Lab Beneath Stark Industries, Thursday Afternoon

[imafuturist]

Was Tony even aware of the whole armor situation that had begun as the week continued? Debatable. Possibly because he was too far in the zone, possibly because JARVIS was a deft hand at keeping things in check until backup may or may not need to be called.

It was almost like Tony had a bit of a reputation as a mad scientist sometimes. No like Reed or Hank level, but pretty damn close, honestly.

But he was continuing on designing more very niche armor pieces that were just... coming into existence without the whole production thing needing to happen.

[for that husband and for the SP]

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[heroic_jawline]

Steve came running into the lab with Patriot tucked under his arm like a tiny corgi football.

"Don't go into the hall closet on the fourth floor," he said. "I've, um, nailed it shut. My picture of Patriot tried to eat the actual Patriot."

These things happen, apparently? Today?

"I miss the shield."

[imafuturist]

"There's one somewhere in the lab," Tony murmured, still just focused in on what he was working on. Ignore the slowly forming armor over his shoulder. He was!

[heroic_jawline]

Steve put Patriot down and the dog trotted over to his little Patriot-bunker under one of the workbenches.

"You've really made me another?" he said, glancing around for the replacement.

[imafuturist]

Because Tony gonna Tony, you see.

"Started working on an improvement to it this week." Oh, well there it was.

[heroic_jawline]

"That might not have been the best idea," Steve said a little warily, eyes flittering around as he assessed just how many things were in this lab.

[imafuturist]

With at least one set of armor looming now.

"Captain Rogers, might I suggest a weapon? Sir is... presently indisposed, it would appear," JARVIS chimed in.

[heroic_jawline]

And that was why there was a Patriot bunker.

Steve grabbed for the nearest weapon and aimed it at the armor. "Tony!"

[imafuturist]

"Hmm?" Look, Tony was just the key demographic for this one. And that meant he was pulled in hard. "Oh, right. Testing it."

Which was when the armor moved to blast the weapon out of Steve's hand.

[heroic_jawline]

Steve yelped and dropped the weapon, diving out of the way. "This what you mean by indisposed, JARVIS?"

[imafuturist]

"I have attempted to dissuade sir from his projects for the past six hours and have been turned off three times by the armors."

Oh yeah, J was annoyed by this.

[heroic_jawline]

"Three times?" Steve scrambled over to where Tony was sitting. "Tony?"

[imafuturist]

"Busy," Tony said, waving him away and ignoring how the armor stalked past him to try to physically remove Steve from the lab.

[heroic_jawline]

"Be less busy," Steve yelped, reaching for a prototype repulsor and hoping it worked as he fired it at the suit.

[imafuturist]

"I said busy," Tony snapped, taking on a sort of manic edge. When was the last time he slept again?

The armor flew back and hit a door to what might have been a closet or maybe just another part of the lab. Either way, it left the door dented in for now.

[heroic_jawline]

Shitshitshit.

Steve hit the armor again with the repulsor. "Stay," he ordered it. "JARVIS, any chance of locking any of these down?"

[imafuturist]

The door dented in further, pulling away from the hinges to reveal what looked like more suits of armor trapped behind it, eyeholes glowing as they were woken up.

"Sir has included a consistently changing algorithm in the armors' systems to prevent interference at hour four of no longer responding to my requests. As such, it has become more difficult to take control of them."

Well, that was helpful, right?

[heroic_jawline]

"Fanstastic," Steve grunted, scrounging for more weapons as he watched that door cautiously. "How many suits has Tony made?"

[imafuturist]

"As of this moment: sixteen."

Several pairs of gauntlets curled around the door, working together to force it open wider as the armor that Steve had shot was jerkily pushing itself to it's feet like a marionette on tangled strings. Tony? Still blissfully plugging away at a design, it seemed.

"Might I suggest keeping the gauntlet on, Captain?"

[heroic_jawline]

Sixteen against one, and Tony still out of the fight. "Great idea," Steve agreed. "Where's the shield?"

Because fighting barefoot and in sweatpants was going to end badly.

[imafuturist]

"Equipped within the gauntlet. A hard light projection."

Made perfect sense, right?

And the only armor in the room as lurching past Tony to lunge at Steve.

[heroic_jawline]

"Got it," Steve said, calling it up just in time to catch a blast against it. "Tony. Snap out of it."

[imafuturist]

"I'm working!" Tony didn't not hiss like some kind of feral science possum who didn't like to be interrupted.

And the armor was trying it's level best to get through that shield. But it was Tony's engineering vs Tony's engineering there.

[heroic_jawline]

"Your work is trying to hurt me," Steve snapped back, trying to decapitate the armor with the shield.

[imafuturist]

"It's field testing!"

Well, it was safe to say the armor needed work on the connection between the helmet and the neck then, because it was being was giving way under the force of Steve's blows.

[heroic_jawline]

"There's not enough space--" Steve snapped his mouth shut because the absolute last thing that needed to happen was to give the suits more space. He gave the armor one last, frustrated, extremely hard, punch via shield. "It's not successful," he tried instead.