A little too tired of just hanging on

Chapter 05

Happy, that good man, really wanted to stay by his side whatever might come their way. They had been through a lot already. The ex-bodyguard had been shocked to learn that Pepper had resigned and was mad on Tony's behalf. He had been so sure they were meant to be together forever. Guess you could never be sure to know someone completely. Happy's anger warmed the genius' cold heart a little. Since Siberia, the ice was permanent in his chest. Not only there but in his mind and hands. The cold never left him entirely even with the heating to its maximum. Happy couldn't stay though. The press, the world at large would make no prisoners. Tony's last friend couldn't suffer because of him yet again. The mandarin debacle had almost cost the bodyguard's life. That had been enough, too much even. That would be too difficult for Tony to leave with that once again.

Corporate chat was a funny thing really. The SI employees should know that Tony was able to read what they were writing about the events, about him. Or maybe they actually knew and they just didn't care. They were only expressing what the whole world was thinking. Tony hadn't been expecting loyalty really. He wasn't that naive. He hadn't been expecting that much hatred either from the people who had been working with him for years. Especially not from the member of Shield, the once he had saved and given a job after the data dump. Once a Fury's puppet, always a puppet. Tony knew a little something about that. All those people were now standing by Captain America, the same man who had cost them so much not so long ago.

It was clear as day that Tony was the problem in everybody's mind. Sometimes, the genius would manage to get his spirits back up but something, someone would always remind him of his part in the events, of his guilt. Part of him knew that his mind was going down the wrong path, worse than it ever went before. Tony was simply too tired to make lemonade with all those lemons life kept sending his way. There was so much one could endure. The genius was at his breaking point. Nothing was keeping him together.

Happy's severance package was the biggest Tony could give away without having it return immediately to sender. The bodyguard was never in it for the money. How rare. Happy would rather share a cheeseburger with him than go to a gourmet restaurant. They had spent time on the ring not to make the bodyguard's work easier but just to share some time together. Tony would miss him the most, the quiet presence never judging, always honest.

Tony gave him a last mission, a most important one. Happy would need to be there for Harley, if the kid ever needed help. He would also need to protect Peter Parker even from himself. The kid had such a big heart, he would not understand what was happening. Harley would but he wouldn't like it one bit but he was way too young to go against the world. Being a hero wasn't all that wonderful. The spiderling was living with his aunt. They both would need protection and support. The Avengers had mocked Happy for being Iron Man's bodyguard but to Tony, he was the best at it and a wonderful friend. That would be their last phone call. Somehow they both knew it without saying it aloud. Tony was trying not to let his emotions show. He cried when he hung up finally. Nobody needed to know. It was better this way for Happy and for the kids.

Vision had been hanging around like a ghost in an old manor. The fact that the android could go through actual walls wasn't lost in Tony's mind. His ability to make jokes even in the worst moments was still there despite everything. Vision never tried to contact Tony in any way. To be fair, the genius didn't try either. Perhaps they were both stupid, not finding the words to strike a simple conversation. Even if Vision was there, it was clear that his mind was somewhere else. At first, he would often go look at the deep hole that once was the kitchen. Tony wondered what kind of answers he was looking for. It became rapidly obvious that it wasn't there and so the android would start disappearing hours at time and it didn't take a genius to figure where he was going out. At that point, Tony couldn't feel more betrayed by the android. Then again, sometimes people did need to experience things to fully understand everything around them. Vision wasn't Jarvis and it wasn't fair to expect him to react like the dead AI would have.