it's ironheart, bro.

“Yeah, that would be him.” Colleen scratched the back of her head when the woman said Tuesday wondering how she had lost so much time so easily, she even asked if it was still Tuesday… was losing time normal for her? “It’s… it’s actually Thursday.” But that answered her question at least, Danny hadn’t been around here in a few days, so she was back to square one, wondering if Ward had tied him up in something that was keeping him from texting her — or something else. (She tried not to think of the options, tried not to think about the times before when Danny went out in the middle of the night and didn’t come back until the next morning because he was so focused on protecting the city he forgot about everything else.)

Colleen wondered what that was like, being able to get lost in feelings — she remembered feeling that desire to let something consume her entirely when she had the Iron Fist herself, but she didn’t have Matt’s dying wish to propel her to chase the high that came with using the Fist. The one place where Colleen could say she did well with the Fist, but otherwise… she wasn’t sure if she had done enough. Even now with the Accords and enforcing — was any of it enough? She had accepted the Fist because at the time, it felt like the only option she had to protect the people she promised to stand up for. But then she had the Fist… and then she pulled her katana down… and still, so many people died. So many kids.

Colleen looked at the young woman, a fond smile on her face now, thinking about Danny and how many things he must have broken while in the lab. Or how many things he must have touched despite being told not to. “Yeah he’s…” Colleen let out a small laugh, Danny was amazing in a fight, fluid and moved so easily and with purpose, but outside of that? It was like a switch was flipped and he suddenly was all thumbs. “He tries his best. But don’t mention the limb thing to him — he’ll get weird about it.” Colleen knew it wouldn’t be an insult, but she also knew that Danny might take the comment the wrong way, as if being tall or lengthy was a bad thing.

And it wasn’t. Unless he was reaching over her head to grab something for her.

Colleen looked down at Riri’s hand and saw the dirt, but in a strange way, it reminded her of the good moments in the Hand, when she was at the compound and helping build things, or outside sparring with the other kids. She reached out and shook Riri’s hand, offering her a warm enough smile. (Though Riri’s description of her relationship with Tony gave her pause — not because she was defensive for Tony — but because Riri said it outright and Colleen… was accused of that being her relationship with Danny so often.) “So, not another member of the extended family I haven’t met?”

“Nice guy,” Riri commented, because she thought it might be true. Rand was painfully earnest in a way she tended to tune out, but Tony was always in a good mood when he was around. That counted for a whole hell of a lot in Riri’s book, even if she didn’t think she’d ever managed a full conversation with the guy. “Thursday,” she hummed thoughtfully. “Right.” That explained the dull ache behind her eyes, then. She hadn’t slept more than a few scattered hours in days, hadn’t eaten or had anything more than coffee to drink in almost as long. Riri was good at a great many things, but taking care of herself had never been among them.

Neither was conversation. The few friends Riri had had in her life were people who’d found her, extroverts who took pity on her and opened up their lives to make room. Natalie marched into her garage and dragged her to social events largely against her will. Tony practically adopted her and proved more than willing to share his large family to fill the many gaps in her small, broken one. She didn’t know how to talk to the woman in here now, didn’t know how to continue conversation now that her question had been answered. Would Colleen want to stick around now that she knew the man she was looking for was nowhere to be found? Did Riri want her to? And why couldn’t she say for sure?

Colleen didn’t make any immediate move to leave, and Riri found she wasn’t disappointed by that. It didn’t entirely answer whether or not she wanted company, but it let her know that she didn’t not want company, and that was nice. That was a nice thing to know. “That implies there are things he doesn’t get weird about,” Riri joked, but her jokes always had a habit of coming out a little too harsh to anyone who didn’t know her. She realized it a moment too late, winced a little as her words landed. “Sorry. That’s not --- I don’t mean that in a bad way. He’s cool.” 

Riri returned Colleen’s smile, and she wasn’t good enough with gauging other people’s emotions to recognize that look on Colleen’s face. “Depends what you consider family, I guess. Tony’s...” She trailed off, unsure how to finish the sentence. “He’s kind of my best friend slash dad-like-person. Don’t tell him I said that last part.”

It was happening quickly. Too quickly for Daisy’s comfort. She had one enforcer and now a second one in a suit that reminded her of Tony — how much longer before she was surrounded? How much longer until she didn’t have a way to get out? Daisy had to bet on the fact that the guy who was starting her down wanted a good portion of that million-dollar jackpot — so maybe, he wouldn’t call in too many others. (Less people to split it with, right?) Lethal force (if “necessary”) had been put into action as well… so this fight, if it became one, would be different from what she had faced before. Was she ready for that? Was she ready to kill? She had never taken any particular pleasure in hurting others. Never wanted to bloody her hands, but like May, she would if she had to. 

(It was harder for her to rationalize that though when it was for her own protection and not for someone else’s. Because if she was killing for someone — to save their life — it felt justified. But what was her justification here? When all she did was hurt people?) 

Daisy chose to focus on the newcomer — or at least, she listened carefully. Her eyes were still on the man in front of her, the one who looked thrilled — this was a game to him. The prize money just waiting to be collected. But the woman in the sky, she was coming up with solutions that didn’t end with Daisy in a pool of her own blood or back on the Raft. But SHIELD… Daisy’s mouth was dry. Her friends were at SHIELD. May was at SHIELD. Her whole life had revolved around SHIELD for so long and in the last months… she had resented them. But separation from the organization hadn’t exactly brought her clarity either. 

And then there was the catch. Not that this woman said it like that — like Daisy had something to worry about — but she knew that coming back to SHIELD would have a cost. And she wasn’t sure she was ready to pay it this time. (Last time, she had been on TV. She had been forced back into the agency because she was useful and people liked her… but now? Daisy didn’t have that same protection.) “Something to work with…” Daisy repeated quietly, her eyes flickering towards the suit and then back to the man. “I know what they’d want.” They’d want information on Ghost Rider. They’d want Robbie. And Daisy would sooner fall back on that blade than give him up. She fucked his life over once, this was his second chance — and she wasn’t about to take that from him. “And I won’t give it to them.” Daisy’s voice dropped to a whisper. 

The window was closing, and Riri knew it. Daisy Johnson was cornered, and when people were cornered, things got bad. She was scared, and that might mean she’d lash out. She was a good person. Riri was sure of that, but right now? She was still stuck between a rock and a hard place. Good people could still be dangerous. Riri had seen it in Central Park, had watched Jean Grey turn people to dust with her grief. Good people could still falter, and Riri didn’t want to see that happen here.

Riri glanced between Johnson and the enforcer, whose finger was already on his trigger. For him, there was only one ending here. There was only one way he wanted to walk away from this. He’d tell them that he felt threatened and, because Daisy Johnson was perceived as a threat, he’d be believed. He’d kill her, and he’d say it was justified. How many times had Riri seen that back in Chicago? How many times had she joined people in the streets with a sign over her head because the people in charge claimed justification where there was none? She couldn’t be a part of that. She couldn’t be on that side.

More than anything, Riri wanted Daisy to agree with her. She wanted her to surrender, to come in peacefully, to make this a deal instead of a fight. Daisy Johnson was a good person, but Riri wasn’t sure the same could be said for the man with the flaming skull and monumental body count. Giving him up to ensure her safety... That would be justified. Beneath her mask, Riri’s eyes begged Daisy to take the deal, but she knew the moment the words left her mouth what the answer would be. Her throat was tight at the reply, and she glanced back to the enforcer as his hand tightened on the gun. Turning back to Daisy, she nodded. “I’m really sorry,” she said quietly, raising her hand and firing up her repulsor with a whine.

“ if you could do me a big solid and not do anything that would be sublime ”  [@moveswithcourage​ ]

“Okay, so, I get where you’re coming from,” Kate said, “and I would also love for you to not do anything.” Her bow was slung over her shoulder, her quiver full, and she’d been trying her very best to be stealthy, which was hard when you wore bright purple and carried a quiver of trick shots, but there had been a girl in the park who’d needed help, and she thrived on taking down asshole men. A fishnet arrow, an anonymous call to the cops, and they were good to go.

And then Ironheart had had to show up. Kate couldn’t remember if the kid was an Enforcer, but the tin can suit, the ties to Stark, all bad signs. If they knew what was good for them, she was probably worth a fuckton of money, and she’d rather get out of there before the government overlords tied her up. (Realistically, her bounty was like twelve dollars and a pack of gum, because no one cared about the second Hawkeye, “the girl one,” because they were morons.) So she’d smiled and prepped herself. She wasn’t going to shoot anyone, just stand her ground until she could leave and get a coffee. “Nothing to see here, just out for a jog, gonna head home now, if that’s all the same to you.” 

Things were getting harder. There’d been a time when this part had been simple. Flying around, keeping the peace, calling enforcers when it was necessary, it all made sense. That changed with Central Park, with an event far too familiar, a shooting that launched her back in time to another park, another senseless killing that hadn’t left her bleeding no matter how much it hurt. Central Park didn’t change everything, but it changed Riri. It changed how she saw things, how she viewed the world around her, how she felt about the Accords. Suddenly, patrolling the streets and finding unregistered vigilantes made her heart jump to her throat, and she really wished this girl would just... walk away. But that look in her eye was a familiar one, and Riri knew the archer wouldn’t just leave. She knew she probably didn’t know how, just like Riri didn’t. Some people just couldn’t stop. 

“If I turn around and pretend I didn’t see you, are you really gonna go home?” There was a foolish hope in her tone, because she knew the answer. She turned her back, and this girl would go find another alley. She’d take her weird arrows and shoot them at someone else, and she’d stumble upon an actual enforcer, one who wouldn’t turn a blind eye. One who couldn’t turn a blind eye. “I really don’t want this to be a fight. We’re --- We all want the same thing. We all want to help people.”

“One of Tony’s robots being an asshole? I believe it” Bobbi replied with a small shrug, she was glad the girl didn’t elaborate though because she still didn’t want to know why the robot was being an asshole. “No, I know” she said “he offered me the use of his labs for some research I’m doing” she’d helped him and in exchange she got to conduct her research of the virus in his lab, though even without that offer she still would have helped him.

“They’re all assholes,” Riri agreed with a faint smile, hoping FRIDAY would still like her after the comment. (And hoping she wouldn’t tell Tony. He’d probably agree, but still.) “Ah. Yeah, he does that. He’s a sharer. Which is great for him, but I’m not --- I mean, I’m not really a people person, so.” There was a beat, an awkward silence that Riri didn’t know how to fill, and she shifted uncertainly. “I’m Riri. Williams. I work with Tony.”

It wasn’t fair to Riri for Karen not to devote her full attention to this interview. It wasn’t fair to the Bugle for the interview to be half-assed. Her job would be on the line if she couldn’t hold it together. Journalism wasn’t an easy career to get into. It was even more difficult to stay relevant in a world where journalism was dying. Karen had sealed her place at the Bulletin. That was where she’d made her home. Where she’d broken the case on Frank Castle and vigilantes. She was still trying to find her footing at the Bugle. She was on the lower end of the totem pole and she knew if she gave them any reason, she could be cut from the staff. 

She wasn’t planning on giving them that option. Karen would do anything to keep her position at the Bugle. Including doing the interview under the influence. She could hold it together. It’d be fine, right? 

“Alright,” Karen replied with a friendly smile as she looked down at her notes that one of the editors had shoved into her hands moments before. She hated that she hadn’t gotten to do more research, but she couldn’t do anything about it now. “You’re a child genius. That’s incredible. Tell me what that was like for you growing up. When did you know? When did your parents know?” 

Karen was clearly distracted, and Riri wondered if she ought to be upset by that. This wasn’t a hard-hitting story, she knew. It was a fluff piece, a human interest story about something that wasn’t often seen. Maybe it was difficult for Karen to find any kind of enjoyment in that, hard for her to get excited for a story that didn’t matter when she was so used to writing things like the Castle piece. Riri shifted a little, suddenly self conscious for reasons she couldn’t quite explain. She’d never needed approval, never been someone who required people to be impressed with her, but... She wasn’t used to this either.

“All right,” she repeated, returning Karen’s smile with a nervous flutter in her stomach. She relaxed a little as the questions began, because she could handle this part. Answering questions, Riri was good at. “Well,” she said with a shrug, “not quite a child anymore, but yeah.” 

Tilting her head, Riri considered the line of questioning. “I was certified as a super genius when I was five, but... I think everyone knew before that. I was always different than the other kids. I didn’t... I mean, I never really fit in, you know? I didn’t have a lot of friends.” Only one, only ever one. It was Natalie, always, until it wasn’t. Until that picnic, until the drive by. Riri went from having one friend to having none in a heartbeat. 

It wasn’t always easy fitting in as the new employee, but everyone has been kind to him so far at the company. This opportunity meant a lot to Roy, wanting to prove to Tony that hiring him was a good decision. It isn’t something the redhead ever wants to lose. He was in awe of the whole place, taking the time to get to know the layout of it all, get himself truly settled before diving into any projects. He doesn’t want to come off as too ambitious, but could you blame Roy for being excited? He got to work with some of the best engineers in the country.

“Yeah, you could say that. I’ve been doing this since I was ten years old.” Roy wasn’t bragging, just simply stating a fact so they could get to know each other better. “Other kids my age were more concerned about going outside, but I just wanted to stay in and tinker with whatever I could get my hands on.“ He remembers Oliver needing to come searching for him to make him go to the party being thrown. This feels like a lifetime away though now looking back on it. “Tony caught me taking apart some of his tech that was being thrown out to be used for this drone I built.“ Roy also knows that Riri could probably know that already, but smiles when his new friend says that he was brilliant too. “I would LOVE to build some robots. You’re speaking my kind of language.”

Social integration had never been something Riri understood. In school, she had always been years younger than her classmates. A preteen had little to discuss with high schoolers, and a teenager had a difficult time fitting in with adults in college. Even here, at Stark, she tended to stick out like a sore thumb. Riri was twenty years younger than most of the people in positions like hers, and the fact that Tony was her best friend made a lot of his employees a little... uncertain around her. She hadn’t realized it bothered her until now. Until Roy Harper approached her like she was a person and spoke about how excited he was to work with her. Suddenly, social integration didn’t seem quite so bad.

She felt a grin creeping across her face as he spoke. “I get that, yeah. I built a lab in my stepdad’s garage. Nobody ever really got why.” Even Natalie, who was the best friend she’d ever had, had wanted Riri to be someone different than she was. She’d loved Riri, but she hadn’t understood her. Few people ever had, but... Maybe Roy could. Her smile widened when he spoke again, and she nodded. “He found me in a dorm room doing the same thing. I thought he was there to sue me. Instead, he gave me a job. That’s Tony for you.” She liked Roy, she decided. For a long time, Tony had been the only one who understood her, but... Maybe it didn’t have to be like that. “Come on, I’ll show you my lab. It’s messy, but you won’t mind, huh?”