starkravingmad | In The End

It’s been quiet lately though Tony isn’t quite sure if the bad guys have actually taken a vacation of if Fury has secretly grounded him for the whole nasty stunt with the Mandarin. It hadn’t been one of his brightest moments, but in his defense he was pretty much running off of caffeine and nearly losing a member of his little misfit family had sent him over the edge. He’d acted out. He’d called out a supervillian and terrorist on national television and given him and everyone else his home address. Mansion was gone and lessons were learned the hard way.

And damn New York was a lot colder than he remembered it this time of year…or maybe that was just the ice pack he was holding to his shoulder after a mild (really it wasn’t /that/ bad) incident while calibrating his newest edition flight regulators.

Note for the future….need softer ceilings.

Old and half empty pizza and take out boxes were piled high on one of the back tables along with the remnants of way to many sodas and red bull cans to keep them company. A fresh pack of menthols sat beside him as several holographic projections surrounded him in his seat.

“Let’s reduce the power by ten percent and rewire…”

As he spoke the suit plans on screen slowly modified to follow his directions.

“Sir, Agent Barton is in route…should I allow him access?”

Tony leaned back in his seat, lips pressed together as he shrugged his shoulders. Maybe this would be the revilement from boredom he was looking for. An end to the quiet.

“Sure why the hell not…open up, J! Please tell me that you brought me something good from..that secret mission in that secret place I'm not suppose to know about."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He needs for all of this to disappear. He's already been half way to this point before. The birthday party. Rhodey barging in and taking one of his suits. It was the one that Tony had planned on giving him eventually anyway, but that's not the point. The point is that his security has been comprised. He's put trust into so few things since Obadiah ...and the one time he actually tries to fix himself back up. What happens...

It comes back and kicks him in the ass.

"How the hell did this happen..."

His eyes are closed and it almost feels like he's dying. Like his chest is constricting and he can't breath like he should. He hates feeling like this. Hates being helpless because he's a goddamn superhero. He's not suppose to be...

Normally he'd be reaching for a drink right now and damn it, he wants to. Wants the familiar burn to ease the pain of all this way, but he can't...because he wants to be good. He's trying to be good.

"Fuck...They're gonna take it away..."

Clint sees the twitching fingers and it gives him and idea. He looks around the workshop before picking the nearest surface. He forcibly drags Tony's chair, and Tony, along with it to the surface then twists his hand and cracks his watch against the edge of the desk. It gives a little sound as it breaks and Clint ignores the pain that shocks through his wrist and hand as he strips the watch off and sets it down in front of Tony.

"They aren't going to take it away if we can help it, okay? But I need your help first. I need you to fix my watch. Focus on that okay? C'mon genius. Use that brain. It's just a watch, its nothing."

He doesn't even seem to notice that he's being moved. Things are clouding together. The problems that are more than likely going to rise up now that everything is out in the open like this. The board members. The reporters. SHIELD. The senators. Pepper.

It's the crack that draws his attention. Bringing him dropping back into reality as the piece is dangling in front of him. The blur is still there. He can hear him, but he can't exactly see Clint. He knows he's there. The watch though. It's in focus. He can /see/ it.

Dumm-E is already there at their side, the small sound he makes almost sound concerned if that is possible for a robotic being made by a sixteen year old kid. One that is very much outdated mind you. A small box is clutched in his claw. It's not Tony's usual tools. Not the welder. Just a simple screwdriver set. One that Happy got him for Christmas ...how many years ago was it?

He reaches for it...

"I can do that..."

"I hope so. Natasha gave me that watch. She refuses to get me another one cause its supposed to have a warranty or something."

Clint keeps a hand on Tony's shoulder. Laying just over the place his neck and collar connect, trying to be a supportive weight. As Tony focuses on the watch, slowly trying to set right the damage Clint gauges his body.

His breathing settling down slowly, the shaking tapering off for the choice to work instead. Though his eyes still look glazed the inventor's attention was pointed to one point instead of jumping around.

Only when he was sure that Tony wasn't going to shake apart did he slowly drag his hand away. He put away the information. That Tony needed something to work on when he went into a state like that. It was a useful tip. And Clint resolved to keep something small, mechanical and breakable on him at all times for just this purpose.

The watch is already taken apart in his mind. The layout projected just behind his eye lids much like the holo blueprints Jarvis often projects while Tony's working on his suits. He turns when he's sure he has mapped everything else, taking the small box from Dumm-E's hand.

The bot hangs off out of way and just to the side, curious and waiting to see if his creator has any other need of him acting much like a loyal dog laying at his master's feet.

"She's going to kill you..."

Tony doesn't have to say who 'she' is. Natasha is a force to be reckoned with. No one is foolish enough to argue with that.

"Wouldn't be the first time she hung me out to dry for something like this." Clint relaxed at being addressed directly. That was a good thing. Right? He dragged a chair over to sit across from Tony. He folded his arms on the edge of the table, giving the inventor plenty of room to fiddle with the watch. He didn't know if he really expected it to get fixed or turned into something at Tony's whim but the important part was it was getting done instead of panicking.

He gave it a few minutes and only when he was positive Tony was engrossed in the work did he actually address what just happened.

"... we're not going to let them take the suit away Tony. First of all if they tried they'd have to take guns and cars away from the public at large and that's just not gonna fly. Double standard..."

In The End

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