Trouble
Natasha was lounging in her quarters on the fourth floor of the manor, texting a weekly Avengers training schedule to Steve, when a voice called her name.
“Ms. Romanoff! Ms. Romanoff! The boss needs you, right away!”
She looked up from her phone. “Where is he, F.R.I.D.A.Y.?” She asked, still trying to get used to the voice of the fairly new A.I. in the house.
“In his lab in the basement. He’s in trouble! Ms. Potts is already on her way.”
She jumped up in alarm, tossing her phone aside and running for the stairs, thinking she could sprint the five stories faster than it would take her to wait for the elevator. “Thank you, F.R.I.D.A.Y.,” she huffed.
“Anytime, Lady Boss,” the A.I. replied.
She tapped her key card anxiously on the security pad, moving out of the way as Pepper nearly ran into her.
“Oh, my God, Tony!” Pepper shouted.
She scanned the room, her heart leaping in her throat and her blood pounding cold in her veins when she saw him lying on the floor.
“Tony!” She crouched down low, to his side, feeling for a pulse.
“Is he breathing?” Pepper asked tearfully, wringing her hands.
She nodded, cradling his head with her hand. “Tony, baby, can you hear me?” she murmured softly.
He groaned, mumbling something incoherent before opening his eyes. “Oh, hey. I must’ve died and gone to heaven.”
She sighed in relief, hugging him tightly to her chest. “What the hell happened? We should probably call a doctor to make sure you’re okay,” she said, locking eyes with Pepper, who was already on the phone.
He shook his head. “No… no doctors. I was just making some adjustments to the armor.” He coughed loudly as he stood.
“See?” He said, gaining a steady balance. “I’m fine.”
“What kind of adjustments?” She asked, narrowing her eyes.
“Um… “ he ran a hand through his hair. “You know, the enhancements I’ve been mentioning.”
She looked up at Pepper. “Can you give us a moment, please?” She asked quietly.
Pepper nodded, squeezing her arm on the way out. “I’ll be close by if you need me. Don’t go easy on him, Natasha,” she said.
He waited for the door to close and until he saw Pepper disappear up the stairs through the glass door before turning back to her. “Okay, don’t get mad,” he said, gesturing to his work on the counter.
She grabbed some cotton and alcohol out of the first aid kit that he kept under the table, lightly dabbing at the blood spots near his temple and he hissed.
“Ouch,” he mumbled.
“Ouch?” She asked, folding her arms across her chest. “Ouch! I come down here to find you passed out on the ground and all you can say is ouch?”
“Man, Pepper really trained you good on this, didn’t she?” He tried to joke, but she clearly wasn’t having it. “Okay, okay.”
He walked over to the counter, showing Natasha what he was working on. “I’ve been using nanite technology to help design a serum that would bond with my blood to create a…. uh, hands-free Iron Man.”
Her eyebrows furrowed. “Hands-free meaning…..?” She took in the dark gray liquid-solid in the beaker and the opened needle on the counter.
“Meaning, I only have to think about it, and poof- Iron Man.”
She sucked in a breath, her eyes tearing. “You injected this stuff into your body?”
“No.” He shook his head. “Not yet, anyway. The solution produced an unexpected reaction and I accidentally inhaled some of the fumes.”
"Are you insane?” She whispered, hands shaking as she raised them to her mouth to cover her horrified expression.
“Nat-“
"No!" She couldn’t stop the angry tears from falling. “After everything I’ve told you about my time in the Red Room, everything we just went through with Ultron? You saw what Loki did to Clint, right?”
He reached for her hands, but she jerked them away.
“Do you not understand everything that Steve is going through with Bucky right now?!” She shouted. “You’re going to let that thing into your mind?”
“It doesn’t control me, I control it,” he said defensively.
“Oh, bullshit, Tony!” She screamed.
“It’s not what you think,” he insisted. “And you’re right… I- I’m sorry…”
She shook her head. “You know that I have always supported you through everything. Every crazy scheme, every impossible idea.” She paused to wipe the tears from her face with the back of her hand. “But I can’t support this,” she whispered.
“Then help me,” he pleaded.
She looked up at him, sniffling slightly, and she didn’t move away when he gripped her arms with both hands.
“Okay, I admit it. I was stupid and I got carried away and I went about all of this the wrong way. But you know how important Iron Man is to me, and I need an upgrade.”
She swallowed thickly, finally reaching out and squeezing his arm.
“These threats that we’re facing? They’re getting stronger and different, and scarier every day and I don’t know what I’m doing anymore. So help me.”
“What do you need me to do?” She asked once she knew her voice wouldn’t crack.
“Look at my research. See what I’m seeing, and give me your suggestions. I’m serious. I really want to know what you think about how I can improve.”
“I don’t know, Tony,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m not a scientist, or a genius, or anything close.”
He shrugged. “You don’t have to be.”
“I-I’m not Bruce,” she said quietly. “Wouldn’t you be better off with Bruce?”
He lowered his eyes. “He hasn’t been returning my calls since Sokovia.”
She nodded, biting her lip. “Yeah, he hasn’t responded to my calls or texts either.”
“So, what do you say?” He asked, pressing his hand firmly into her chest. “Will you do this with me?”
She sighed. “I’ll do my best,” she said finally.
He breathed a sigh of relief, letting his head fall against her shoulder.
She gripped his shoulders tightly with both hands, pushing him to arms length so he would look at her. “But hear me very clearly on this,” she said through gritted teeth. “If I ever, ever come down here and find you unconscious on the floor, ever again….all this?”
She swept her hand around the air for effect. “I swear to you, I will burn it all down. Are we clear?”
He nodded, swallowing hard. “Very.”