"Not ever," Tony said without missing a beat - without half a second's hesitation. He was in the habit of making promises he hadn't evaluated; it was practically his business model, making sweeping guarantees that it never even occurred to him he might not be able to deliver, and then pulling it out - somehow - right before everything crashed and burned. The only difference here was that, for once, he actually saw the brick wall he was careening toward from a distance. "Not ever. I'd -" ... Be dead within a week, he didn't say, because this was bad enough already - and for once, his mouth was moving at about the same speed as his brain. He just hovered, an unhappy twist at the corner of his mouth. After a moment his hand slipped up to Jarvis' jaw; it stayed there for a beat, two; and then he stood up, faltering slightly before finding his poise again.
Or what passed for poise, when he was in his bathrobe and a pair of slippers and hadn't bothered to shave in two days. Perfection was a lot to ask.
"I'm not going anywhere. Whatever happens - I mean it. Nobody's putting me down. Not happening." He took a step, purely out of habit, toward the bar - and stopped as something in his body reminded him that, no, that was really not what it needed at the moment. He could drink to that sentiment tomorrow; tonight, that wasn't happening, either. He just stopped behind Jarvis' chair instead, propping his elbows there, looking at the blank television screen. There'd been a time when he'd had it on constantly, just for the noise, just for some company. Maybe there was plenty wrong, now. Maybe he was neck deep in a bunch of shit he didn't really understand, hooked up with some allies he'd have just as soon pushed off a bridge half the time, and still beholden to the same son of a bitch who'd been pushing his buttons for almost thirty years, but it was undeniable: things were better now than then. And there was a reason for that. "I"m not going anywhere without you." He paused - and scratched at his cheek, making a late play for some humor. "I'd look like a fucking slob."