McDonalds
Scott was tempted to slam his head into the windshield if the arguing kept up. They had left the morning after the call from Nick Fury, who he understood was the one eyed director of the former powerhouse that was SHIELD. He had never met the man, but he understood his importance to the Avengers and their creation. But right now, the little team of four didn't feel like they were a part of the Avengers. The Civil War may have ended officially, but it felt like they were doing a reenactment of it in the bland, black Honda Civic that Tony had in storage for these kinds of missions. The windows were tinted, it had many safe driving features, and, in Tony's words, the "most boring car." Said man was driving with Scott in the passenger seat, Sam and Wanda in the back. They had decided it was the best option for now so Tony and Wanda didn't have to sit next to each other, but the tension had been high since last night and then it was all crammed into the car.
"Look, I don't care what the GPS says, I know a better way to get there that won't involve as much traffic," Tony Stark said, glancing up at the rearview mirror where Wanda was scowling at him from her leather seat, red magic flickering around her hands and in her eyes. The genius's face wasn't phased, his own scowl seeming permanent in his features, but Scott could see that his fingers had tightened around the wheel until his knuckles were white and his entire body was tense. His eyes were covered by sunglasses that he insisted on wearing inside the car for some reason (because he was an eccentric, billionaire, genius Scott supposed), but if he focused hard enough, he thought he could see flecks of fear in his brown irises. "I'm driving, I choose the way."
"Why do you have to think you're better than everyone all the time?" Wanda snapped. Sam had been attempting to calm her down, but now he was doing as Scott did just a minute before - staring out the window at the highway with a face that said he wished this nightmare would end already. "Just follow the directions for once in your life and we'd all be fine." She looked ready to throw her hands up in the air out of frustration. The hood of the car prevented her from doing so.
"First, directions can be utterly ridiculous. Have you seen some of those furniture manuals? Secondly, I don't think I'm better than anyone. I just think I'm better than a stupid, non sentient electronic that doesn't know how to shut up," he replied drily. Just then, said machine tried to pipe up with directions on what exit to get off, but Tony cut it off with a retort. "Shut up, Siri, I know what I'm doing. Go on a date with Google." He grumbled. They had been driving for three hours now and so far Stark had ignored most the directions, but he really did seem to know where he was going. Then again, Scott had no clue where they were, so how would he know if Stark was driving them toward Florida instead of California?
Then again, the billionaire had probably driven from New York to California before. It felt like so long ago, but he could vaguely remember the news reporting his escapades of driving across states at high speed in his luxurious cars, Stark themed license plates gleaming for the world to see.
"Oh like you know how to shut up?" She asked with an eye roll that was so drastic Scott thought she probably saw her brain. Tony opened his mouth to retort, but Sam seemed to have finally had enough and turned back to the group. He didn't look much like their temporary leader in the casual clothes he was wearing, but if looks could kill, Wanda and Tony would both be six feet under.
"Alright you two, that's enough," he said sternly, the whole car going quiet with the carefully controlled rage visible in his voice. But if Scott wasn't mistaken, Tony's hands had relaxed on the wheel once more, as if he hadn't just had a fight with Wanda. "We have a mission and we need to complete it. We're getting nowhere with this arguing and it's just causing tension. So shut up and stay quiet for a while. Maximoff, there is no reason to be aggravating him. Stark, you don't have to respond to her comments or be sarcastic when you do. Let's try to have a nice ride instead of being at each other's throats the whole time. Understood?" There were mumbles of 'yes' from both parties and the car fell into silence, Wanda's arms crossed as Tony stared resolutely at the road. Sam leaned back in his chair. "Thank you." He sighed. Scott wouldn't dare say it, but he sounded like a father trying to handle two belligerent children.
They rode in near silence for the next hour. The only sound came from the radio, which was playing old rock that all people in the car found acceptable as Wanda was learning about music and the three males just enjoyed it - well, it was enjoyed as much as possible with the tension still lingering. Scott couldn't stop tapping his fingers against his leg, a nervous tick that he had since he was little, because he really didn't know what to do with himself. He had worked with the Avengers, but he hadn't gotten the chance to know too much about the people who fought behind the aliases. He especially didn't know those who were with him right now, besides Sam who he had become friends with lately. He knew more about him than he did Wanda or Tony. The former mostly stayed in her room when there wasn't a mission and the latter stayed holed up in his lab a lot when he was in the Avengers Compound.
But yesterday changed things between him and Tony. They had been able to joke around together, with and without Sam, though the relaxed atmosphere hadn't been able to last long since the mission started so soon after. The short encounter had helped him begin to see behind the mask of Tony Stark and more of 𝑇𝑜𝑛𝑦. He had become more at ease with the other man when seeing the jokester side of him. He lost the intimidation factor of being the Tony Stark, the one and only Ironman, and became just Tony, a genius inventor who was happy to show his work.
But spending time with him also made him worry over the man. Tony said he slept last night when Sam asked them all this morning, but where Scott was sitting allowed him to see the dark bags were still under his eyes, hidden by his sunglasses to anyone else. He didn't expect them to go away in a night, but they looked impossibly darker than yesterday and they definitely weren't in 'lab light.' The antman suit and Sam's wings had been fixed, too, and though Tony said it would only take a few hours, Scott knew he'd done more. While in the lab, Tony had told him what sort of suit he was working on - it was one that could be compacted into a suitcase. A suitcase that was currently in the back of the vehicle. He had to have spent several hours fixing it.
Tony face had an extra stress line or two and he hadn't been able to relax since they started on their journey, most likely because of Wanda. He knew they had a bad history, but he didn't know what exactly happened. It must have been bad though because they often couldn't be in the same room without an argument breaking out.
Finally, the silence was broken by Sam who leaned forward in his seat, one hand taking a brief hold of the driver's shoulder. "Tony, pull into the next place you can. I think we all need to stretch our legs and cool off for a bit, maybe get some food." On cue, Scott's stomach grumbled, causing him to smile sheepishly as the other two males quirked amused smiles. Wanda looked like she wanted to, but it was hard to tell.
"Copy that, Temporary Steve," Tony said, earning him a groan from Sam who had hated that nickname the moment it was given to him early that morning. Scott only snickered, trying to hide it behind his hand but failing as their current captain gave him a glare. There was no heat to it, more amusement than anything else.
They pulled into the next exit and stopped at the first fast food restaurant they saw. McDonalds. Hey, cheap food, good nuggets - he could get down with that. He hadn't had anything for breakfast because he almost overslept and he didn't want to look late in front of the team - he was still technically the newbie, afterall, the latest addition who was known for being fun instead of serious. He didn't want to completely change that reputation, but he wanted to be taken a little more seriously when it came to missions. More trusted. He couldn't be trusted if he hadn't shown up on time. Food was the least important thing this morning.
Tony sweved into a parking space and Wanda immeadiately jumped out, the tension seeming to pour out her door in a wave as they were finally relieved of being so close together. Despite the fight, the trip was going better than Scott thought it would. He thought someone would have been dead by now or at least severely injured, but so far they had no casualties. Sam got out next, following Wanda into the well-established fast food restaurant. Scott climbed out of the car and stretched his legs and arms, listening to them pop from sitting still so long and the blood flowed back through the numb areas of his body. When did he get so old? He glanced around the parking lot, which was a little emptier than he expected. They were all wearing casual clothes, but some Avengers had recognizable faces, such as Tony. He just hoped their disguises of t-shirts and jeans would do for their mission. (Fury said no hats, but Scott still found himself wearing a ball cap. What did pirate man have against hats anyway?)
He shut the door behind him and rounded the car, expecting Tony to get out and follow, but he didn't. His door was open and his legs were out, but he was on his phone, not looking like he wanted to get up any time soon despite having been the one driving. "Hey, Tony," he called, cursing the slight nervousness that came out in his voice. They may have had one happy encounter yesterday, but it didn't erase the Civil War or the fact that he still didn't know the genius well. "Are you gonna stretch your legs? Or come get food?"
"Nah, I'm good," Tony waved dismissively, voice rather clipped. He looked like he was struggling to just hold his head up as it was rested against the door frame where he looked down at his device. With everyone gone and the argument having stopped, his body had relaxed a bit, but he hadn't removed his glasses. "Just gonna sit here until you guys get back. And use my money for food." He dug into his pocket and retrieved a crisp one hundred dollar bill, holding it out to the other man. "Here, take this."
"Mr. Stark-" Scott said, slightly in shock. He didn't take the money - he actually put his hands behind his back to avoid it. He could pay for himself. They all could pay for themselves. They had an Avengers pay check every week that was substantially more than any ice cream shop or fast food restaurant he had ever been in and they could all pay for themsleves, yet the genius always insisted on paying for something when he was with them. Wanda said it was flaunting his money, but he really didn't believe that. When they were in the lab, Tony seemed like a genuinely nice guy.
"Tony, Scott. It's Tony," he cut in, still holding out the money but not making a move to head over to him. He had raised his head and his face looked a bit pale in the harsh sun. "And just take the dang money already. I can hear your stomach from here." He was almost positive his stomach hadn't growled again. It was probably one of the deflection tactics like he had witnessed yesterday.
"Tony," he amended, "if you want me to have it, then you'll bring it to me." It was a silent challenge in his words that he hoped Tony would catch. Everyone said he could never refuse one of those and he just hoped it would work in his favor now. It worked. Tony's mouth pressed itself into a thin line and he put his phone and wallet in his pockets, one hand still holding the benjamin bill. He pulled himself out of the car quickly and smoothly, his free hand pressed to the hood. Scott thought he was wrong for a moment. Then, Stark went to take a step forward, hand leaving the hood, and his knees buckled beneath him.
Scott lunged forward just in time to grab him before he could hit the unforgiving pavement below, pulling him back up to sit back where he had been. The bill had slipped from his hand, but Scott could care less where the wind carried it right now because the color had completely drained from Tony's face, his now askew sunglasses letting the world see the raccoon shadows that were under his brown eyes, standing out against his skin. Even after sitting him down, Scott still held one of his arms as the genius trembled a little. He felt the worry that had been sitting in his stomach become etched on his face. Tony coughed slightly as he fixed his sunglasses, though it sounded more like an embarrassed cough than a sick one. Tony Stark being embarrassed? He never thought he'd see the day, but it was also welcome to see since the sometimes media dubbed him a 'man without emotion.' "Sorry, I just stood up too fast," he tried for a chuckle. It failed.
He shook his head, both disapproving and concerned all at once. It may not have been a lie, but it wasn't a 'just' either. "People don't normally almost do a swan dive when they get up too fast, Tony," he had slipped into his scolding voice that he used with Cassie, though was still gentle about it. "I think you need to sleep for a while. I can drive instead." Tony was shaking his head before he had even finished speaking.
"I'm not sleeping with Maximoff around. Even if she weren't, this mission is too important for sleep. Sam may say he's leader, and I do listen to him, but I know how to get us there faster and I've been an Avenger longer. I know my way around that some stupid GPS can't show. If we follow it, we won't get to Los Angeles in time." He ran a hand through his hair, pulling his arm from his grip. "Just... trust me, Scott, I got this." His eyes were almost pleading as he looked at him.
Could Scott really deny him right now? This was the most vulnerable he had ever seen him and he was asking for trust. There was a pit of foreboding in his stomach, but he sighed in defeat. His arms were crossed as he spoke in the firmest tone he could muster from his usual playful and joking attitude. "Alright, fine, but you're eating something and someone else is driving tonight. I've only seen you consume coffee the last two or three days." Tony looked ready fo protest again, so he kept going. "Cheeseburger or nuggets?"
"Cheeseburger." Scott barely heard him with how he was mumbling, pouting like Cassie used to. He nodded, "Anything else?"
Tony glanced away for a second. "I don't think you'll let me have coffee - don't give me that eyebrow raise, tic tac - so a coke. But if you're paying for me, use my money. It's only fair." He pulled out another benjamin, seeming not to care about the lost one that was somewhere in the parking lot. Scott hoped a homeless person found it.
He sighed, but took the money, not wanting him any more upset than he already was. One day, he vowed to himself, he was going to pay for something of Tony's. Even if it was just lunch. "Alright, I'll be right back."
He headed inside, sparing one glance over his shoulder to see Tony sit back in the seat, looking somewhere between defeated and frustrated. He forced himself not to go back and talk to him, instead focusing on ordering the food. Sam and Wanda were already eating while standing, seeming to be waiting for him. "Where's Tony?" Sam asked, glancing back toward the car. Wanda leaned against a table, looking disinterested as she ate her fries. They apparently hadn't seen what had happened and Scott felt a little relieved about that. At least they wouldn't be asking Tony questions he wouldn't want to answer.
"He's staying in the car for now. We decided I'll drive tonight and he'll tell me how to go the way he wants. Maybe he'll reprogram the GPS," he shrugged. It wasn't exactly a lie, persay. It was just more 'I' than 'we' in that decision. "I'm going to go get some food for me and him." He walked over to the counter where a black haired teenager was looking incredibly bored at the register, resolutely ignoring Wanda's comment about 'the billionaire being able to get his own food.'
The more he thought about it, the more Scott realized it was better this way. Scott was the least recognizable of Avengers. Wanda and Sam had a bit more familiar faces. Tony Stark? Recognized by most. They didn't need anyone knowing they were outside of New York. If someone recognized Tony, there was a high chance of them taking a picture and posting it while tagging him. Hydra was definitely keeping tabs on them.
A few minutes later, they were getting back in the car and on the road. Tony joked more than usual as he ate, sunglasses firmly on his nose and smile a little too forced, but Scott didn't comment on it. Sam looked suspicious. Thankfully, he didn't say anything either.
Hours later, the sun moved down on the horizon as the evening approached. Tony had taken many highways and back roads through little towns so far. They were flying down the highway now, other cars disappearing as rush hour ended. Tony ignored an exit the GPS told him to get off at, which somehow didn't start an argument, even if Wanda grumbled a little and Sam looked like he wanted to ask what he was doing, but Sam had found himself having complete faith in the billionaire's driving. If he did something, he did it for a reason. That didn't just apply when driving either. He was slowly learning more about the genius and he knew there was even more just under the surface, but first they had to tackle his sleep problem. He didn't care if Einstein supposedly slept three hours a year - humans needed sleep or they would crash eventually. The laws of physics may not apply to Tony Stark, but exhaustion definitely did.
"It's my turn to drive now," he announced when the digital clock turned 8:00 pm. His voice had broken a long standing silence like a brick to glass and everything suddenly felt louder. He tried to ignore that, refusing to feel embarrassment. Tony's mouth pressed into a thin line with clearly repressed frustration, but he pulled over when he could and they switched. With the doors closed and them both outside, they had a lightning fast conversation as they passed each other.
"I'm not happy with this," Tony said.
Scott couldn't help but smile, trying not to smirk victoriously. "I didn't say you had to be."
"I didn't think you could be so mean, tic-tac."
"Well there's a lot you don't know about me, Tony." The words 'and I don't know much about you' were left hanging silently in the air. Tony scowled, though there wasn't much heat in it. Or maybe that was just his stupid sunglasses.
"That makes two of us then."
They got back in the car and didn't exchange another word as Scott got them back on the highway and Tony started messing with the GPS. There was a new tension in the air, as if everyone was waiting for something to happen, someone to lose their cool, but nothing did. They rode in silence as the sun moved downward, the only comments being made by Tony explaining when the next turn or exit would be. As the clock neared midnight, Wanda and Sam eventually did go to sleep, but their postures were still tense. Only Scott and Tony remained awake, though the former wished the genius would try to sleep.
"Tony," he finally said as the digital clock hit 12:03. "I have a question." He was nervous, but not as nervous as he thought he would be. What a surprise.
"Shoot." The fact that he could sound so disinterested despite the high tension made Scott question just how good the man's masks were.
"Why do you not want to sleep?"
There was a long stretch of silence again. Just when Scott thought Tony had elected to ignore him, he spoke so quietly he had to strain his ears to hear him. "Because I feel like everything will go to heck if I do." His voice was gravely and exhausted like the whole world was on his shoulders, making him sound so much older than he was. He took his sunglasses off and started fiddling with them in his lap, resolutely avoiding eye contact.
His eyebrows drew themselves together, not quite understanding. Yeah, Tony did a lot, but repairs could wait and the world had been fairly quiet. There were no world-ending Hydra threats hanging over their heads, SHIELD was rebuilding, there was no big villain activity - why did he feel that the world would fall apart if he closed his eyes? "Do you want to talk about why? I'm no therapist, but it might help to talk it out." He barely knew Tony, but he did know that many people didn't want to talk about their problems. He wasn't going to force him to while he was locked in a car with people he barely knew. That would be torture.
Another silence, then: "Every time I start to relax, something bad happens. You know I wasn't the best man before Afghanistan, but ever since then, I've been trying my best to be better. I'll never make up for the lives I ended, but I can try to help others now." He sighed and Scott briefly glanced at him to see that he was looking out the window at the starry night above. He decidedly didn't comment on his glazed over eyes. "I've been on my toes since I came back home in 2008. When I started to calm down from my little trip, I almost got murdered by my godfather. I tried to relax again, then I was almost killed by the very thing keeping me alive. After that, I thought things were going smoothly, but then... the Battle of New York happened." A visible shudder went through him and Scott looked away again. He didn't know exactly what Tony saw beyond that portal from nightmares, but it was definitely not good.
He continued, his voice starting to wobble as his words came out at a dizzying speed. "I thought things wouldn't be normal after that, but then I got my house bombed and Pepper almost killed. I tried to help the world with Ultron, but it only ended up being a giant mess. Pepper and I go on a break and I thought I could get my life back together for her, but then the Civil War and Siberia happened. Now everything is running smoothly again, but I don't know for how long." He chuckled humorlessly, his brown eyes empty. "With my luck, it'll be the second I close my eyes."
Scott mulled over his words for a minute, running them through his head again at he tried to figure out the best way to approach this subject. He had heard about what all had happened (at least, what the new knew happened) and read a little bit for himself, but it was different to hear it from the source. He did know the first thing he needed to address before anything else. "I haven't been an Avenger for long, but I think you've done a dang good job at helping people. I'm also aware it wasn't you who killed those people. I did a little reading when SHIELD's secrets got dumped - Obadiah was the one dealing under the table, not you. Yeah, maybe you should've been more involved, but ending lives was never your intention. You just wanted to help America and your best friend."
Tony said nothing and Scott took advantage of those seconds. "You may feel like it is, but the whole world isn't on your shoulders. Everything is different now and we'll take on threats together. The Avengers didn't stay together before, but I guess the old saying is right - what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. The team lives together now, not like before, and the bonds are tougher. You and Steve still have your issues and not everyone in this car gets along..." he glanced at the rearview window, his eyes landing on Wanda for a brief second before going back to the road. "But it's getting better. Two days ago, I barely knew you, and now we're able to have a conversation without it getting awkward."
He took in a deep breath, his grip tightening on the wheel. This really wasn't his thing, but he had to help. Being an Avenger wasn't only about defending the people. It was also about being a good teammate. He couldn't say the wrong thing and mess this up. "My point is that you have people at your back now who won't leave. If the world falls apart, we'll handle it together, but if you put it all on you, you're going to die before you can save anyone. You want to help the world? Help yourself so you can. Everyone needs down time, even Steve, so you need to give yourself a break."
Tony still said nothing and the silence was starting to unnerve him. A quick glance over proved the genius was looking at him with eyes that had half hidden hope, his walls completely down.
He gathered one final thought. "If it's worth anything... you're the hardest working man I've ever seen and a pretty good dude, too."
".....Thanks, Scott."
"No problem, man."
He continued to drive, but there was an unmistakable, tiny smile on Tony's face. He didn't sleep, instead deciding that messing with the radio and arguing with the GPS was a better idea despite their little 'talk,' but Rome wasn't built in a day. Baby steps were what they needed and as the morning sun rose, Tony's black eyes were deeper, but he looked more relaxed than he had since he talked to him in his workshop. They joked and laughed, Scott temporarily forgetting about the danger they were heading toward, and he thought one stress line had disappeared from Tony's face.
Baby steps.