RP with Tony Stark

[dawn_is_breaking]

[When Tony gave Dawn his personal number she had been planning on calling him a couple of days after their first hang out to ask him to join her for some kind of lowkey dinner, maybe a burger or a slice of pizza, but as it so often happens with vigilante heroes she got swept up with work.

Her work for the evening was supposed to be easy, just your usual bringing down an illegal weapons ring and there was no indication that anything out of the ordinary was going on until she was right in the middle of it. She had already taken out a good number of the guards when the ground suddenly starts to shake and Dawn turns to see a huge hulking shape coming out from one of the guarded rooms in the warehouse. Her eyes go wide as a man wearing a huge mech-suit made up of what looks to be re-purposed car parts stomps towards her and suddenly she wishes she wasn't working solo.]

Oh. Not Good.

[She mutters and only barely manages to dodge a flurry of bullets that spew out from one of the mech's arms, she throws herself behind a crate, her heart hammering in her chest, and tries to think of a way out of this. She knows she can't fight that thing, it's huge and she doesn't have any kind of tech or weapons that she can use on it.
Tech....wait...

It's a long shot but she whips out her phone and hits Tony's number, praying that this call isn't going to go to voice mail and as soon she she hears him pick up she starts talking.]

Tony! I need you, NOW! The warehouse on 25th with the orange railing! Please, there's some kind of huge armored thing here and-FUCK!

[She cries out as the area around her gets blasted and she has to dash away to find cover, her phone skittering away and under another crate.]

Comments

[hottestofmesses]

[In the aftermath of the first few days that go by without a text, a call, anything- he thinks he finds himself mostly grateful. Maybe she came to her senses. Realized, after the fog of a fun evening had lifted, that it had been just that. And only really needed to be just that. But... that thought also left him a little bereft. Still. Life would go on. As his often did.

He's about elbow-deep in the latest suit design when his phone starts buzzing incessantly on the desk. Then he sees her name on the caller-ID. Overthinks it. There's at least not enough time for him to get some snappy one-liner out because the second he so much as makes a noise she's shouting. All his senses dial up to about ten-and-a-half. And before he can even really ask her what the hell she's doing (not that he really needs to), it sounds like she gets herself shot further into the hole she's dug.

He's not really clear to go off on a mission. God knows the Accords and all that political dreck would be a nightmare to wade through but. Contingencies were in place for the sort of emergency this sounded like. It's not like he can ignore her. What kind of person would that make him? So he abandons his phone, transfers the call into the suit that's not completely functional yet but enough to handle whatever this is and takes off. Because she called him. And she needs help. He asks FRIDAY to locate her phone signal because that's far easier, and if her suit is techy enough after this he might link up somehow to keep better track of her- if only for reasons exactly like this one.

It doesn't take him long to get to her. Or see what exactly is going on. ...not that he understands, but these dime-a-dozens always had to have a thing didn't they? While air advantage might be better, he drops to the ground several feet behind the big hulking car dude with one of those memorable clangs and immediately weights himself counterpoint to a very large double-handed repulsor blast right at the guy's back, aiming to knock him off his feet. And to Dawn, of course, his voice leaves the suit's speakers with that slight compressed metallic tang.]

You know, I was thinking more like. Dinner with a view. Or pizza and a glass of wine.

[dawn_is_breaking]

[In the time it takes Tony to get to the warehouse she's had to evade three more blasts and unfortunately on the last time she gets hit, her wings thankfully take a lot of the damage but it still hurts like a bitch and she doubles over in pain from it. She turns to see the huge hulking machine man coming at her but that's when Tony arrives, with all the style and power that she was hoping for.
She forces herself to move even though she's hurting and she dashes past the mech just in time for Tony to blast it, scrambling behind him.]

I'll happily buy you an extra large pizza after this.

[She retorts as she tosses out a few of her metal feathers at some of the human goons who are rushing towards them with guns. Her aim is true and she knocks four out of five of them out, the last rushes her and she backs up to allow herself room to move. She delivers a few swift kicks to help bring him down, the movement however makes something in her back grind and ache and she winces.]

[hottestofmesses]

[Inside his suit he asks, FRIDAY, analysis? What are we looking at here? And while FRIDAY is running that for him, and he moves to get out of the way of a massive arm swipe, he in his usual quippy fashion while battling can't help but ask-]

What happened? You dodge the tip on one too many cab drivers? [He's acutely aware that she's not doing so hot, it's not hard to see. But that's what all the levity is for. Backflipping away from another hit that just barely misses he then asks-]

Hey Bumblebee, I don't think this kind of behavior is copacetic with Optimus Prime. [And, as usual, when villains have had enough of Tony's annoying mouth- which is always- they give him exactly what he's bargaining for by putting him into the ground. Or in this case, through a wall.]

[dawn_is_breaking]

Tony!

[She cries out as he gets put through a wall, she starts to run over to him but gets grabbed by more goons. Two of them grab her arms while one delivers a few hard punches to her gut, knocking the wind out of her, and as she struggles to get her breath back she tries to see if Tony is okay.]

Fucking bitch!

[One of the goons snarls and loosens his grip just enough as he goes for his weapon, it's enough of a window for her to be able to snap her arm back and punch him in the face, grabbing the other man holding her arm and flipping him onto the ground.]

[hottestofmesses]

[It's a little shakeup. A momentary blink-and-it's-over-blackness. At least that's what it feels like. That's what it always feels like. But it's Dawn's yelling that gets his focus chugging.]

My mistake. [Voice ahead of him before he gets back onto the scene, hovering in the air as he lines up several charged very directive shots to take out the goons still left. He can't have her getting grabbed again.] And you- [Tony twists midair to dodge a large chunk of concrete this big lugging ape throws his way. He holds his hand up after stabilizing and lets loose an expansive net of specialized EMP.] You're making me look bad. I'm supposed to eat bigger more world-ending things than you for breakfast.

[As if he's not taking this seriously at all. Which is how he'd love for that to look. And once the idiot's systems seem like they're frayed and he's stuck trying to reboot, Tony airdrops on him, simply yanking a few cords until they snap and with that he powers down, the weight of his suit crumbling in on itself with no motorized support. With him taken care of for now, leaving him struggling in his nonsense mech, Tony drops to the ground nearby Dawn, helmet sliding back. As if it's his favorite set of wounds to have, a long cut near his temple is oozing blood, and he will probably be sporting a blackeye come tomorrow. But. He's not the important one here. And he hopes he doesn't look as worried as he feels, as he offers her a hand.] We'll have to toss a coin for who gets to be sidekick. Tails it's you, heads it's not me.

[dawn_is_breaking]

[The left over guards drop to the ground moments after Tony lets loose a bunch of shots and she sags against one of the standing beams, watching in awe as he dispatches the huge mech with what looks like ease. Her heart is beating fast and she's finding it hard to breathe and when he drops down near her and starts to make jokes she tries to laugh but instead winds up doubling over with a coughing fit.
She tries to take a deep breath, feels that horrible grinding sensation again and holds out a hand to grab onto the iron hand he's offering her.]

You...okay?

[She asks, her voice sounding thick to her own voice and she coughs again and turns her head to spit. Her brows creasing together when she sees blood.]

[hottestofmesses]

Okay, you could just tell me to joke a little less. I'll take the hint. [She's not in great shape. And maybe another time he'll tell her she needs a serious tech upgrade, but he's barked up that tree enough already. ...so he'll do it later.

He settles a careful arm around her just to keep her on her feet.] Peaches, comparatively. I take it you're not really a hospital kind of gal. [None of his super-friends were. Especially the ones who couldn't heal quick, for some reason. She'd be in good company. He offers the only contingency he has.] I can take you back to the lab. Have FRIDAY do some scans. DUM-E's bedside manner isn't the best, but he's harmless, I promise. [He often doesn't realize sometimes that his world isn't everyone else's and most people, if not in his inner circle, have no idea what the hell he's talking about.]

[dawn_is_breaking]

[The second he mentions a hospital she shakes her head but then regrets doing so because it makes her vision grey in and out and she stumbles forward a little, thankful for the arm he has around her because otherwise she might have fallen to her feet. She pulls in a ragged breath and lets it out slowly, grateful that she doesn't have another coughing fit.]

Yeah, okay.

[She gives him a small grateful smile.]

Do you want to pick up that pizza on the way or....?

[hottestofmesses]

We'll talk about pizza after. You have to be conscious if you're buying. [He reactivates his helmet, face sliding away from view as he recovers himself. The arm around her drops low as he leans in, pulling her against him without really asking her for permission. But there's no way she's walking up to the Tower like this. Not that they can really just walk around like normal people anyway.

His arm slots into the crook of the back of her legs and he holds her against him.] You're gonna have to work with me here. It's either this or you ride me like a bike. [Hmmm.... no. Another time. He only waits a few moments more to make sure she's secure and then puts his free hand palm downwards as his repulsors light up and he takes off, upwards and then towards the Tower. While he'd like to be there in a blink, he does modify his speed so he's not going so fast she can't breathe.]

[dawn_is_breaking]

[She wants to say more, to try and assure him that she's okay but she's afraid of sounding weak so instead she just nods. Letting him scoop her up, her arms locking around the back of his neck tightly. It feels strange, to be holding onto this human sized Iron Man and when he takes off she tries not to flinch. The trip to the Tower feels like it takes both only a moment but also forever and she feels bad that this is her first experience with being in his arms, because yes, since their first interaction it has been on her mind.]

[hottestofmesses]

[On their approach, the flight deck leading off the lab lights up as if guiding him in. He also tries to be expertly careful with his landing, not trying to jostle her around. But once he's on his relative feet again, he picks her up properly. She can probably walk, and maybe she'd like to save face, but this will be quicker and easier. So he puts his free arm around her shoulders, and hikes her up just a little bit more with the arm underneath her thighs and walks her right into his lab.

The windows darken behind him once they're in and the door slides shut. Once inside he sits he right on top of his cleanest table. There are parts and projects and holograms scattered just about everywhere. He's always in the middle of a million things.] FRIDAY. [Calling as he steps away. His suit opens up, slick and very fine-tuned at this point, allowing him to completely step out of it. He's very focused right now, and he leaves the room for a moment while the two of them make friends.]

FRIDAY's voice is kind as she speaks.] Good evening, Ms. Granger. I'll only be a moment. [Right after saying so a high techy sort of beam goes over her, scanning her. The results of which display on a window just as Tony comes back with a medkit and some towels in hand.] What's the verdict? [Letting her read her own results as if privacy exists in moments like these.]

[dawn_is_breaking]

[Part of her wants to save face, to prove to him that she's strong enough to walk but the larger part of her doesn't care. She is hurting and when he hikes her up higher into his arms she breathes a sigh of relief, resting her head against his metal shoulder as he walks into his lab.

His lab is not what she expected, it's chaotic and messy but there's something about it that makes her feel safe and comforted and as he sets her gently down on a table and instructs FRIDAY to scan her she realizes that the reason why is that it feels like a home garage and not a sterile medical tech lab.]

Evening Friday, sorry to bust in on you like this.

[She says and sits still as she is scanned, hoping that she didn't suffer too much damage. A moment later FRIDAY brings up the results and she lets out a long sigh.]

Looks like that nasty blow to the back resulted in lacerations, bad bruising and a bit of shock damage to my lungs. Thank god I had my wings on....

[hottestofmesses]

Would've been better if I'd outfitted you. [Cheeky as ever, now that it seems like she doesn't have irreparable damage or internal bleeding that he can't really fix here. Also as if he didn't get just a little banged up too- something he hasn't started attending to because he's fine of course. As he comes closer, he sets the kit on the table beside her, and wrings the damp towel he's brought.]

But I guess why get a suit when you can call one in, right? [There's a little twitch of a grin as he steps in front of her. The expression vanishes in the next breath as he looks at her, close as they are now. Lifting the towel,] Do you mind if I...? [It might be a busted lip or just the blood she coughed up earlier or both but it's bugging him and he seems to need to do something about it. He's not quite as useful in this arena as the one she'd called him to, but he just needs to do something while his heartrate climbs back down.]

[dawn_is_breaking]

[There's a flicker of frustration that moves across her face and she pulls off her night goggles and puts them down on the table.]

Normally I'm fine but how the hell was I supposed to know that weapons ring had a...a...whatever the hell that was? [She sighs and then shakes her head, knowing that she shouldn't snap at him like that, after all he came and helped her didn't he?]

I'm sorry. I'm just mad at myself for fucking up. [She says and then looks up at him when he lifts the towel towards her lip.]

Hrm? Oh...no go ahead.

[hottestofmesses]

[He lets it slide off him easily.] What, you don't account for massive weirdos with car obsessions crashing your parties? [It's easier to joke. It's always far easier to joke than be real. Being real would probably be admitting that he was worried about her. She can take care of herself, but she'd still gotten herself stuck in a corner and- what if he hadn't picked up his phone tonight?

But he can't let himself go down that hole. Spiral out. Because he will. Instead he tries to refocus, almost expertly careful as he reaches up to dab across her lip. Engineer hands. Used to small, fine parts. He's delicate and meticulous. Because it's just easier to sink into that than... other things that he shouldn't. But there's too large of a quiet patch between them and he needs to mitigate. He lifts upwards, careful as he cleans another cut just over the line of where her goggles were previously sitting.] What's the point in being mad? Now you know you have me on speed-dial.

[dawn_is_breaking]

[She forces her shoulders to relax and lets out a small huff of laughter at his joke.] No, although maybe I need to start accounting for that if it's a regular occurrence in this city.

[Which she hopes it isn't, because she isn't going to last long if it is. She can handle crooks with guns, even crooks with weird obsessions with riddles and fear gas but huge mechs that can crush her under their feet? Nope.

She winces as he dabs at the cut on her forehead but only a little as his hands are incredibly gentle and she watches him for a moment, her dark brown eyes flickering across his face and then back to his eyes, noting the concern she sees in them.]

Thanks for the save, Tony.

[The corners of her mouth lift up into a small smile as she repeats what he last said to her when he left her apartment.]

I appreciate it.

[hottestofmesses]

[He's trying to force himself to go on autopilot. He's used to taking care of his own injuries- mostly because he tries to hide them when they're not severe enough to go to a hospital. Which he usually convinces himself is always. But they're close. And his heart is still going. Leftover adrenaline still washing over him. This was a small fight by comparison to some of the other things he's seen- some of the other things he knows he still has yet to see. But that really never makes it any easier.

There's a twitch of a smile on his lips as he lowers that towel, setting it down beside her, opening the little medkit to grab a bandage for the cut above her brow.]

I think that would make us even, by my count. [He regrets saying this. It sounds so... final. He doesn't need to, but he guides some of the loose fringe of her hair away from her face, behind her ear- only so he can fix that bandage on her skin cleanly. Sure. Sure. As he finishes, though, his eyes search hers, and then too close to be able to hide the way they dip down for a moment, taking in the shape of her lips. It's mostly an unconscious sort of instinct, before his gaze returns where it should be.

Little flashes of their first meeting only a handful of days ago sit forefront in his mind. The way she felt pressed against him. Her thigh in his hand. That heat. He should move. Get away from her. In no way would any of it be a good idea. Whatever it ends up being.] We should... [It's stilted and almost so quiet he's not sure he said anything, which is good because he's not even sure what he wants to say.]

[dawn_is_breaking]

Is that why you came to help me? To even the score?

[Her voice is soft and curious but there's a small undertone of hurt to it that she's not even aware of. She hadn't wanted this part of their lives to cross yet, she wanted to get to know him as a man before she saw the hero.

But here they are.

And when he gently brushes back a lock of her hair she feels that pull between them again, just like when they danced, and she unconsciously tilts her face up a little more towards his.]

You're hurt.

[She says, noticing the gash on his temple and raises a hand to touch his cheek, turning his head and the wound towards her. Her touch is light as a feather and her fingers move out to gently cup his face.]

[hottestofmesses]

[Some immediate noise of disagreement bubbles in the back of his throat but it dies as he lets her turn his head. This is a more conscious effort. Backing off with a rebuff feels like the weaker play, though. Despite how unused to all of this he is. This aftercare stuff. Usually his team loads up on a jet and he's free to fly off in the suit. To lick his own wounds and then check back in.]

It's nothing. [It's always nothing. But especially this. His head lifts only a few inches but not out of her direct touch. He needs to make a decision about what he'd like to do here. That's a little bit easier to do when she was the one who was far more hurt.] You were coughing up blood. I have a scratch. There's an order of priority here. [Namely, as usual, everyone else comes first. By choice.]

[dawn_is_breaking]

That's more than a scratch.

[She retorts and picks up one of the spare damp towels he's set on the table, folding it a little and using the corner to dab at the blood that is streaked across the side of his face. The hand near his face moves back against his cheek, holding him still as she slowly cleans up the area.]

Head wounds come first, then you can take a look at my back and tell me how bad it is.

[Her voice is firm and implies that this isn't up for discussion, Tony.]

[hottestofmesses]

[His brows lift which causes some minor discomfort that ends in a squint- but he plays it off well. Because he's making a face at her. One that seems like it might be disapproval, at first glance. Then his eyes go up and then roll around, he shakes his head lightly, and after that whole performance which goes on for only a few seconds at best he puts his hands up. As if in defeat.]

I take you back to my lab and you're already bossing me around? You'll fit right in.

[dawn_is_breaking]

I can be a very bossy nurse.

[Which is true, mostly because she's had to be with all three of her exes who were also vigilante heroes. Hank was probably the worst, always trying to jump back into action without a thought towards his own injuries and at last she had to trick him into taking better care of himself by wearing a sexy nurse outfit. After that he was extra willing to be nursed back to health....]

I expected your lab to look different than this.

[She muses as she finishes cleaning the gash on his temple, reaching into the medical kit to put a few steristrips across it to help the wound seal together.]

It's got a lot more personality and warmth than I thought it would.

[hottestofmesses]

[He ends up crossing his arms, mostly because he doesn't know what to do with his hands. Or maybe he does. So it's better to keep them tucked. He's not the perfect patient, but this is a small thing. Any bigger than this and he'd probably end up unknowingly reminding her exactly of all her past woes.

His eyes go downcast, when she starts actually patching him up, but they flicker back up curiously when she brings up the lab. And while he might have quickly asked if she meant that in a bad way, she clears that up for him in the next breath.]

The one in Malibu was better. [Home base. Now sitting at the bottom of the ocean. With all his proper tech. And computers. And cars. He misses it.] I'll take the compliment. But if I'd known you were coming over I might have cleaned up a little. [Definitely one of those my mess makes sense to me kind of people.]

[dawn_is_breaking]

By cleaned up do you mean hide all the dirty magazines you might have laying around here?

[She teases, casting a glance around the lab as if she is trying to spot said magazines. She turns her attention back to him and her smile fades a little.]

I didn't mean to bust in on you like this Tony, so I apologize if I interrupted your work and your evening.

[Her eyes look into his gratefully and the hand holding his cheek stays where it is for a second before slipping down, her fingers tingling a little at the feel of his stubble rubbing against them.]

[hottestofmesses]

Dirty magazines. Proprietary top secret tech. Basically the same thing.

[Said with an easy shrug of his shoulders, and very casually at that. There's probably a ton of that scattered about but it's not like he thinks she'll steal it. She didn't just make up a whole scenario in which she got badly damaged just to gain access to his lab- perhaps a hairbrained scheme he was more worried about when she'd first come up to him at that gala.

And he'd shrug again if he literally just hadn't done so at what she says, instead it earns only the smallest shake of his head, because for reasons that aren't the smartest, he doesn't want to dislodge where her hand is currently sitting.]

If you start apologizing for criminals it sets a bad precedent. [Meaning: you didn't do any of it on purpose. His eyes shift as her fingers are on the move, a warmth surging through him that he really needs to put anywhere else. The tip of his tongue perching for a second at the corner of his mouth before licking his lower lip, maybe a little unaware of the action before swallowing.]

It's fine. I wasn't doing anything more important. Just next time... [Will there be a next time? Should there be?] A little more heads-up would be appreciated. [His voice is wavering, low and stilted. Then he reaches up, fingers wrapping gently around the wrist of her hand that's currently still touching him. He doesn't exactly pull her away. As his eyes watch hers he figures, since they're repeating some things, he may as well ask-] What are we doing here, Dawn?