Toby had always been terrified that something like this would happen, but he’d never expected it to take quite this form.  He’d been doing his job, driving his cab, when his passenger unexpectedly put a gun to the back of his head and told him their destination had changed.  Now he was tied to a chair with a bag over his head, while a bunch of people - he had no idea who they were - delivered a ransom demand.  They were going to tell Tony Stark we have your son and demand half a billion dollars for his safe return.

“It’s not gonna work,” he said, for the fifth or sixth time.  “I’m not Tony stark’s son... and he doesn’t know I exist, anyway!”

“Fine, Ill do the interview but I get to bring a bottle of gin with me.” Tony complained to Agent Hill who insisted the interviewee was a good fit for Stark Industries. He hated being told what to do and rolled his eyes when he was given a file. 

He sat at the desk and lifted his feet onto the desk, head buried into the file, reading up on this Toby guy. When he was ready, he paged the secretary that he was ready. When the door opened he continued to read the file, not even bothering looking up. 

“Welcome, take a seat and make yourself comfortable. Grab yourself a drink if you will.” He gestured to the bottle of gin on the desk with one empty glass beside it. Tony had already helped himself. 

“I’m just reading your file, and frankly resumes are boring. They don’t show off skills at all. I prefer a much more hands on approach.” He closed the file and threw it in the trashcan and looked at the man and froze. 

Tony had read over the email several times at this point. His mind still reeling at the thought. Really hammertech? over Stark Industries? Like who in there right mind would… He glanced up from the email Looking over at the mess that he had made on his desk and flipped through the magazine again. Something didn’t  add up. Hammer wasn’t this smart. “Jarvis. Take my calls. I need to go pay a friend a visit.” he called up to his AI grabbing for his jacket as he started for the door.

Tony didn’t really have a plan, So when he showed up on Hammertech doorstep he didn’t really know what to say or do. It wasn’t common for your rival to just show up unannounced. But well here he goes. Walking into the building he cleared his throat and walked up to the front desk. “Hello, I um. Is hammer around? “ He asked not even giving his name to the poor woman seeing as everyone would know exactly who he was the second he walked in the front door.

The world was falling apart again, and Fitz had no control over anything anymore. Trip was gone, and he felt miserable about it, Skye’s fitness watch was broken and the supposed tech genius couldn’t work out how, Simmons was inconsolable (prompting a jealous bitterness that Fitz hated himself for), and Fitz had very nearly shot a seemingly-possessed Mack.

He hadn’t known Toby very long, but he was already one of the few people he trusted to touch his things. Maybe it was Toby’s constant awkwardness that made Fitz like him, maybe it was the lack of judgemental looks, but whatever it was, while Simmons was running checkups on the team, Fitz was trying to regain some level of control the only way he knew how: organizing. His tools had gotten scattered the last few weeks, a chaotic-seeming mess of projects unfinished or just having forgotten to put them away, and now was as good a time as any to arrange them. With a cup of tea, of course.

@clonystark | continued from X

Toby lowered his head - it was good to know that Stark wasn’t angry at him, but the situation was still so terribly awkward.  “It… it wasn’t really you you that they wanted… just your brain,” he admitted.  “And… well, all they got was me, so even that didn’t work.”

Coffee. That’s what he required to keep going and if he has to get out because ‘you can’t stay in your lab all day.’ He’d ask why not, but he’s already outside. Plus he’d be damned if he didn’t need it and get to whichever one that had the best coffee for him to keep himself awake. That isn’t saying he wouldn’t just go to the closest for coffee but he might as well not have what consists of sludge.

Which meant ambling down and into a cafe, which also meant he was definitely going to get food now he’s out here, most likely. What Tony is definitely not expecting is to be wondering if by chance he’s dreaming, maybe hallucinating.

@clonystark