I'm Iron Man, And I'm Agent Coulson

Chapter 101 Are you Sick?

"(Y/n)," a voice murmured through the fog of sleep, and music, I had playing since last night, "(Y/n), you're late, and Tony sent me to check on you since you're not answering you're phone. (Y/n)!"
Two hands shook my shoulders, and I weakly opened my burning eyes. I hoped to see dark brown hair, and warm whiskey colored eyes, but instead, was greeted with fiery red hair and blue eyes. Everything hurt, my body, my throat, and my head. My face was burning, and fatigue slammed into my body, and forced my eyes closed again. A cool hand touched my clammy forehead, but I refused to move.
When I got home last night, I couldn't get warm, even after a pot of hot coffee, blankets and a number of Tony's sweaters, but I perched myself in his lab and began sifting through dozens of documents, pictures, and documentaries on the ancestry of my people. Last night was all one big blur, but the cold reminded me of Coulson's grave, and the things I said. I was scared, tired, and felt so alone. When had I become so needy?
Was I always like this?

"Oh shit, I think you're running a fever, and why are your jean's and boots covered in mud and leaves?" Natasha asked, and bustled around the lab. She turned off the music, and fingered the documents on the desk in front of me.
"I don't feel good Tasha, so stop yelling," I croaked. My head felt disentangled from my body, and I was too stiff to move.
"FRIDAY, can you take (y/n) temperature, or do I need to find a thermometer?" She asked, and put her hand back on my head, "shit, you're burning up."
"I can do a quick scan," FRIDAY replied, "(Y/n) is indeed running a temperature of 104.1, if it gets any higher, we may need to call a doctor."
"You were fine last night..." Nat admitted, as I forced my eyes open.
"Wet hair, and freezing temperatures, really does do you in," I mocked, and tried to lift my head off Tony's desk. Although, I believed it was more from the stress, and my body's unwillingness to fight anymore, "maybe it's just the stress catching up to me."
"What? You went out last night?" Nat asked incredulously, "where'd you go?"
"To visit Phil," my voice hitched in my aching throat, while I struggled to get up.
She was quiet, and sadness passed over her face, "I knew I should of come home with you, I told you to stay at the facility," she sighed, and pushed my sweaty hair from my forehead, "did you find what you were looking for?"
"No..just a grave, and my sense of self, lost," I cracked, and put both feet on the floor.
"Let me call Tony, and we can reschedule your shoot for today, you can't go anywhere like this," she murmured, and pulled her phone out of her pocket.
"No!" I shrieked, grinding my teeth as the pain in my throat flared, "just help me take a shower, and blow dry my hair. I wanna get this over with, not have it hanging over my head," I paused, "there's some meds in my cabinet upstairs.."
"You're running a 104 fever," she contended, and crossed her arms over her leather clad chest.
"So what, I've fought sick, and injured before, this is no different, just help me," I groaned, and used the counter to help hold myself up. Just in the few minutes of our conversation, I was already weaker and more tired.
"Fine, here, give me your arm," She demanded, and shouldered my weight against her body, "if you get me sick, I'm going to kill you."
"We can do that now, if you want," I tried to joke, but it came out more forced than I wanted too.
"I have half a mind to call your new boyfriend and tell him he's an asshole, but I'm sure he already knows that," she growled, and helped me upstairs, "when you're feeling better, you're going to explain to me what the fuck is going on, and why you decided to go visit Phil's grave, when it's freezing outside, do you understand? I haven't seen you like this..since.."
A small smile danced over my cracked lips when she used her mom voice, "I know Red, I don't even know what's wrong. Maybe it's the fact that I finally have everything I want, and just to scared to really accept it, or the fact that I wanted to tell you, all of you that I needed help, but couldn't, and now with this Wanda thing.. so just help me get ready."
"Fine," she snapped, "but this is ridiculous, and this lone warrior bullshit is unnecessary..."
"Noted.." I croaked.

Photo Shoot and Interview

"Mr. Stark, I wanted to thank you for choosing our magazine to do this op-ed, and I hope everything is up to par for you and your team," the editor and chief ventured, and shook his hand.
"So far so good," Tony remarked, but his eyes followed (y/n)'s sluggish procession through her photo op. Her face was pale, and her eyes remained partially closed as she tried to stand next to Natasha and Wanda as multiple photographers snapped pictures of them.
He hadn't had the time to pull her aside and ask her what was wrong, along with other questions pertaining to her late night trip, last night. It was partially part of the reason he focused on the shoot, and questions asked, by the flirty journalist. The perky blonde seemed more interested in his relationships than she did his work, and foundation, but he answered her questions, and quickly joined Rhodes.
Natasha texted him earlier, letting him know (y/n) was sick, and having a hard time, but that they were on the way. As soon as they arrived he knew by her posture and shadowed eyes, she wasn't okay.
"We should of rescheduled her shoot," James whispered, and nodded at (y/n), "yesterday was a mess.."
"So I've heard, Vison contacted me, and let me know what happened, but I'll deal with that once we're home, and she feels better," he grumbled, and took a step towards her, once she teetered on her feet, but Cap got to her first, "I can't fix it now."
"You can't fix everything, but we need to get to the bottom of this," James asserted, and crossed his arms over his uniform, "you didn't see what I did, something changed once Wanda hit her with that blast, and I've never seen something like that before, in my life, ever, her eyes. It scared me.."
"What're you talking about?" Tony asked growing more agitated as the seconds passed by.
"I'm sure there's video..but her eyes.. they almost seemed to glow, and she somehow pushed through Wanda, like nothing...it scared the shit out of all of us, Tony," Rhodey reasoned, and patted his arm, "something's happening to her, and I think it scares her to death, then with you gone last night.."
"Yes, and I've already been yelled at by Natasha, and while I may of been gone, she took a late night trip last night too," he snorted, but he held some of the same fears Rhodes had, yet, they'd figure it out, he refused to believe otherwise, and he kept what he'd already seen to himself.
"She went out last night? Where?" Rhodey asked, and tried to meet (y/n) eyes as she walked towards the blonde journalist in charge of their interviews.
"To Woodlawn," he growled, not even bothering to hold in his reticence.
"Oh well, it was...if we were scared then god knows how she felt," Rhodey reasoned and cleared his throat, "and that may explain why she's sick, it was almost below freezing last night."
"You do know that you can't catch a cold by being outside with wet hair right, that's just an old wives tale," Tony remarked, and raised his eyebrow.
"Pff, tell that to mom," Rhodey snickered, and tilted his head at (y/n) while she struggled to get comfortable.
"Nope, nevermind," he retorted, and finally lifted his head, growing more worried by the minute by the loss of light in her eyes and training, "I don't need another woman yelling at me today.."