Lab Below Stark Industries, Friday Morning

[imafuturist]

It was safe to say that Tony too had not noticed anything strange today. Mostly because he rarely used a filter when working with JARVIS and had been working since the night prior with only a few coffee breaks.

On one hand, he was getting closer to finding where HYDRA currently was, but on the other.... sleep deprivation.

Choices, choices.

He took a sip of lukewarm coffee and fiddled with the code on a bot he'd designed to watch the traffic cameras in Queens. For the tenth time that hour.

Yeah.

[open for anyone lookin' for him!]

Comments

[fjordicswagger]

A couple of minutes later, Tamsin was coming down the stairs. She was holding a bottle in each hand.

"Drinks," she said firmly.

[imafuturist]

"This is early even for me," he replied, clearing off a work bench for her.

That was the thing about peppering your normal conversation with self-depricating remarks. It didn't change that much on days like this.

[fjordicswagger]

"The island is doing this stupid thing again where you can only speak the truth, which is bullshit and also terrifying for me because I lie a lot," Tamsin said.

Beat.

"Dammit. Ugh. Let's just open these and shut up."

[imafuturist]

"Oh." A beat. "So do I, but I try to do it to keep people from getting hurt most of the time. Not that it really helps seeing as how I've managed to kill a friend and destroy my team---"

His eyes went wide at how he couldn't sseem to stop himself there. "Give me a drink."

[fjordicswagger]

"That's what I thought," Tamsin said, holding out the bottle for him. "With any luck, when we finish these, we'll be so tired we pass out for the rest of the day."

[imafuturist]

"I'm going to need more than this," Tony said, taking the bottle. "Though I haven't had anything other than coffee in the last twelve hours..."

[fjordicswagger]

"So we'll order in Mooby burgers," Tamsin said, twisting the top off her own bottle. "And I'll be nice and not ask you about killing people. Not that I have any right to talk."

[imafuturist]

"I want to ask, but it'll just make me talk about things I don't want to discuss either."

[fjordicswagger]

"See? Nobody asks any questions," Tamsin said. She took a swig from the bottle. "That's the best way to do this."

[imafuturist]

Tony had to laugh at that, opening his own bottle to take a sip. And, admittedly, the laugh bordered on desperate, but it was still a laugh. "Silent, angry drinking. Sounds like home."

Aaaand a much longer sip.

[fjordicswagger]

"Then stop talking," Tamsin muttered. She snagged a chair and sank down in it with an oomph.

[imafuturist]

"I'm a talker," he shot back sullenly. "We can't all be stoic and hell on wheels."

A beat.

"Probably be easier if I was."

[fjordicswagger]

"I'm only stoic because that's what I'm raised to be," Tamsin said. "No emotions in-- my family."

Hey, that wasn't a lie.

[imafuturist]

Tony raised his eyebrows at that. "So was I. Just ended up a bleeding heart instead."

[fjordicswagger]

"Can't afford me one of those," Tamsin said.

Right. Time for another big gulp.

[imafuturist]

Tony sighed and leaned back against a table that held the newest version of the armor for working on. "Are we telling the truth or what we think is true?" he asked.

[fjordicswagger]

"Are you getting philosophical on me?" Tamsin muttered. "Stop it."

[imafuturist]

"It's part of my emotional deficiency." Wait. "I meant to say charm. Please pretend it's what I said."

[fjordicswagger]

"I'd love to," Tamsin said, putting the bottle back to her mouth. "I'm not good at this touchy feely crap."

[imafuturist]

"Who is?"

[fjordicswagger]

"Out of who we know? Maybe Jessica."

[imafuturist]

"She is pretty good at this," Tony admitted. "Shame we have the same taste in women, though. Cuts down my dating pool."

[fjordicswagger]

"It's not like I date," Tamsin said, rolling her eyes at him. "Don't be weird."

[imafuturist]

"Well, I do date," Tony replied. "And friends with benefits only works if no one gets hurt by it."

[fjordicswagger]

"Are you wingmanning for Jessica?" Tamsin asked, squinting at him. "I feel like I should be flattered, but I'm not actually a huge font of self-esteem."

Ugh. More drinks.