Bruised on the outside (and the inside) ;; James & Tony
By the time James makes it back to the tower, heās pretty beat, and he feels like absoluteĀ shit. His legs are busted, his left is practically dead weight as he drags himself into the elevator, both making pathetic whirring noises that tell him heās gonna be stuck in a goddamn chair for a while. Squeezing his eyes shut, James leans against the elevator wall lets FRIDAY take the elevator where it needs to go - hopefully to the workshop so he can pry these stupid things off without freaking anyone else out or making them aware of what heās done to himself.
Keeping his eyes closed, james forces himself to take slow, deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. It was - a stupidĀ fight. Before all of this he wouldāve been able to handle a punk like that without even blinking an eye - now, James is sweating, his shirt stuck to his back and heās in damn agony. His arm is still bleeding, his legs are dead, the muscles in his back are protesting to his every move after the shit he just put himself through. Itās not supposed to be like this, heās not -
The elevator comes to a stop and James groans as he pushes himself upright again, edging forward without really paying attention. Heās already out of the elevator when he realises heās not in the workshop - heās on Tonyās floor. Shit. The one place he does notĀ want to be.
His legs arenāt agreeing, though, the mechanics creaking as he makes his way over to a chair and drops, finally giving himself a break.
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Heād hoped heād never spend more time in a hospital bed, he hates the food, hates he smell, hates the gownsĀ but... this is all worth it, in the end. It has to be, going through all of this again. Prep, more surgery, recovery and rehabilitation, PT and the weeks of work that comes with something like this.
This time though - itās not to save his life. This time, itās to give himĀ his life back. And James isnāt sure heās quite wrapped his head around that yet. He knows the risks to this - he knows the surgery could make his paralysis worse, maybe itāll even kill him. Thereās no knowing. But Tonyās done the research, heās spent so many sleepless nights working on this, perfecting it, making sure itās - itās ready. Heās hired the best doctors, the best surgeons, the best nurses and medical staff, everything he could possibly find to make sure this goes as well as possible.
Maybe - maybe, theyāll get lucky. Maybe, James is going to get his legs back.
The door swings open and James looks up, expecting more nurses to do more prep for his surgery, but instead he sees a familiar face and he canāt help but let out a sigh of relief.Ā āHey, man - everything alright?ā
Itās a New Dawn, itās a New Day, itās a New Life
Feat: @ofgeniusism
Leading up to the surgery, James is - nervous, to say the absolute least. This could change everything - or break everything.
Tony stays with him right to the last minute, and James is grateful. Thereās a hundred places he could be right now, so many things he could be doing, but heās - heās here, with James.
And James hopes heāll be here when he wakes up, too.
(He hopes he willĀ wake up.)
The nurses knock on the door to interrupt. Theyāre ready for him, the doctors are ready, the spine is ready. Taking a deep breath, James nods, and everyone moves into action. Before he knows it heās being wheeled out of the room and down the hall, towards the operating theatre.
Staring up at the ceiling as they go through the hospital, James can see it - the shot that took him down, the fall, the sound of the wind rushing around him, the feel of the suit dead and lifeless, encasing his body and completely useless. The few moments where his whole life fell apart and crashed into the ground along with him.
For years, his legs were - functioning, he could walk, thanks to the robotics. And it was better than a chair, it was better than living his life never standing on his own two feet again. But this...
James takes a deep breath, reminding himself what this is. This is a whole new life, a whole new world, a whole new opportunity for him to be everything he was, everything he spent his life being.
It has to work. It has to.
The nurses finish their prep and push him into the operating theatre - James can see Tony in the observation room. He remembers being in that exact spot once upon a time, when Tony was having his reactor removed. He remembers how nervous he was, how scared he was for his friend. He smiles up at him and waves, and heās not sure if it helps, but - Tony waves back, thatās something at least.
āOkay James, count backwards from ten.ā
James has heard that so many times now he could almost say it to himself. Still, as the mask lowers over his mouth and nose, he starts counting.Ā āTen... none... eight...ā Things start to get blurry around him, and he can feel himself drifting off.Ā āSeven... six...ā Darkness overtakes him, and the last thought running through his head is please let me wake up.
--
Beep -- Beep -- Beep --
God, that sound never gets any less annoying. James can feel his face against the pillow - of course, he shouldnāt put pressure on his fresh wounds, on the spine thatās still so new. Moving is - different, new, his bodyās reacting to something itās not used to.
The real spark, though, the real moment where James realises it was all worth it, the risk, the anxiety, the fear of the worst instead of the best - is when he feels his toes twitch, and the smile on his face is wider than heās felt in a long time. It - it worked, it worked, itās only a slight movement but James can tell, he can feel it. After so much time of having so little feeling, so little to go onĀ in his legs... it feels like everything has bene put right away.
He can feel his legsĀ again. Itās as though everything that was missing is back. Heās not sure he believes it but he wants to - more than anything. He knows heās got a lot of work to do but man itās gonna be worth it.
Pushing himself up is hard, agony and he doesnāt get far, managing to roll onto a side to find Tony asleep in the chair by the bed. He looks like hell - if James had to guess this is the first time heās slept in days, and he canāt help but wonder how long heās been out.
His body is tired, though, the anaesthetic and pain medicationās wearing him down already, and as his eyes droop shut, James has one lingering through in his mind, one that makes it so much easier to drift off.
Itās been a week since the festival and, after many debates, heated conversations, and borderline arguments with his doctors, James was finally, finallyĀ able to start his physical therapy. Finally able to lean how to walk again with his new spine. Surprisingly enough, Tony had stayed out of it - James isnāt sure if itās because heās still hesitant for James to push himself, or just because he doesnāt want to get in the road of Jamesā persistent temper, but either way, heās glad Tony let him argue this on his own. Itās his spine, his legs, his life. Heās taking it back on his own terms.
Standing at the festival had been one thing, but learning how to walk again is a whole other experience. Itās not as bad as it could be - if heād gone from five years in a chair back to walking, heās sure heād have had more than a few falls in the process. Heās grateful heās been walking for the past few years, itās kept his muscles strong, he remembers the motions, how it feels to move one foot in front of the other. If anything, the weird part is just the new spine. The fact that thereās something completely new in his body but it manages to act just like his own spine had before the fall.
Itās almost as though nothingās changed, and somehow, every step he takes in his first session is a whole other world. Part of James is astounded this is happening, another part is terrified itās all just a dream. His physical therapist leaves him to take a break, noting the sweat rolling down his temple and making the decision that heās earned some rest. And as much as James wants to continue, he nods, making his way over to a chair and easing down carefully, letting out a slow breath before he looks up at Tony.Ā āYou gotta be bored out if your mind, huh.ā He jokes softly, but heās glad Tonyās here. None of this would be possible without him, and he wants Tony to be there every step of the way as he gets through this.
James reacts to the damn mess of Tonyās failed arrest.
Mentioned (a lot): @ofgeniusism
Somethingās wrong, he knows it right away. Something feels wrong.
James awakes with a jump, the jolt immediately something he regrets, his back straining to keep up. His legs move though - a moment of joy at the realisation of that hits him before it passes. The room is empty, eerily so, and he doesnāt like it. Tony has been here the whole time, every damn step of the way since before the surgery even happened. And whatever else is going on right now - the notes, the threats, James knows him. He knows Tony wouldnāt leave right now, not for anything.
He pushes himself up carefully - itās barely been a week since his surgery, and while his body is adjusting to the bionic spine, heās still tender and he canāt afford to take a step backwards right now, so his motions are careful as he eases himself over into the chair that heāll only need for a few more weeks. āFriday?ā
āSir, you have a message from the boss.ā A message? James frowns as he grabs for his phone, tapping at the screen to bring the message up.
Typical, Tony and his codes. He knows this one though, this is easy, Tony used to use it all the time in college. āWho else got this?ā FIRDAY lists off the names - people Tony trusts, people he can count on in the worst. Which doesnāt bode well.
āWhat happened.ā He asks FRIDAY - she remains silent. āI need to know!ā Instead of giving him an answer, she plays the surveillance videos, and Jamesā heart sinks as he watches what unfolded in the lobby. It wouldnāt have woken him even if he wanted it to - every floor is soundproofed, and right now James isnāt sure if heās grateful for that or not. He knows he wouldāve been useless, in his condition thereās nothing he couldāve done, they wouldāve used him as leverage against Tony - and that makes it all worse.
If he leaves this building, heās a goddamn target. Something they can use against Tony to make him come home. And James will not be the reason Tony goes to jail. Not now, not ever.
Rubbing his eyes, James ignores the protest in his back as he leans forward, elbows lent against his knees. He needs to keep it together, he needs - he needs to come up with a plan, a way to reach Tony.
āGPS, Friday.ā The image on the screen is replaced by a map, pinpointing Tonyās location. Untraceable to anyone but her, James is sure. Tonyās too careful to let them fine him. But - what is James supposed to do? How can he find him, how can he go out there like this knowing full well if the police catch up to James, or hell, maybe theyāll tail him and heāll lead them right to Tony. He canāt have that, not in a million years.
Wheeling around the room - itās as close as he can get to pacing and he canāt stay still, even just sitting is killing him, James tries to figure out what to do. This is all one big goddamn mess, and heās not sure what heās supposed to do next. And god damnit, he hates feeling this damn hopeless, this stuck and useless. His goddamn best friend, the most important person in Jamesā world, is out there. Alone. And thereās nothing he can do.
No - no. Tony left him this message for a reason. He needs to find a way. He needs to find something. The last thing James is going to do, now or ever, is let Tony deal with anything like this alone. āAlright, Friday. Weāve got work to do.ā
āSir, the Boss wants you to focus on your recovery -ā
āI know, Friday. Iām not leaving, but we gotta figure out how to get him home.ā
She doesnāt argue this time, and James is glad. Heās gonna need her help on this, heās sure of it.
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Mickās not one to recognize people, but there were big names no one could avoid. Tony Stark was one of them and he wasnāt hard to remember. The smug smile, the rich suit, the hoard of peopleĀ āsubtlyā trying to take pictures. It all caused a mob to hang around the front of his store, loud and screaming. Fuck it all.
It was a waste of whip cream and cake (possibly one of the best heād managed to make), but if the mob wanted to catch a good picture, Mick was going to give them one.Ā āHey asshole!ā He called out to Stark and aimed a whole vanilla fruit cake right at rich boyās face.
