiiiie! "

And like that, her bad mood was defeated completely.

May 5th 2010

Corvin's hackles raised. She knew that, in the future, Romanoff and Tony would be friends, good friends even. But not now. And not any time soon. Right now the spy had orders and a will to complete them: obtain Tony as an asset, lower self-esteem in order to control.

She had worked hard to get Tony where he was! He was getting so much better mentally, and he was healthier too!

Like FUKING HELL was she going to let this fucking bitch-ass, leather wearing, leg twirling, sexy-ass- fuck wait - conniving! piece of work, get to Tony and ruin all of that.

So she pitched an epic bitch-fit.

First she yowled. Loud and obnoxious, with her mouth open and spit dripping down past her lips. She poofed up, looking twice her size as her fur stood on end. She lifted herself to the tips of her paws, claws scratching along the floor as she stood between the two where they were.

Romanoff blinked down at her, a flash of confusion crossing her face.

Corvin couldn't see Tony, but she could smell him. And he smelled of suspicion.

And major BO.

Pepper and Happy were also in the room, the gym room to be exact, and they were watching her little spat with curiosity.

Romanoff tried to take a small step forward, but Corvin quickly lashed out with her claws, almost nicking her ankle. Her howling kicked up a notch, her tongue darting between her lips in that odd way that almost sounded like human talking.

Corvin didn't know why the woman was even here . Tony wasn't dying, so he never signed the company over to Pepper. SI stocks were higher than ever as a result and there was a new wall AC unit that Tony just put on the market that cut the electricity use by two thirds. Corvin had lived in an apartment with those wall units, those shits were expensive to run. They were ranking in the dough at the moment.

She felt hands pick her up, the smell of her human was the only thing that kept her from lashing out.

This close to Tony, she could feel the tension in his frame, and she knew the spy could see it clear as day.

"Well, if that concludes our meeting, I must be going. Company to run, plane to catch and all that." Tony hummed, putting on what was surely the fakest smile he had ever worn.

She wished she could give him a fist bump, trust the smartest man in the world to pick up on her hints, thank goodness. Pepper led Romanoff out quickly after that, giving Tony a 'You could have done that better' look, to which he shrugged.

"What was that boss? You didn't even look down." Happy pipped up from where he stood in the ring, making a motion over his chest with a raised eyebrow. Tony shrugged again.

"Wasn't interested." He replied. Happy made a choked sound, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Corvin had to give Tony mad props. The whole thing didn't go even a bit like the movie had. Romanoff had come in with Pepper, in her very flattering top and perfect makeup. Tony had barely spared her a glance, focusing in on Pepper like a moth to a lighthouse beacon. Corvin was very pleased to notice this, and, from the slightly raised eyebrows she had seen, so was Pepper.

Yahhss Sis, getcho maannnn, yaaaahhhs!

Corvin gave a little butt wiggle from where she still sat, cradled in Tony's arms. Giving him a small lick on the cheek, she made the motion of jumping down. Tony leaned down so she was closer to the floor before letting her hop off.

She wondered off, feeling pleased with how things had gone.

Corvin did not feel that way for long.

For one, the dinner at the race track in Monaco was crowded and fucking Hammer had the GALL to try and touch her, even though she had her vest on! The reporter had been wise enough not to try such a thing, but her questions were demeaning and barbed. And Hammer was f ucking annoying. A low rumble was all it took for Tony to excuse himself, citing that she was getting anxious and needed some air. Thank god for that.

He took her to the roof, to the VIP section that was, thankfully, sparse with people.

They stayed up there for a while, Tony shooting off a quick text to Pepper and Happy to let them know where they were. The race began shortly after and their eyes followed for as long as the cars were in sight. They then watched from the screens. Pepper and Happy joined them a few moments later, taking seats at the round table next to them.

Corvin was a ball of nerves, wondering when Vanko would show up. The race had been going on for a good bit now, and the man had yet to show his face.

Heavy footsteps, the smell of ozone and gunpowder. Her ears perked and nose twitched.

Twisting in her spot, she bit Tony in the arm hard, making him jump from his seat in alarm.

Just as an electric whip went through it.

The table and seat were slashed in two, pieces going flying in every direction, covered in fire. Screams started up, the loudest being Pepper's shrill screech of alarm as she was coated in wood pieces. Corvin had landed on the floor, when Tony had jumped, she now dashed out of the way as Vanko slashed again, aiming for the man next to her.

Tony dodged this way and that, trying to make his way over to Happy, who had the case that held his suit. But Vanko was smart and kept the two separated. They needed a distraction so that Tony could get to Happy.

Corvin was not fucking happy to be in the rodeo once again. Stane's was the one and only bad guy encounter she permitted. One and done, no mas. Leave the humans to the humans, while she helped on the side. Direct confrontation was not recommended when you are punt-able sized.

But sometimes, her human needed a hand, damn him.

Corvin crept around until she was behind Vanko before charging. She clawed her way up his back, digging her sharp nails into the uncovered skin on his sides and letting them take her weight. Vanko screamed as she ranked along his sensitive side, the skin parting under her claws and leaving long bloody scratches behind. Arms flailed, trying to dislodge her. She jumped and ran off before he could grab her like Stane did.

Her distraction proved efficient, Tony had been able to get to his suit and was now in the process of kicking Vanko's ass right here on the roof. Happy contributed, throwing things like chairs and dishware at him to keep his attention divided. Corvin paid little attention, more focused on getting to Pepper, who was crawling across the floor towards the exit stairs. Buffing her face against the woman's, the feline encouraged her to move faster.

The two made it to the door just as special forces came through, filling the roof and training their guns on Vanko. Corvin did not see the aftermath, but she found out what had happened when she saw Tony come to the car about a half an hour later.

Vanko had been defeated and carted off to prison.

Happy had lost an arm.

His right arm, elbow and down, was gone. Sliced off by one of Vanko's whips. The only positive news was that the wound had been cauterized by the whip as well, so there was no blood loss other than the sum that came from the severed appendage. Happy had been rushed to the hospital, which is where they were going next.

Tony blamed himself, she could see it in his face. Corvin wished she could talk just so she could say, over and over and over again, that it wasn't. All she could do was curl into his shaking arms and comfort him as best she could.

"I signed up for this, boss. I knew, I weighed the risks and I kept fighting anyway. I'd do it again, even if I knew the results would be the same." Happy was at the end of a very long winded rant. Happy knew Tony better than most, and had read his face the moment he walked through the door to his hospital room. Tony had to give the man mad props, he knew just what to say, just where to hit that made Tony's pillar of guilt come crumbling down around them. Obviously it wouldn't go away completely, but... it didn't crush as heavily.

"I guess you'll just have to let me build you a new arm then, I'm thinking built in taser in the fingers. What do you think?" Tony said, forcing himself to smile.

"Or you could make them vibrate," Happy said with an exaggerated eyebrow wiggle which finally pulled a laugh out of Tony. Happy's grin sobered up, "But seriously, Tony. Don't go blaming yourself for this." Tony hummed. " Tony . Promise me you wont go blaming yourself for this."

Tony ground his teeth, looking down at his shoes. There was a burn behind his eyes.

"I-" he started, voice thick, "I'll try, Hap, I promise."

Happy finally seemed to relax back into the hospital bed.

"Good. Now get outta here, I got one hell of a hot nurse and I'm not letting you steal the show."

Tony gave his friend one last strained smile before leaving.

He moved down to the waiting room, where Pepper was at along with Licorice. She had been in the room with Happy earlier, but had left to give the two some time to talk. She was petting Licorice as he came in.

"How'd it go?" Pepper said as she saw him.

"Building him a new arm, one with all the bells and whistles. Hey, that might be a good idea, expanding into prosthetics. Stark Industries could make some changes."

"We could partner with the VA, get some charities going to get funding for access. That's a very good idea, Tony." Pepper smiled, allowing him to turn the conversation. She looked a little worse for wear, but the doc cleared her, saying she only had scrapes which would heal without a mark. Pepper also looked very tired; the day had taken its toll.

"C'mon, let's get out of here. There is a hotel room with our name on it. I'll get Happy transferred to the hospital in Malibu tomorrow," Tony urged. Pepper raised an eyebrow. " Two hotel rooms obviously."

Pepper hummed in reply and the three were on their way to the hotel that was close by.

Tony barely had the energy to take off his shoes and suit jacket before crashing on top of the covers.

His eyes drifted shut and his mind went quiet as he quickly fell asleep. Not waking even as tiny paws clicked off the lamp switch and moved to take post at the end of the bed.

His little guardian stood watch as he slept.