InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "MOFFAT!!! *shakes fist*"

Sharon Carter (power_broken) wrote in avengers_logs,
@ 2021-08-02 21:34:00

Entry tags:

-open thread, sharon carter, tony stark

Who: Sharon Carter and Tony Stark
Where: New Avengers Tower
When: Monday, August 2 - Night
What: Sharon is confused
Warnings: None
Status: Complete

Sharon hung up the phone. She smirked softly as she walked toward the street. Her car was going to pick her up and take her back to the--But something shimmered in the air. Something strange, a weird color? And shape, and ...smell? Then Sharon wasn't in front of the building where she'd been given her job back, a full pardon, an invitation to return to the United States, back in the CIA where she belonged. No, she was in... a building. A nice building. But to go from outdoors during the day to inside at night? Had she lost time? Was she having some kind of hallucination or vivid daydream?

She stopped walking and took inventory of her surroundings. It was a nice building. Well lit, lots of glass windows. The design was modern. Fancy. Expensive. Sharon took inventory of her body. She was wearing the same clothes, holding her laptop bag, phone in hand. She didn't feel woozy, like she'd been drugged, or light-headed. She felt... normal. Just confused. In a different location than she'd been only moments before.

Confusion turning into panic, Sharon lifted the phone and glanced at it. She had full bars. She could call someone... and tell them what, exactly? She didn't even know where she was. Maybe she should figure that part out first before she started making insane-sounding phone calls.

Pocketing the phone, she turned to head down the hallway. There must be someone around who could give her some information.

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Tony/Sharon

the_iron_man
2021-08-03 10:53 am UTC (link)

Tony listened to all of this, nodding along. A lot of this happened after his time over there ended. It was weird to hear about it, but he was also kind of fascinated. More so in light of recent events, after he talked to Mobius.

"Latest rumor is Cap's on the moon," Tony confirmed, but no one could find out if that was true. He was going to fly up there and see, actually. As for dying? "Nat and I already know. Clint's not here, either. I mean, I think this universe's Clint is with his wife and kids. We don't bug people that aren't in-the-know. Thor's been here and left a couple of times. Which sucks. We could use another heavy hitter. I feel bad asking Bruce. He rips his pants up...it gets awkward if they don't stretch back right..."

He rubbed a hand over one side of his neck like there was a pain there. It was a metaphorical one for the most part. It was going to be tough to explain it.

"Anyway. It sounds like something Sam dreamed about. We get caught up on the flip side in dreams, really intense stuff. We think there's a connection between this universe and that one. It's like a copy. But we can't figure out why. It sounds like what already happened over there is happening here. Just on a delay, with some changes. No John Walker killing anyone. Sam's pretty much taking Cap's place..."

Was he even making sense? He wasn't sure. What he needed to do was try to be reassuring, but that was always Steve's job. Tony was too blunt for it.

"You're gonna be ok," he said, sounding like they had this handled. "Friday'll get you set up with a room and everything you need. You can contact Sam and find out what's going on. He's in Madripoor right now."

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Tony/Sharon

power_broken
2021-08-03 03:25 pm UTC (link)

There were so many others who were at that battle. The battle with Thanos and his army. Ant-Man was supposedly there, along with Strange, the wizard. And the Spider-Man? So many stories had spread after, and Sharon wasn't sure which ones were true and which ones were invented. The ones about Tony had to be. He was gone, anyway. The world had mourned.

She raised an eyebrow. "You really think he's up on the moon?" That didn't sound like Steve. Then again, she thought she knew him. She didn't. The comment about Bruce's pants? Sharon wasn't sure if it was meant to be a joke, but she found it incredibly funny. A little laugh escaped her, and she clapped a hand over her mouth.

It remained covering her lips while he explained what was going on here. Sharon wondered if everything from her world was going to bleed through to this one. And if there was some way to get back--she'd just been pardoned. She'd just been given a unique opportunity and was going to make a lot of money, a lot of contacts, gain a lot of power.

"There's no way for me to go back?" She finally asked, looking hopefully up at him. "I just... settle in a room here, and that's it? What about my life?"

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Tony/Sharon

the_iron_man
2021-08-03 09:28 pm UTC (link)

"Nope, I don't think he's up there," Tony said, and it sounded like he really wished Cap was up there. Because then he could at least talk to him about what to do. Case in point? This would be a great time to have Steve around.

Tony stared at her for a few seconds and let out a puffy exhale.

"Not going to sugar coat it," he told her. "We're stuck until this universe decides we're unstuck. Strange went all woo-woo astral projection trying to find a way out." He shook his head. "No go. Your life keeps going over there, and when you go back? Best we understand it, you slip seamlessly back into what you left when you left it. No harm, no foul. For some of us?"

He held up his hands like he was exhibit A.

"Nothing to go back to. This is it."

As his hands dropped down, Tony felt like he needed to offer her something more than room and board. If that was all he was offered under these circumstances, he would be stir crazy in less than twenty-four hours.

"Look, I'm running SHIELD out of the Tower right now. Temporary gig. Until Fury shows up, if he ever does. You have experience as an agent. If you're interested, why not take a day or two and then show up for duty. Floor thirty-five."

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Tony/Sharon

power_broken
2021-08-03 09:51 pm UTC (link)

Sharon also wished that Steve was on the moon. For completely different reasons. A woman who'd dedicated a lot of time and energy to Captain America had pretty much come full circle on that front. She had her own theories as to what had happened with Steve Rogers back in her world, but she kept them to herself. Because gross.

Yeah, definitely not sugar coated. Sharon sighed, lifting her hands to run them over her face, then through her hair in a frustrated gesture. "Well then. I guess I'm glad you're here, if the alternative is... y'know." And she could be glad to be here, too, eventually. Maybe this was a good thing. Maybe this was the start of a new chapter in her life. She'd been excited about what the other world had to offer her--because, let's face it, Madripoor was a shithole, and she wanted to get back to her family. She hadn't spoken with her father in years.

The mention of SHIELD caught Sharon's attention. She raised an eyebrow. "A SHIELD without HYDRA, is it?" A little smirk tugged at the corner of her lip. "All right. Uh... just so you're aware, Temporary Director Stark I did come through with a battle wound." She motioned toward her hip. "Gunshot. It's healing, but might make me slow while I recover."

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Tony/Sharon

the_iron_man
2021-08-03 11:12 pm UTC (link)

Tony eyed her when she mentioned the alternative. It wasn't great, it wasn't perfect, but it was definitely better than that. By far.

"Yep, vetted and rebuilt small scale. Ground up." Tony stood up and looked down at her, his gaze following her gesturing. He openly winced, and that's coming from someone who got battered around inside a tin can for a few years. "Ouch. Noted. Bruce heads the medical clinic. If it's healing up, you can still have him check it out. Hit him up on the network."

He hesitated, not being the most touchy-feely person on the planet. A hand was held out, and he nodded like he was up to the task..

"You can lean on me if you need it, and we'll hobble you to your room. Friday? Need a room for Sharon Carter."

"On it, boss," his assistant responded from overhead.

"Great, thanks." He grinned down at her. "I mean if you need it? If not, I can at least make sure you get there. Only so much coding a guy can do before he goes cross-eyed."

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Tony/Sharon

power_broken
2021-08-03 11:19 pm UTC (link)

Well, that was certainly a relief. As much as Sharon enjoyed her time at SHIELD, and as night and day as she was now, she didn't want to think she was working for one organization and find out she was working for something else entirely. Been there, done that. Not her idea of a good time. "Count me in. It'll be nice to be a part of SHIELD again."

"Thanks," Sharon nodded, then took hold of his hand so he could help her to her feet. Walking she could probably do, but getting up from the sitting position took stomach muscles, and hers were still fairly damaged. With stitches. She hoped she hadn't bled through her bandage onto her clothes.

Speaking of clothes. "I don't suppose there's a set of pajamas in my room, is there?" She asked giving a sheepish smile. "I have my laptop bag, but... I didn't realize I was permanently relocating."

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Tony/Sharon

the_iron_man
2021-08-03 11:44 pm UTC (link)

"Keep calling me temporary director and you've got a bright future ahead," quipped Tony, letting go of her hand and keeping a watchful eye on her. If she needed help, he was nearby at least. Everyone else had checked out after their shift, or were on call.

He walked with her toward the elevator and smiled over at her. "It's prepackaged unisex, different sizes? But there's a change of clothes in the bedrooms. We had someone show up in a bikini, so it's there if they need it. Friday can help you order everything you need. So just ask."

As he punched the button, he thought she should know more about Friday. Privacy issues were always taken into account, even after the recent incident.

"She isn't watching, listening, or scanning you in your room," he tried to assure her. "She's only active for about 10 seconds after you ask for her and make a request. If you stop talking to her, she turns off. Same with the commons rooms in the residential areas. We had an incident though. One of the guests attacked a couple other guests in their room. So out in the hallwways? She's on twenty-four seven."

The elevator doors opened so they could step inside.

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Tony/Sharon

power_broken
2021-08-03 11:54 pm UTC (link)

Sharon was a lot of things. Strong. Feminine. Bold. She was also proud. As much as she felt like leaning on Tony Stark as they headed to her room (wherever that was), she wanted to walk on her own two feet. Prove she could. It'd been a while since she'd had any painkillers, though, and the sitting down and standing up again made her sore. At least she wasn't limping.

"Thanks. I'm looking forward to changing into something a little more comfortable." She'd been wearing a power suit when she arrived, but it rubbed against the bandage in a weird way. "And sleeping. I think I could sleep for a year."

Sharon nodded. Sounded like the Echo Dot or the Amazon Alexa. It was nice to know that she had privacy in her room, though. "How long have you been here?" She asked, stepping into the elevator and leaning against the wall.

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Tony/Sharon

the_iron_man
2021-08-04 12:15 am UTC (link)

"Years. Before the blip even happened." Tony sounded casual about it, but that bothered him too. It felt like he'd been living a borrowed life for a long time now. He stood next to her, not leaning. He didn't even press the button on the elevator. "Friday, take us up to Sharon's floor, ok?"

The doors closed and the elevator began moving to floor 36.

"You probably need some down time to recover from that. So whenever you're comfy helping us, that's when you can start. Sam's got the situation in Madripoor nailed down. No backup requested."

He shrugged like that was always a good sign, and looked over at her.

"God, I wish I could sleep for a year. That'd be nice."

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Tony/Sharon

power_broken
2021-08-04 12:35 am UTC (link)

Again Sharon couldn't hide her shock at that. "Years??" She couldn't imagine being here for weeks let alone years. It started to reframe the way she was thinking about this place. But her brain wasn't working all that well at the moment. A side effect of being kidnapped to an alternate reality?

"I'm sure it won't take that long. I'm going to need something to do if I'm here for years," she added. There was a hint of nerves in her voice.

"You should." She lifted herself up off the wall and pressed a hand against the wound on her hip. "I'll back you up. Just tell anyone who complains that Agent 13 gave you permission."

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Tony/Sharon

the_iron_man
2021-08-04 02:08 am UTC (link)

"Some people don't stick around for that long. You might end up flipping back over. Don't know. That's the bad part. You get used to having someone here and then poof, one day they're gone."

He knew that nervous edge in her voice, because he felt it himself every day. He could be edgy and avoidant, even on a good day. The past week or so hadn't been good, but he was holding himself together. The promise of a drink ~~or two, or three~~ at the end of the night was what kept him plugging along.

The elevator doors opened on floor thirty-six and he put his hand out on one side, so it wouldn't didn't shut when she exited.

"Sharon's in room three," Friday said softly, as if she didn't want to interrupt.

"Great. Thanks Friday." He looked over at Sharon and joked, "Lucky number Agent Thirteen. I don't think anyone will mess with you if you're handling the complaint department. Want me to walk you to your room, or you got this?"

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Tony/Sharon

power_broken
2021-08-04 03:59 am UTC (link)

Sharon watched Tony carefully as he spoke. She read between the lines: he'd lost someone. Probably a lot of someones, considering how many years he'd been here. Someones who meant a great deal to him. The heart that had grown closed off and possibly cold over so much time on her own melted just a little, and she wanted to stay. To hang out with Tony Stark, and be a support for him. And that was the weirdest thing she'd experienced all day.

Before she had a chance to say something about it, the elevator doors opened and the AI's voice rang out gently in the elevator.

"Thank you, Friday," Sharon repeated the sentiment, and then turned to Tony with a tired smile. "I think I can make it." She willed her feet to move, and God damn it, she was limping a little as she headed down the hall, looking at the doors. She found the one marked three, then turned to give Tony a quick thumbs-up before trying the handle.

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Tony/Sharon

the_iron_man
2021-08-04 05:02 am UTC (link)

The handle moved, and the door opened. As it did, Friday did a bio-scan to use as a key for entry or to auto lock the apartment.

Also outside the elevator but still close by it, Tony leaned to one side to make sure everything went off without a hitch.

He was glad he hadn't unloaded all of it on Sharon. She just got there, she was limping, and it was a lot to deal with already. He didn't want to elaborate, to tell her it wasn't just the people that disappeared that left a mark. Sometimes, it was those still there that forgot that made it worse. It happened twice with Pepper. Once years ago, and the most recent time with the divorce. She simply reset back to this universe's self, only not realizing it was an alternate universe or what they went through before. And the more he tried to overcompensate and prepare for what he knew was happening, the more it alienated her because she didn't know.

She wouldn't believe him, even if he explained it.

Standing there, he convinced himself he had this handled. Back upstairs to the penthouse, where endless lines of code and a few drinks awaited in the hopes he'd get a couple hours of sleep. Wake up. Caffeinate. Half listen to Darcy and Bruce trying to reason with him. Quip his way out of it before heading down to SHIELD's floor....

Rinse. Repeat. Ad infinitum. He was getting good at it.

"Hey, you got this," Tony said, giving them both a pep talk and a thumbs up in return. "It'll be ok. Gimme a shout if you need anything."

Friday opened the elevator and he waved before stepping back inside. Back upstairs. Back to work.

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