Chapter 3
Toni was furious on her way down to her shop. Not only did Rogers ruin her childhood, her life now too. And this time on purpose. So much for being a team and trusting each other. No excuse of being an ice cube this time. He’s awake too long to use the whole ‘frozen-in-ice-bullshit’. Jarvis opened the doors for her, and she quickly went to the bar and grabbed a bottle of her best scotch. She opened it and took a long swig. At least this friend never lets her down.
‘That idiot should just leave! Why couldn’t he just leave? Wait, she owned the building…why hadn’t she thrown him out already?’ Why did she invite him in the first place? Right, for the sake of the team. Bullshit.
“J, lock down. I don’t want so to see anybody right now. And make a note to throw the Captain out.”
“Of course, madam.”
After the first bottle was empty, she took the next one. And the next one. This went on for about an hour when suddenly …
“Madame, Miss Potts wishes to enter.”
“Tell her to go away.”
“She said she will use her override codes.”
“I said – oh, hi Pep!”
Pepper wanted to yell at Toni, because she ignored the deadline for the new StarkPhone again. But when she saw Toni lying there on the couch, completely wasted, she could only muster a disappointed look.
“Toni, how long did you make it this time?” She asked with a shake of her head.
“Don’ know. Ma’e a week?” Pepper sighed. “Let me guess, you had a fight with your Captain again?”
“No’ my Capn’.” Looking at all the empty liquor bottles lying around and Toni’s slur she had been drinking for a while. Again, Pepper just shook her head.
“He is. And as hard as it may be for the both of you, you have to try to get along.”
Pepper didn’t know what to do with these two anymore. She hates Ironwoman and wants nothing more than for her friend to leave the team. But she also knows that Toni would never do that. She tried, for Peppers sake, but she couldn’t stay away for long.
“Pep, I’m serisly no’ in the moo fo’ a pep-talk. Hehe, got it? Pep-talk?”
“You know what? This is pointless when you`re drunk like this. I’ll come back tomorrow, but then we will definitely talk!”
And with that Pepper left.
“Hey, J’? Pull my la’ts project up.”
“Madame, I do not think that working would be in your best interest now. Remember the incident in 2007?”
“That was ‘n accid’nt! And i’ was DUM-E’s fault. Now be quiet an’ let mommy work’’
Holo-screens appeared with the requested specs on it. It was an upgrade for her suit. The idea was that it would automatically come to Toni if she were in danger. Like when she gets thrown out of a window by a mad demigod. J.A.R.V.I.S may be fast, but that was a little too close in her opinion.
Toni went right to work and was so engrossed in her tinkering that she stopped being aware of her surroundings.
After a couple of hours J.A.R.V.I.S’s frantically tried to get her attention. He tried everything from changing the music to flashing lights.
When he finally managed for her to look up it was too late. There was a loud bang and Toni got thrown across the room by an enormous explosion.
As she was lying on the floor, all Toni could think of was …
Heat. Pain. In her chest.
Afghanistan
And then darkness.
Beep…
Beep…
Beep…
A steady rhythm what should be soothing but … God was it annoying!
Toni tried to focus on something else, but there wasn’t much. She was barely able to hold on to her consciousness but after a couple of more beep-beep-beep-filled minutes she managed to crack her eyes a bit open.
All she could see was white. White walls, white ceiling …. white.
A hospital, Toni concluded. Okay, that left a multiple of possibilities.
She could a) got hurt in a battle, b) had an accident in the lab/workshop or c) she drunk herself comatose. Again.
She could rule a) out. She was not nearly in enough pain for that. For c) she felt not enough like shit.
That leaves her with b) – lab accident. She tried to remember what happened.
She had a fight with Steve, eh Rogers. And then she argued with Pepper … wasn’t Bruce there?
Did she had a fight with Bruce, too? Wasn’t there some loud bang?
Irghs, she started to get a headache. What’s saying a lot considering that one of the many things the doctors must have hooked her up should probably be painkillers.
Toni tried to move to get out of there. She tried to sit up, but the moment she moved her head she felt a piercing pain. Okay, getting up is not an option. She settled down again and tried to calm down in hope it would help with the headache. After some time, it worked and she fell back asleep.
The next time she woke up she already felt a bit better. The painkillers must have finally kicked in. Again, she tried to sit up, but all of sudden there were arms grapping her shoulders and gently pushing her down on the bed. Where did the arms come from? Toni took a closer look and the arms were attached to big hands. Her eyes went from them to two, very muscular, arms to a pair of broad shoulders. And then she saw a blond mop.
A blond mop with two stunningly blue eyes. Eyes that looked at her with their famous disappointment.
Great. Even in a hospital I can’t escape the blame.