Taskmaster

Send ‘a moment of weakness 

31. Your muse catches mine naked

He cannot help it, he laughs. It is bitter, dark, and lacking any form of humor that the kid used to hold in his voice.

“ You zhink ve did not know vhat ve vere getting into? You people did not save us. Ve vere zhere by choice. ”

And all that work was ruined. 

He was probably going to die just because of their stupidity. Strucker had the cure and he wonders how much information they really had. He’ll be laughing at them all from the after- life when they fail.

The pain would be worth it until then.

“ Vhere is my sister? ”

Sometimes Tony thinks it would be easier if he stayed deep cover and never remembered who he was. It was easier to not care when he  knew he would forget it in a day or two. 

    “ If you did know, then you’re stupid. I know what       it’s like to sign up for something and get in over        your head, but ya gotta realize when it’s bad        for ya. Trust me. ”

He couldn’t remember most of it, but he had bits and pieces of memory, enough to figure out that it was something to regret. 

     “ Your sister’s safe. She’s in the next room over,        I can check on her if you want, but the doctors         say she’s fine. At least I think that’s what they         said. ”

He barely understood half of it, but that seemed  like the gist of it. 

{ Mature?!! Hah!! Does he know us?!! }                                           [ Presumably… ] 

“ This psycho also likes tacos…they don’t sell    tacos if they’re all full of holes. “

                                          [ Truly infallible logic… ]                                        

So you are CIA? …Or something?

[ Subtle. ] And no, nope, absolutely none. My tummy is as ironclad as they come. I once ate week-old cafeteria chili and didn’t even die or anything. [ And that was before the bite. ] I was made to consume unhealthy food.

Or something. 

[ Nice try, kid. Maybe a few shots of tequila and a...no, nope, not even then. 

But nice try. ]

Let’s see how your iron tummy holds up to Smiley Wok’s Dragon Chicken. 

Send ‘a moment of weakness

23. Your muse is being punished by mine.

His eyebrows are raised expectantly. He almostlooks amused as he looks down at Pietro. Yeah,he’s sitting on him. 

      “ I told ya what would happen if ya drank my        last beer. I got that imported. Ya can’t even         get drunk, ya spry little bastard. ”

His idea of punishment is pinning Pietro to the floor and forcing him to watch as Tony finishesan entire carton of his favorite ice cream. 

     “Mmm– I think you do. I think you do and you’re lyin’ straight to my face.”

[ He pauses for a second, looking Tony up and down, and then looking the food up down. He shifts for a second, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder. ]

I mean… [ You’re a disarmingly charming guy, and you’ve fed him so of course he likes you, but you’re also super suspicious and have a gruffness that says that you’ve beat a lot of people up. He’s not sure what to–Screw it you’re offering him food. ] Yeah, sure, of course. I mean, like, as long as the CIA doesn’t mind…? [ He’s fishing, you stand like an agent. ]

[ You’re no spy, Peter, but damned if you aren’t kind of cute when you try.

Maybe he’ll teach you some interrogation techniques somewhere down the line. ]

I think the CIA’s got bigger problems. 

[ Don’t they just? ]

“ I try to avoid shooting up where I eat. “

                             [ I don’t think that’s how the saying goes… ] { So fucking what?!! } 

“ Why? If I didn’t know better, I’d think you   weren’t happy to see me. That hurts. “ 

He recognizes him the second he steps through that doorway. The man who brought them here. He remembers him from before and his  appearence have Pietro tugging more frantically on his restraints.

Why did you takes us?

He knows the other man understands him. This new enemy wouldn’t send some novice to a country like Sokovia without knowledge of their language. 

“Vho are you?”

He holds up his hands when he sees the  kid start to struggle. 

      “ Whoa, whoa, I come in peace. Name’s Tony,          and I guess the short answer is, because the         people who write my checks told me to. ”

It’s not a pretty answer. It’s a shame it isn’t someone like Cap who could talk about peace and justice. That might make him feel a little better, or a little nauseous. 

( Have you ever woken up in a strange place? How   about waking up in a strange place surrounded by    darkness and a weight holding your limbs to    whatever your body was lying on? )

They are here to help, they keep saying to him. As long as he stopped trying to kill them every time they got close. He’s violent, unstable, they say, he needs  to be kept sedated until he calms down.

They don’t get it. 

He’s just terrified.

And in pain.

So much pain.

He tugs impatiently at one of the restraints holding him to his infirmary bed. Every minute he tries and tries to get his arm free, to find his sister and get the hell out, but he’s too weak, they keep him that way. 

The hiss of the door opening causes his head to snap towards the entryway, bright blues narrowing into  dangerous slits as he watches the newcomer’s every move.

He tries not to get involved in things when he’s working for SHIELD. It’s cleaner that way, and a lot of it isn’t his business. He’s curious about  the last mission though, so he winds up at the  med bay. 

They have an observation room, and he watches for a little while. The nurses flit in and out, but  it’s like they don’t notice the kid twisting and  tugging. Tony has been in this business long enough to know what fear looks like. 

      “ Hey, ya just gonna leave him in there like that?          Ain’t there anything ya can do for him? ” 

The nurse shakes her head and Tony’s had it.  He waits until she’s gone and lets himself in,  feeling the kid’s eyes on him as he walks into the room. 

Taking your banana feels suggestive in ways I don’t think we’re ready for.