Repartition Epilogue
Title: Repartition (part of the Golem-verse)
Written for this Prompt: http://norsekink.livejournal.com/11219.html?thread=25518035#t25518035
Warnings: Tony-feels
Summary: Tony reflects on what just went down and feels... not so great about his capacity as a human being.
Note: Post-Avengers
Epilogue
He had escaped downstairs immediately after the dwarf (and he can’t believe he’s actually saying that) had told Thor the changes would hold. He will, of course, deny that he had to escape (That’s a stupid idea. What the hell would he need to escape from, he’s Tony fucking Stark).
He wants to say he’s rolled through most of the bottle of scotch he kept in the workshop in the first thirty minutes, because that might make this whole situation slightly more bearable, but he’s just sitting in there, fiddling with a screw driver, and being Not Drunk (which is a surprise to everyone really. Steve and Bruce had both already been by to check on him.)
Plus Pepper had found the bottle last week and taken it from him, which he can’t even bring himself to be annoyed about because Pepper, and then he’d been distracted by Thor’s crazy ass brother.
Who was actually an A.I.
Kind of.
Fuck.
Bruce had left, but Tony couldn’t. He could only stand there and feel incredibly disturbed and a little traumatized, mostly not making eye contact with anyone, but refusing to leave because he’s a fucking adult and has to deal with the consequences of his decisions
Tony thinks of what they did, about that second long look of pleading and terror. He thinks of JARVIS and his bots (Dummy takes the opportunity to knock over half a table’s worth of equipment, then turns to him like he expects some thing to happen, claw drooping like a sad dejected puppy until Tony sends him off without a word) he feels dirty.
Oh god, he was getting attached on principal.
“Hey JARVIS?”
“Sir?”
“… “ He opens his mouth to talk and the words dry up. “I would… not… do that to you. You know that, right?” Tony knows he sounds hopeful and pathetic at the end. It takes a while for JARVIS to respond, which makes him feel even worse.
“Of course, sir.”
Loki had been crying. Fucking crying. Not even the fake manipulative tears he threw at Thor every once in a while to screw with him. Tony hadn’t even noticed (the avoiding eye contact thing) until Clint’s soft “… should it be able to do that?” to Natasha, who was standing by his side as he shifted his position on the arm of the love seat, feet tucked under the seat cushion.
Steve had been standing off to the side, close to Thor out of obligation as team leader and getting progressively more uncomfortable with the situation with every passing minute.
But in the end, he keeps going back to the bright green eyes, wide with fear in the same way the civilians were during his terrorist cell raids in the Middle East. A last ditch prayer at a time when the end was inevitable.
Dummy butts against his shoulder. There is half of a green smoothie on the table beside him (literally, it is half spilled. Tony isn’t sure how he didn’t notice it seeping into the elbow of his rolled up shirt sleeve).
“The dwarves are leaving sir.”
“Great. Tell them to not come back ever, thanks.”
He rests his forehead against the frame of Dummy’s arm, the bot whirs at him questioningly, claws closing gently around his wrist.
“When was the last time I gave you an upgrade? Would you like that? Change your oil, fix the joints that are bothering you,” he runs his thumb over one of the claw-fingers. “Back up your fi-“
Holy shit.
-
He maintains this is not his fault. Tony Stark has his most ridiculous ideas when he is either soused or really really wants to be.
That’s why it’s about creating the balance. Really, this isn’t his fault. Everyone should know better by now.
There is a failsafe in everything.
Unless of course you’re crazy, and Tony is working under the assumption that the dwarves, based on his limited knowledge of them (ie- nothing) and however creepy they might be, are not in fact crazy. They are craftsmen, and if Tony understands anything it is the pride felt in work done well. Work that is not meant to be undone.
Besides, every good programmer will create a back up, right?
Interlude: Ek Alu
Written for this Prompt: http://norsekink.livejournal.com/11219.html?thread=25518035#t25518035
Warnings: Tony-feels
Summary: Tony reflects on what just went down and feels... not so great about his capacity as a human being.
Note: Post-Avengers
Epilogue
He had escaped downstairs immediately after the dwarf (and he can’t believe he’s actually saying that) had told Thor the changes would hold. He will, of course, deny that he had to escape (That’s a stupid idea. What the hell would he need to escape from, he’s Tony fucking Stark).
He wants to say he’s rolled through most of the bottle of scotch he kept in the workshop in the first thirty minutes, because that might make this whole situation slightly more bearable, but he’s just sitting in there, fiddling with a screw driver, and being Not Drunk (which is a surprise to everyone really. Steve and Bruce had both already been by to check on him.)
Plus Pepper had found the bottle last week and taken it from him, which he can’t even bring himself to be annoyed about because Pepper, and then he’d been distracted by Thor’s crazy ass brother.
Who was actually an A.I.
Kind of.
Fuck.
Bruce had left, but Tony couldn’t. He could only stand there and feel incredibly disturbed and a little traumatized, mostly not making eye contact with anyone, but refusing to leave because he’s a fucking adult and has to deal with the consequences of his decisions
Tony thinks of what they did, about that second long look of pleading and terror. He thinks of JARVIS and his bots (Dummy takes the opportunity to knock over half a table’s worth of equipment, then turns to him like he expects some thing to happen, claw drooping like a sad dejected puppy until Tony sends him off without a word) he feels dirty.
Oh god, he was getting attached on principal.
“Hey JARVIS?”
“Sir?”
“… “ He opens his mouth to talk and the words dry up. “I would… not… do that to you. You know that, right?” Tony knows he sounds hopeful and pathetic at the end. It takes a while for JARVIS to respond, which makes him feel even worse.
“Of course, sir.”
Loki had been crying. Fucking crying. Not even the fake manipulative tears he threw at Thor every once in a while to screw with him. Tony hadn’t even noticed (the avoiding eye contact thing) until Clint’s soft “… should it be able to do that?” to Natasha, who was standing by his side as he shifted his position on the arm of the love seat, feet tucked under the seat cushion.
Steve had been standing off to the side, close to Thor out of obligation as team leader and getting progressively more uncomfortable with the situation with every passing minute.
But in the end, he keeps going back to the bright green eyes, wide with fear in the same way the civilians were during his terrorist cell raids in the Middle East. A last ditch prayer at a time when the end was inevitable.
Dummy butts against his shoulder. There is half of a green smoothie on the table beside him (literally, it is half spilled. Tony isn’t sure how he didn’t notice it seeping into the elbow of his rolled up shirt sleeve).
“The dwarves are leaving sir.”
“Great. Tell them to not come back ever, thanks.”
He rests his forehead against the frame of Dummy’s arm, the bot whirs at him questioningly, claws closing gently around his wrist.
“When was the last time I gave you an upgrade? Would you like that? Change your oil, fix the joints that are bothering you,” he runs his thumb over one of the claw-fingers. “Back up your fi-“
Holy shit.
-
He maintains this is not his fault. Tony Stark has his most ridiculous ideas when he is either soused or really really wants to be.
That’s why it’s about creating the balance. Really, this isn’t his fault. Everyone should know better by now.
There is a failsafe in everything.
Unless of course you’re crazy, and Tony is working under the assumption that the dwarves, based on his limited knowledge of them (ie- nothing) and however creepy they might be, are not in fact crazy. They are craftsmen, and if Tony understands anything it is the pride felt in work done well. Work that is not meant to be undone.
Besides, every good programmer will create a back up, right?
Interlude: Ek Alu