Operation: Don't Kill Stark

PART TWO

"…you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

The familiar voice comes over clear, albeit the tone is tinged with underlying pain and sadness. Steve chokes out a laugh at the old and overused joke, "Seriously? You take a trip into intergalactic space, a crazy Titan destroys half the universe, we haven't spoken in years – and that's what you come up with?"

"...priorities?" Tony quips without missing a beat, "How's life? Enjoying Wakanda? Tell T'challa I say hey."

Steven shakes his head, exchanging a quick glance with Natasha. He asks the question that he can read plainly in her eyes, "How did you know we went to Wakanda?" He doesn't mention that T'challa is gone, even as he watches Okoye squeeze Shuris' shoulder from across the room.

"Oh please," Tony coughs harshly before continuing, his voice slightly breathless, "You realize who you're talking to, right? Genius here! You re-"

The billionaire is cut off suddenly, the air in the room tenses when they hear a slight scuffle over the speaker, before the noises of protest are replaced by Nebula.

"Enough. Stark is injured and does not have time for this meaningless chatter– I suggest that you have that medical team waiting." Her voice is harsh and unyielding, but Steve still opens his mouth to protest.

"Don't bother," Shuri speaks up, her dark eyes glued to the monitors, "She cut the connection and I can't them back, not without Rocket's help."

Natasha curses softly in Russian before heading towards the door. "I'll get Rhodey, meet you there." She calls over her shoulder before disappearing from view.

"I'd better get the lab ready for our patient – sounds like he is going to need it. Okoye?"

Steve doesn't linger long after the two Wakandan women follow Natasha out. Scratching the back of his head, he lets out a shaky breath to try and collect himself. Regardless of how nonchalant Tony may have come across on the comms, the super soldier knows things are far from okay.

It was time to fix the damage between them.

The ship that lands is sleek and modern, but Steve barely looks twice at it. He's seen far too much in a very short amount of time to be impressed by a spaceship – besides, he is much more interested in the occupants of said ship. He's on the balls of his feet, Natasha a silent and solid presence to his right. Rhodey stands on his left, encased in his armor with his faceplate up – his face is pale and tired, but hopeful.

"Thor and Bruce?" He murmurs quietly to Natasha, blue eyes never leaving the ship as its engines power down. The cockpit is facing away with the hatch towards them, so he can't see the driver.

"Be here as soon as they can, Thor is dealing with Rocket and Bruce is familiarizing himself with Shuri's workspace." Natasha responds quietly, her intelligent eyes flick towards the Wakandan warriors that currently flank their temporary Queen. Shuri stands stoically in their midst, her face calm and expectant.

"They are letting us take point on this one, they won't intervene unless they feel that there is a serious threat to their people. Okoye gave me her word." Steve answers the unspoken question, leaning forward subconsciously when the back of the ship finally starts to open.

Two forms emerge almost immediately. The blue alien that must be Nebula strides down the ship with cool confidence, her black eyes don't even glance at the armored warriors that surround the landing pad. Tony is hanging off her shoulder, his face pale as he struggles to keep pace. He is clearly in pain, but it doesn't stop the genius from taking in his surroundings and smiling brightly when he spots Rhodey.

"Honey bear!" Tony practically sings, lurching away from Nebula.

Rhodey hurries forward, closing the distance between them before Tony can crash to his knees. "You god damn idiot." The soldier says fondly, steadying his best friend before gently lowering him to the ground.

Tony pats the darker mans face clumsily. "I'm glad you didn't go poof." It comes off lightly, but Rhodey can easily hear the grim tone beneath the banter. They both look up when they feel the rest of the group step closer, and Tony's jaw clenches slightly when he locks eyes with Steve.

They don't get a chance to speak before Nebula cuts through the silence. "I must take care of something, but I will be back," She jabs a finger towards Tony, "Heal. You are not allowed to die before we take care of Thanos, understood?"

Tony coughs, giving her a sarcastic salute, "Yes ma'am!"

Nebula stalks away without so much as a word to the rest of the group, her face full of distaste. Ignoring the questions that are shouted at her back, she pauses for only a second when she sees the rodent standing on the platform.

"I'm coming with you." The small creature says, his voice angry and unyielding.

"You will not like where I'm going. I will not allow my sister to rot on Vormir."

Rocket flinches at the image, but he squares his shoulders and marches into the depths of the ship regardless.

Sighing in clear frustration, Nebula follows.

The mixture of superheroes and Wakandans immediately break out into a debate as the ships powers up.

Steve ignores the chatter, crouching down in front of the injured genius. "Tony, you alright?" His face is tight with concern, not liking the way the other man looks.

Tony waves it off carelessly, brown eyes focused on the multiple conversations taking place around him. "I'm peachy." He answers distractedly, not noticing the pointed look Rhodey gives Steve. "Guys, hey, guys! Everyone shut the hell up and listen to me."

The group goes quiet, frustrated and concerned faces all turn to the billionaire on the ground. Steve doesn't miss how the man lets out a slow and steady breath in a clear attempt to control pain, before he continues. "You won't be able to stop her from leaving. Just leave her be – she'll be back and eager to kick ass when we're ready. Now, where is T'challa?"

Shuri answers, her voice quiet and dignified, "My brother did not survive The Snap. I am currently ruling in his stead."

The unspoken 'until he returns' is very clear.

"Shit." Tony curses, his eyes softening as he appraises the young girl, "I'm sorry Shuri. Your brother told me a lot about you – we have a lot we need to talk about."

"We do," Shuri agrees, "But first we must tend to your wounds." Her eyes narrow when he opens his mouth to protest. "No – I agree that time is of the essence, but I have been monitoring your vital signs since you touched down and you are deteriorating rapidly, Mr. Stark. You will be of no use to any of us if you are dead."

Tony sighs, leaning against the metal armor of his best friends suit a little more heavily. The rush of landing and being reunited with his old friends and former teammates suddenly drains away. "Yeah, yeah alright." He concedes, wincing when both Rhodey and Rogers lift him up gently, placing him onto a floating stretcher that had been waiting unnoticed nearby.

He doesn't feel the prick of a needle in his arm, but he does notice when the pain drops off suddenly, and he blinks rapidly as his vision starts to blur. It takes an enormous amount of effort to focus on Rhodey and ask, "Pepper?"

His best friend doesn't answer him – but Tony doesn't need him to. His heart twists at the look on the darker mans face, and he squeezes his eyes shut in denial. Focusing on breathing through his nose, the billionaire is oblivious to the frantic voices around him as his vitals take a nosedive.

"Tony, stay with us!"

"Stark!"

"Don't you do this, don't – "

Darkness comes, and Tony doesn't try and escape it.

When he wakes up, he doesn't feel any pain. His mouth is dry and there is grit in his eyes, but the deep, pulsing agony that had tortured him since being stabbed was gloriously absent. Tony opened his eyes, taking in the tech surrounding him with absent-minded interest. His gaze finds Rogers, who is staring at a tablet with a look of intense concentration.

"What, no newspapers in Wakanda, grandpa?" He croaks out, one hand rubbing the sleep out of his eyes while the other feels experimentally where the stab wound was. The only sign that he had almost died was a thick, puckered line of skin a few inches long.

Steve straightens quickly, setting the tablet aside. His blue eyes are intent, the worry in them clear to see. "How are you feeling?" He asks, ignoring the jibe.

"Fine, fine," Tony answers impatiently, "How long was I out for? Did I miss anything important? Where are the others – who made it? I need to speak to Shuri right away – hey, hand me that tablet. I need to start – "

"Whoa Tony, slow down. You were only out for fourteen hours. Shuri worked on you herself with Bruce. The medical technology here is incredible – I don't know how they managed to fix you up so well. When they examined your injuries…" Steve trails off for a moment, a faraway look in his eyes. "You would be dead if you had gone anywhere else, if you hadn't arrived when you did – Bruce said it was really close this time."

Unfazed by this, Tony swings his legs to the side, ready to hop off the cot and go looking for Shuri himself. Steve stops him, the super soldier is at his side in the space of a breath, one large hand on his shoulder. Tony tries not to flinch at the contact, but Steve notices the slight movement – and the hand disappears quickly, as if it had been burned.

"Tony…I – Listen, I'm really sorry. For everything. From before, for now. Just all of it." Steve sighs, stepping away and scratching his beard.

The genius swallows, dark eyes staring at his toes for a moment as he gathers himself. Slowly, he meets the taller man's face and nods. "Me too." He says gruffly, it's not enough, not nearly – but there is no time, no time for the past. No time to fix what they both broke. They can only move forward.

Tony lets the moment ride for a few seconds before breaking it with a clap of his hands, his entire demeanor does a one eighty. "Now! I really do need to see Shuri. I've got a few ideas, but we are going to need a shit load of Vibranium to even stand a chance at fixing this mess."

Steve nods absently, "Yeah, alright. I'll call her – wait, what? Fix this? You think that we can do that? How?"

Tony grins, his teeth bared and his eyes gleaming. "Of course," He taps his temple with a raised brow, "Remember? Genius? We haven't lost, not yet. I did a lot of thinking on the space ride home. Nebula wasn't exactly talkative."

"You mean when you were dying and feverish and likely hallucinating?" Steve asks dryly.

Tony snorts, waving a hand at the soldier carelessly, "I do my best thinking that way. Now, lets see…F.R.I.D.A.Y! Rise and shine, daddy is back and needs you. Vacay is over!"

"Boss, it's good to know that you aren't dead." The relieved voice comes directly out of Steve's phone, who looks down at the device in astonishment. He stares down at it for a second before looking at Tony accusingly. "Has F.R.I.D.A.Y always been on this phone?" He demands.

"Welllll, kinda, yeah? I mean, that and all the other ones you've used since Siberia. You didn't seriously think I was going to let all of you guys fall off the grid without knowing where you were!" Tony looks positively affronted at the very idea.

"All?!" Steve responds weakly, "You had all of our phones bugged? For the past three years? How? They aren't even your tech – and we changed them out every month."

"Oh please," Tony answers smugly, "I know all tech. Don't get your spandex in a wad. I needed to make sure you were all safe. I never actually did anything with the information – geez. F.R.I.D.A.Y just kept tabs, didn't you girl."

"Acutally boss..."

Tony bulls over the A.I quickly, cutting her off mid sentence. "Pass over that tablet, would you? I need it - no, put it on the bed, you know how I am..."

"Natasha isn't going to be happy when she hears about this." Steve sighs as he sets the tablet beside the billionaire, shaking his head in disbelief. It was unnerving to know that the man had been able to track their every move without them ever knowing. It made him feel very…small.

"We have bigger problems at the moment," Tony says dismissively before turning his attention back to his A.I.

Steve doesn't pay attention to the conversation, still stunned at this newest piece of information. He blinks when Tony snaps his fingers at him impatiently. "Earth to Rogers. I need clothes – do you know where mine went? F.R.I.D.A.Y called a meeting for me, people will be arriving anytime now."

"What? Oh, yeah." Steve gets up and walks to a nearby dresser, pulling out some clothing at random. Depositing it on the nightstand beside Tony, he rolls his eyes at the look on the other mans face. "Don't start, the stuff you were wearing was trashed. It's this or scrubs."

Tony huffs, but doesn't complain out loud. He jerks on the clothing irritably, ignoring Steve when the man flushes red and quickly turns his back. "You are still such a prude." He mutters at the mans back, but there is a tiny grin on his face when Steve turns back around.

Natasha is the first to arrive, her face is a storm cloud as she marches towards Tony, her cellphone held out accusingly. She doesn't get a chance to lay into the man however, as Rhodey and Bruce, quickly followed by the remaining members of the team filter into the room. Tony gives her a cheeky grin, ignoring the promise of retribution in her eyes.

"So – who wants to kick some alien ass?" He opens up casually, his eyes flicker between the tablet in his hands, and the group that stands before him.

"Been there, tried that. Got our asses kicked instead." Natasha responds bluntly, her arms crossed. Her entire posture comes off as annoyed and tense, but Tony can still see the undercurrent of relief in the lines of her mouth. She had been worried about him.

"Fair point." Tony nods, "But I've been thinking."

"I'm not sure if I'm scared or relieved…" Rhodey mutters to the room, but his eyes are bright and his teeth gleam in a smile.

"We have lost a lot of people, Stark." Okoye says somberly, her dark eyes haunted. She doesn't say anything beyond that, but she looks at him expectantly.

Tony nods in agreement, swiping at the tablet, it throws up schematics into the middle of the room. He lets the group digest the beginnings of his plan, something that he had cobbled together quickly. "It's not much but give me time to work it out. It's all up here," He knocks his knuckles against his temple lightly, "I just need to put it all together."

"How…how did you do this so fast?" Shuri speaks up, her face intent and impressed.

Tony shrugs, scratching at the stubble on his pale cheeks, "I've been toying around with something like this for years, ever since I went through the wormhole. Fighting Thanos and seeing what we're up against – it's given me a fresh look."

"So," Tony continues, a savage grin on his face, "Who wants to get our people back?"

END

Why am I ending it here? Cause I have no freaking clue how they are going to fix this! I'm not the genius here – talk to Tony! ; )

Hopefully I didn't miss any glaring errors - I hope you enjoyed it! I just love writing Tony!