Sam - 16

Cont...

It was late, he really shouldn't be up let alone at the compound. Pepper would kill him if she wasn't in Asia at the moment.

Tony stared bleary eyes at the designs in front of him trying to force himself to focus. Coffee. He needed coffee.

Shuffling up to the kitchen he almost expected with his half-dead brain for Clint or Sam to shake their head and tell him he looked like death as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

 It had been three years and yet he still expected it now and then when he was exceptionally tired. Shaking his thoughts away he grabbed a mug.

That bridge had burned and there was no fixing it. Accountability and transparency were good and necessary things. But that rebellious part of him still wanted the old ways, the ways that got people killed.

The coffee helped a little so he didn't feel like one of the walking dead. He really needed to sleep. Tony slumped into a chair as he sipped his coffee.

Peter had come by yesterday and talked his ear off, the kid was going places in life. Part of the kid scared Tony, the irresponsible part that seemed to live to please him, the part that could get out of hand if not carefully handled. But that couldn't be helped, the kid just wanted to help.

He just about finished his cup of coffee when FRIDAY interrupted his quiet time, "Boss, you have an incoming call."

 "Block," Tony said tiredly. If FRIDAY didn't name them they weren't worth answering right now.

 "I think you should take it, Boss," FRIDAY suggested.

Tony blinked and looked up to the ceiling, "FRI, it's almost one in the morning, who in the world is calling that needs to be answered?"

There was a moment of silence before FRIDAY responded, "It's from the number attached to that flip phone in your office."

Now Tony was most certainly awake. "Are you sure?"

"I am never not, Boss," FRIDAY responded sounding almost insulted.

Steve. It was Steve, it had to be. What Tony wanted to know was why he was being called since the letter had suggested Tony would have to make the first move. Had the Captain maybe come to his senses?

"Answer." Tony choked out. His heart was practically jumping out of his chest that pesky organ, "Hello?"

The screen in front of him started a trace and let him see that audio. There was labored breathing for a long moment that Tony thought maybe he'd been accidentally called.

"Tony-?" Steve's voice rasped through.

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