Shadowbreath: The New Avenger

Chapter 27

Edit (02/02)

Tony Stark hated the medbay. He was a grown ass man and competent enough to know his own limits and take care of himself when he pushed himself over them.

That being said, the moment he handed Alex off to the compound's medical staff and dismantled the suit, his legs gave out on him. If Clint hadn't been there to catch him, Tony would have crashed to the ground and smacked his head against the tile.

"Whoa there, buddy. Let's get you checked out, alright?"

Tony groaned as they stuffed him into a hospital bed, "I'm fine!"

Clint snorted above him, "Sure you are." He clapped his hand across Tony's shoulder and the billionaire couldn't help but chuckle at the burst of nostalgia that hit him. It was good having the archer back. He would never admit it, but he missed Clint.

He looked over behind him to see Wanda, Sam and Scott being checked over by the medical staff while Vision hovered close by. Tony suddenly felt anxious and tightened his grip on the bed rails. "Hey," Clint called softly with a small smirk on his face, grabbing his attention again. "We aren't going anywhere. Don't worry, Tony."

He relaxed immediately and nodded as the doctors wheeled him away.

A few hours later found him hunkered down in medbay surrounded by seven empty beds to his left and one filled by an unconscious teenager to his right. The doctors confirmed that Tony had a broken nose and three cracked and bruised ribs, all of which would have snapped during the battle if Cap hadn't wrapped him up so well in the Quinjet. He had an IV drip replenishing his fluids to help circulate blood flow to return his numbers to the proper levels. Beside him, Alex had untold amounts of damage to her muscles. Her body was extremely fatigued, but the doctors were confident that she would come back to herself after a few days of bedrest.

Tony flipped the television on while Clint relaxed in the chair in between their hospital beds, legs up and resting on Tony's. It wasn't difficult to find news coverage of tonight's battle and the billionaire instantly began wishing that had stayed behind to handle the press. He was Tony Stark, this is what he was good at. The others shouldn't have to be thrown into the limelight just because he had been tortured for five days.

Surprisingly, they were painting the Avengers in a positive light. That was certainly a new one. Clint and Tony shared a look and returned to face the screen. Ambulances were lining the driveway and giving medical attention to the men and women who were victims caught in the crosshairs of the battle. Ellis, Reed, and Ross were standing out on the lawn next to Steve, Rhodey, Nat, and Peter, shaking their hands in thanks. Tony took a moment to thank the universe that Peter was thinking clearly enough to keep his mask on. He didn't need the world to know his kid was Spider-Man because of a random fluke or miscalculation on Peter's part.

While the Avengers will be giving an official statement at a press conference in a few days, we were able to discern that the terrorist organization known as Hydra infiltrated the White House during the Gala Military Ball with the intent to wipe out our country's top military leaders. Thanks to the quick thinking and combined efforts of the Avengers team, their plot was foiled and our country is safe again. This comes after months of controversy....

Tony flipped the television off, suddenly weary of rehashing past conflict. Clint grunted in his chair and side-eyed him. "You know, I was pissed at you for a really long time."

The billionaire stiffened in his bed upright, his hands fiddling wildly with the remote. He didn't respond. There wasn't anything else to say. Sorry didn't really cut it when he was the reason a good man was taken away from his family for a month before being sentenced to house arrest.