#ironstrange

“You’ll tell us if Steve calls?” Natasha asked.

“Where’s Tony?” Stephen asked, instead of answering the question. Things were too complicated, right now, to be making definitive statements. It depended entirely on what Steve called him to say.

Natasha pursed her lips, but then gestured behind her to a closed door. “Trying to talk Ross down,” she said. “He’s trigger happy, at the moment.”

Stephen didn’t point out that it was people like Ross that were turning Steve off of the Accords. He did understand that Tony couldn’t just ignore the Secretary of State, but that didn’t make the situation a good one.

Tony came out of the room, looking exhausted. There was a cut on his temple and a bruise around his eye that was darkening. He was rubbing at his arm. “My left arm is numb, is that normal?” He didn’t seem to actually be asking anyone, just complaining.

The words had Stephen jerking to attention though. “Your arm is numb?” he asked. “Are you in pain anywhere else? Any discomfort in your chest?” Tony blinked at him. “Pain in your neck or jaw? Shortness of breath? Irregular—”

“I’m not about to have a heart attack, Stephen,” Tony interrupted. “I’m fine.”

“I notice you didn’t actually answer any of the questions,” Stephen pointed out. “Meaning at least one of those other symptoms is present.”

Tony ran a hand over his face. “Stephen.”

“Sit down and let me take a look at you.”

“I have 36 hours to—”

“Sit. Down,” Stephen ordered.

Natasha gave Tony a look. “Just let him,” she said. “I’ll start figuring things out.”

Tony rolled his eyes, but sat down.

“Send a medkit our way. The EMTs should have arrived,” Stephen told Natasha as she exited. He approached Tony. “What’s this 36 hour problem?”

Tony sighed. “Ross wants to send special ops after Barnes, Steve, and Sam,” he said. “And I don’t want to hear it, Stephen. Ross is Secretary of State and since Steve hasn’t signed the accords he doesn’t have any protections under it.”

Stephen arched an eyebrow, but left it. “Kamar-Taj won’t sign those accords,” he said. “We can’t.”

Tony rubbed a hand over his face. “The accords aren’t set in stone. It’s a living document, one that can be amended so it will keep everyone safe. The public and us.”

“But it hasn’t yet,” Stephen said. “I can’t put Kamar-Taj in that position.” Someone at the door interrupted them, medkit in hand, and Stephen retrieved it. He grabbed the stethoscope to check Tony’s heartbeat. It was fast and irregular, Stephen noted grimly.

“What if I could get a provisional agreement written for Kamar-Taj,” Tony asked. “The Accords council has been working with us. They were even going to give Steve protections after the disaster in Bucharest.” 

Stephen didn’t know enough about Bucharest to have a statement on that.

“What would this provisional agreement look like?” he asked.

Tony shrugged, grimacing a little as he did. Stephen made note to check for stiffness or injury. “I can’t speak for Kamar-Taj, I don’t know your needs. But if you tell me what you need, reasonably, then I think the Accords will work with us on the provisional agreement until the Accords get to a place you’re comfortable with.”

Stephen hesitated. “You said 36 hours,” he said. “To find Steve before Ross does.”

Tony’s expression was grim. “Well, I better work fast, then. You done reassuring yourself I’m not about to have a heart attack?”

“No,” Stephen said. He reached into Tony’s pocket and pulled out his phone. “You start making calls, I’m going to make sure you don’t stress yourself into an early grave.” He paused, then rested a hand on Tony’s knee. “I do know you’re trying to protect all of us,” he said softly. “And I do want to help.”