Sleeplessness and Confrontation
Heilyn woke with a start the next morning. For all of a second he didn’t recognise where he was, but the soothing tone of Jarvis’ voice calmed him before a panic attack could set in. He breathed out a careful breath, laying still to let his heart steady after the spike of adrenaline had run through him.
‘Good morning, Heilyn,’ Jarvis said kindly, before rattling off the weather forecast for the day in a practiced tone.
‘Morning Jarvis,’ he replied, feeling better with his heart back under control. ‘Thanks, for a minute there I had no idea where I was.’
He stretched languidly and thought about just not getting up yet, but he knew the sooner he got up, the better his day would go. If he started it by lazing about in his bed for an hour or more, then it would set the wrong tone for the rest of the day and he’d be dragging his feet all day.
‘Of course, Heilyn,’ the AI replied pleasantly. ‘It is currently 5.30am. Is this a standard waking time for you?’
Heilyn smiled slightly at the curious words, and couldn’t help but think that if Jarvis had a body, his head would be tilted to the side with polite curiosity.
‘Yeah, I’m an early riser these days. I like to go for a run or a swim before the day really starts,’ he said with a shrug, looking into the corner of the room with another smile. The AI was quickly becoming a friend, and Heilyn couldn’t be happier with the thought. Jarvis was surprisingly funny, and if he had to guess, he’d probably be spending most of his time co-ordinating with him in his work.
‘I have updated my information regarding your habits. If you were interested in continuing these habits, there is a gym with an attached swimming pool three floors above this one. If you wanted to go for your run outside the tower, that would be possible as well, although your ID card has not yet been finalised.’
Heilyn paused. He’d sat up to listen to Jarvis, pulling on a shirt as he did, but his words made him stop. It was a good point. If he wanted to leave the tower, he might have trouble getting back in without his ID card. The receptionist had been politely ruthless, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit that she was terrifying.
He sighed softly, and pulled his shirt the rest of the way over his head. He shifted back until his back hit the headboard, and settled more comfortably against it.
‘So, stay inside for the moment then…’ he mused quietly.
It wasn’t as if he had a burning desire to leave, more that now that the idea had been taken away, he kind of wanted to do it. Still, it wasn’t impossible, just more difficult.
‘There is also the fact that once you leave the tower… Never mind,’ Jarvis started only to cut himself off.
Heilyn raised an eyebrow and looked around for a camera to focus on.
‘Once I leave the tower?’ he prompted, curious about what the AI had been going to say.
‘Well, I am not integrated into any of your tech. Once you leave the tower, I lose you entirely,’ Jarvis said with a neutral tone.
Heilyn nodded seriously, a furrow forming on his brow as he thought about it. That must be distressing for the AI. To meet new people, possibly get attached to them, and then not be able to contact them should he need to, or just simply want to.
‘I’m sorry. I don’t think my phone can even do that, and it’s just about the only thing that’s technology that doesn’t just blow up by me touching it.’
He frowned, before shrugging. It wouldn’t kill him to stay in the tower until his ID card was ready, and who knew, maybe Tony would’ve figured out something about his technology issues by then.
‘I’ll head up to the pool then,’ he said. ‘Hey, what time does Tony usually have breakfast? If I’m organising his meals, it might help to have an idea of what time he’d like them.’
The silence that followed his words had Heilyn narrowing his eyes suspiciously. It seemed unlikely that Jarvis was ignoring him. After all, they’d just been talking, and he figured that the AI was sophisticated enough to be able to have multiple conversations at once, so he had to be not responding on purpose.
‘Jarvis?’ he asked, a quiet demand obvious in his tone.
‘Sir has not yet gone to bed,’ was the worrying response after another moment of silence.
‘What?!’ he demanded, jumping out of bed so fast that he tripped over his tangled sheets and landed on the floor.
‘Ow! Oh, that hurt. Remind me not to do that again,’ he said to himself as he clutched at his knees, trying to will the pain away.
‘Indeed. Sir has not yet gone to bed. He went straight from dinner last night to his workshop, and has yet to leave, against my suggestion I might add.’
Heilyn breathed in sharply through his nose and clenched his teeth.
‘Right, and what has he been working on. Some interesting new project of his?’ he asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously. He had a feeling the answer would not be an affirmative.
‘No, Sir has been working on equipment for his team, as per requests made at 11.50pm.’
Heilyn felt a familiar flood of anger roll through him, his blood heating in his veins leaving him uncomfortably warm.
‘Right, I think it’s time I saw this infamous workshop. It’s got to be something else, to be worth spending all day and night in, right? Actually, give me a minute, then I’ll need some directions.’
He wasted little time changing out of his pyjama pants into jeans, before heading into his kitchen. He’d been kidding about doing the meal preparation in his kitchen, but he knew he had everything he needed down here, so he set about sorting out something that he knew helped with sleeping before heading out.
He was sure he made an interesting sight, storming into the elevator with an irritated look on his face, a mug in one hand, and a bowl in the other, but he didn’t care. Anyone who tried to stop him on his mission would face the consequences. He spared a moment to daydream about all the ways he could take his irritation out on Rogers if the man tried to stop him. It put a dark smile on his face, and he was glad he was alone at that moment.
The soft ding the elevator made upon stopping brought Heilyn back into the moment, and he stepped out onto a floor that was definitely not Tony’s, scanning the area for the erstwhile engineer. He didn’t know what to expect, but he found himself entirely unsurprised.
The workshop was much like the rest of the tower, sleek and modern with lost of metal and glass. He stepped out into the large room and spotted Tony almost immediately. He was the only organic looking thing in the room. He was bent over a table, face almost touching the object he was working on.
‘Jarvis?’ Heilyn whispered, taking a deep breath. He hadn’t thought this action through properly it seemed. He was in Tony Stark’s workshop, surrounded by some of the most technologically advanced equipment in the world, and any wrong move could destroy however many thousands of dollars of said equipment. ‘Maybe just make sure none of it touches me, yeah?’
‘Of course Heilyn,’ the AI said softly.
Heilyn took another steadying breath in, and moved through the room with purpose.
‘Hey!’ he called out as he got closer to the genius. It wouldn’t do to startle him entirely and cause him to break something.
It was worrying, the way that Tony responded. He didn’t at first, not even a flinch at the unexpected sound in his otherwise silent workshop. Then all at once, he shot up from his position, only to hiss at what Heilyn could only assume was the pain of not having moved in hours, hunched over something as he had been.
He turned to face Heilyn, a pained expression on his handsome face as he tried to rub the pain out of his back.
‘Ow,’ he whined with a pout, ‘Oh, that hurt. I must be getting old.’
Heilyn raised an eyebrow at him, watching as he stretched, completely unsympathetic.
‘What’s up, actually, scratch that. What’s that?’ he asked, pointing to the mug and bowl that Heilyn was still holding. The confusion quickly turned into a hopeful look that melted some of his irritation, and he felt his mouth twitch upward slightly.
It was completely unfair to use puppy dog eyes to get himself out of trouble, Heilyn thought, trying not to be swayed by the almost pleading look. He snorted and put the bowl and mug down on an empty table, gesturing toward them as he stepped back.
‘Oh! Blueberries! Zucchero, you know me too well!’ Tony cried, clutching at his chest dramatically as he spotted the fruit sitting innocently on the porridge. It didn’t take anything more to convince him to dig in apparently, as he grabbed the bowl with a manic sort of enthusiasm and scoffed down a large mouthful.
Heilyn felt his cheeks heat up again at the appreciative moan the man gave at the flavours. He dismissed the feeling though, and how curious he was about the word that Tony had used that he didn't know. Those thoughts were not helpful, and there where more important things to do at that moment. Like making sure that Tony ate every morsel of the food, and drank the drink.
He wasn’t taking any chances. Tony might have been kidding about the carer comment, but Heilyn wasn’t. It looked like Tony hadn’t been taking very good care of himself, but if he had anything to say about it, he’d shove some healthy habits down the other man’s throat.
He’d gone with a personal favourite for when he was having trouble sleeping. Warm porridge with honey, cinnamon, bananas, and blueberries, and a mug of warm milky chamomile and honey tea. It might even put the other man to sleep right there in his workshop, judging by how hard he was working to wrench open his eyes every time they closed.
He watched as Tony took a sip of the drink only to give him a dirty look.
‘This is not coffee. What is this? It’s not going to help me stay awake, I need coffee. Feels like I’m going to fall asleep standing up, here,’ he rambled, blinking way too fast.
‘No, it’s not going to keep you awake. It’s going to help you sleep, and you’re going to drink every last drop unless you can give me a reason not to,’ Heilyn replied mildly.
Tony wrenched his eyes open again, and took a moment to focus on Heilyn. It looked like he was having trouble getting his eyes to focus on him.
‘Uh, I need to get this finished,’ he said, gesturing to the mechanical object on the bench. Heilyn honestly had no idea what it was, but that hardly mattered at the moment.
‘Really. You can barely get your eyes to focus on me, what makes you think you’re in any state to be working on potentially dangerous equipment?’
‘Uh, I thought I hired you to bring me food, not complain about how I live my life,’ Tony said, frowning at him. Or trying to, at any rate.
‘You hired me to be your carer,’ he responded lightly, watching the food and drink do it’s job way too quickly for this to have been the first all night-er that the man had pulled in a row. ‘I have it in writing, actually.’
Tony had been absently sipping from the mug in his hand as they talked, and Heilyn had to rescue it as the other man finally lost the battle with his eyelids. He grabbed it out of a lax hand, and managed to pull Tony into his chest with his other arm before either could hit the floor.
He fumbled the mug onto the bench-top, being careful not to lose his grip on the sleeping man, thanking whatever had been the cause of his inhuman strength. He shifted slightly until he could bring the other man into his arms properly, and felt his face heat up once again as Tony curled into his neck unconsciously.
He breathed out a careful breath, praying his pounding heart wasn’t enough to wake the man. He had curled his head to rest on Heilyn’s neck near his pulse point, and it was a genuine worry. Although not as much of a worry as just how badly this man had been looking after himself.
He sent a dark look to the object that’d been the cause of his long night, before turning his back on it. He had a genius to put to bed.
He laid Tony on his bed and thought for a second. Jeans weren’t the most comfortable things to sleep in, but it wouldn’t kill him, he decided. He carefully pulled the man’s shoes off and put them down by the door, having no idea where else to leave them.
His last step was the pull the covers over the man, before he tiptoed out of the room as Jarvis dimmed the lights.
He sighed again, and went to fetch the empty bowl and mug from the workshop. He probably wouldn’t normally eat in there, Heilyn mused as he picked them up. Electrical equipment was not a friend to food and drinks.
He stood in the elevator, not really paying much attention now that Tony had been sorted out. He’d just have to ask Jarvis to let him know when the man woke later. He was going to get him into a healthier schedule if it killed him, he thought, somewhat irately.
He checked his phone absently to pass the time, but the soft ding that signaled the elevator stopping made him look up. The doors opened, making Heilyn sag and groan audibly. A familiar wall of muscle was standing on the other side.
‘I see Tony went ahead and hired you despite all our misgivings,’ Rogers said once the surprise faded. He moved into the elevator, giving Heilyn a firm disapproving look, and Heilyn felt his hackles raise.
‘You realise it has nothing to do with you what Tony does, right?’ he asked, not caring how hostile his words were.
The elevator doors closed, and they felt the subtle movement of the device. Neither man looked away from the other.
‘It affects this team, so it does have to do with us. I don’t trust you,’ Rogers said, narrowing his eyes at Heilyn.
‘I don’t care,’ Heilyn replied blithely, rolling his eyes. ‘It doesn’t matter to me whether you trust me or not, because you didn’t hire me. In fact, you have no say in whether I’m here or not, and I think that’s the biggest issue you have with me. I think it just burns you up inside that there are people in this world who don’t capitulate to your every whim, but guess what. I don’t care. What you think of me means less than nothing to me, and there’s nothing you can do about my presence here. So get over yourself.’
He felt his chest rising and falling more heavily than usual, and knew the look he was giving the other man was just shy of being a full out glare, but he didn’t care. He could feel something inside telling him to make the other man back off. The feeling pushed all rational thought away, and had him almost wishing the other man would push the issue.
‘Do you have any idea who we are? We saved the world. That entitles us to a level of respect from everyone. You need to keep that in mind, and I’ll be keeping an eye on you.’
‘Respect is earned, not given. You certainly weren’t the only people working to keep others safe from those aliens. And you certainly weren’t the one who stopped World War II, so don't even try to pull that card. You played a part, like everyone else. So get off your high horse,’ he spat, feeling his anger burn brighter. He knew if he wasn’t careful, he’d lose control again, but there was something about this man that brought it out of him. Something was telling him to prove that he was more than capable of dealing with the threat in front of him.
‘Maybe other people were involved, but we did stop the invasion. Because of us, this city is still here. Because of us, the world wasn’t taken over by those things,’ Rogers argued.
Heilyn opened his mouth to reply, knowing his face was more snarl than anything else, but he didn’t get the chance. The elevator doors opened onto the common floor, and they were interrupted.
‘Uh…’ the vaguely familiar voice broke into their fight.
Heilyn glanced over and saw an unsure looking Bruce. He nodded at the man, and shot a look of deep dislike at Rogers.
‘I think this is your stop, Rogers,’ he said darkly.
‘No, it’s not. I’m going to see Tony,’ he said stiffly.
Heilyn snorted. That wasn’t happening. He’d put Tony to bed not long before, and maybe ten minutes of sleep after several days of being awake was not nearly enough.
‘No, you’re not. He’s sleeping, so you’re going to leave him alone,’ he said, the promise of violence clear in his tone. He was prepared to stop the other man physically if he had to, was looking forward to it if he was being honest with himself.
‘If Stark's still sleeping at this time of day, he needs to get up. Just because he doesn’t have to work is not excuse to be lazy,’ Rogers said loudly.
‘Excuse me, Mister Rogers,’ Jarvis cut in sharply, ‘if you could take this conversation out of the elevator so that other’s may access it, that would be much appreciated. Besides, you do not have clearance to access Sir’s floors. We have had this conversation every day since you moved in. Perhaps the thawing process had unforeseen side effects, or your advanced age is beginning to get to you. I have scheduled an appointment with the SHIELD doctors at their earliest convenience.’
Heilyn grinned, showing all of his teeth with the action, his eyes shining maliciously. He knew that Jarvis would be a good ally.
‘There’s nothing wrong with my memory,’ Rogers said, jaw clenched tightly enough that Heilyn wondered if super strength could result in broken teeth. ‘Tony needs to stop being so selfish. We’re a team, we should be able to contact all members whenever we need to. It’s incredibly petty of him to put himself in a separate area that no one can get to.’
Heilyn looked at the other man incredulously. Was he even hearing himself?
‘Dude, get out of the elevator. Some of us would like to get to where we want to go, some time today,’ he said, feeling the fight drain out of himself at the prospect of spending any more time with such an idiot.
‘No, I need to talk to Tony about his behaviour.’
‘My god, you aren’t his parent, or his teacher. You don’t hold any form of authority over him, heck, from where I’m standing, you aren’t even a friend. Stop acting like you have any say in anything to do with him,’ Heilyn said, giving Rogers a look that clearly said that he thought the man was mad.
‘You don’t know what you’re talking about, and you need to stop butting in on things that don’t concern you. This is a team issue, and you are not a part of our team,’ he said with finality, as if that would do anything to stop Heilyn from interfering.
‘Yeah, I’m done with this,’ he said.
He breathed in deeply through his nose, and spun to face the back of the elevator. He let the breath out as a gust of air, forcing the currents to follow his movements. The air bounced off the back of the elevator, and shoved Rogers, causing him to stumble in shock. The movement was enough to take the man off guard, and Heilyn turned back quickly, using that moment to give him another shove, this time in the middle of his back.
He stumbled out of the elevator, a stunned look on his face. Heilyn shot a hand out and grabbed Bruce’s wrist, yanking him into the elevator just before the doors shut firmly.
Heilyn let out a breath slowly, calming the tempest raging inside him. It happened every time his emotions got the better of him, or he actively used his abilities, and he very much did not want to lose control in such a small space with someone who didn’t deserve it.
‘Sorry about that, you alright?’ he asked, giving a curious look to the other man.
‘Uh, yeah. Is everything alright? You don’t seem to get along with Steve very well,’ Bruce said hesitantly.
‘Yeah, it’s fine. It would be better if I never had to see that jerk again, but that’s life I guess. So, where were you headed?’
‘Oh, just down to the lab. I was helping Tony with something, but if he’s sleeping there’s not much I can do on my own. I guess I’ll just head to my lab.’
‘Huh, fair enough, and yeah. He’s sleeping. I’m almost certain he hadn’t slept for a few days, so…’ he shrugged, before a hard look entered his eyes. ‘Don’t wake him up.’
He watched the other man for a moment, seeing the brief second that his eyes shone green. It left as quickly as it had come, and he nodded.
‘You seem, oddly protective of him. Have you known Tony long?’ Bruce asked, still sounding painfully tentative.
‘Not really. It’s the strangest thing,’ he explained with a helpless shrug, ‘he just seems like he needs someone in his corner.’
His expression darkened as he thought about it.
‘Especially with Rogers verbally attacking him as often as he does. I’ve been here for less than half a week all up, and every time I’ve seen him, he’s been doing that.’
He watched the other man’s brow furrow in thought, and nodded as he clearly came to the same conclusion that he had.
‘Huh, I never noticed that. I guess because they’ve been like that pretty much the whole time they’ve known each other.’
‘So why put up with it?’ Heilyn asked. ‘Tony is a genius, he must have a reason for letting someone walk all over him. The only thing I can think of, is that he’s heard it so often that he’s starting to believe it, or there’s something I don’t know.’
Heilyn shrugged, still feeling the anger rolling beneath his skin.
‘Listen, this has been nice – talking, that is, not the fighting with Rogers, although,’ he started, before trailing off. ‘Anyway, I’m heading for the gym, so I’ll see you later.’
He shot the other man another smile, before moving through the doors as they opened on the appropriate floor.
The only way he could think of to let out his aggression without going back and destroying Rogers was by taking his anger out on the gym.