Between Destruction

North (1)

      Tony Stark has a reputation. It wasn't good. It was mostly fair though, to the world Tony was an arrogant billionaire jerk that fought only for himself. This wasn't the real Tony. The real Tony liked to fiddle with tech to fix it, not complain about it not up to his standard. He liked to go on hikes and get dirty, not stay up in parties and get that type of dirty.

      Sure he had partied it up before Ironman but now he was better focused on things with meaning. Tony sighed weakly as he continued up the train, as far as the avengers were concerned he was in a business meeting and as far as Pepper was concerned he was in an Avengers meeting. Was he lying? Yes. Was it because hiking was his guilty pleasure and he didn't want anyone to ruin it for him? Also yes. He continued on the thin dirt path with his baseball cap and fake glances, his pack was light and he took a swing of water.

      He watched the scenery with an awe of sorts, nature was a better engineer then Tony ever was or will be. He turned into the switch back to here a cry. He stepped back to make sure he had actually heard it, he did. He followed the low whimper off the trail, caution to the wind he stepped cautiously. A man that appeared to be anywhere from sixteen to late twenties, he had a head of bright red hair and a face scrunched up in pain.

       "Hey! Are you alright," Tony called out moving faster now. He slid slightly and almost tripped. The man reached out and grabbed a hold of Tony's wrist.

       "Water," he asked. His voice was parched and his face was flushed. "Please. Water."

       Tony nodded and pulled out his bottle to the fiery headed man. He barely got the thing within an arms range before the strange male greedily grasped it and downed almost all of it. Tony is slightly uncomfortable and slightly impressed. "Tha-Thank you," the man stuttered out. "Your kindness /will/ be repaid."

       Tony thought it was a dream, he stood at the edge of the trail and held an empty water bottle. He didn't finish the hike, he turned around and went back down the path.

       "Tony? I thought you were in a meeting all day," Clint questioned standing up from the counter. Tony shrugs slightly hazy. He waves off Clint's concerned look and stumbled upstairs for some well needed rest.