I'm going to have to re-calibrate the thrusters in the left boot and replace the sonar emitters by this week-
"Perrault!!" A gravely voice suddenly shouted, startling the brunette out of her thoughts. Green eyes turned to the obese, bald man standing behind the diner's counter. Before she could say anything, he shoved a tray full of artery-clogging foods into her small hands.
"Table twelve, now!" He bellowed, spit flying onto her face. In as much as she wanted to throw the food back at his greasy mug, Amelia just spun on her heel and stomped away. She couldn't lose this job, no matter how crappy it was. Raising the heavy tray high above her head, the thin woman twist and turned through the narrow walkways of Ralph's Diner until she got to her assigned table. The young couple were both on their smartphones, completely ignoring the crying child sitting next to the mother.
"Here's your food." Amelia announced, putting on the best fake smile she could possibly muster.
"Took you long enough." The man muttered, not once looking up from his phone. Amelia tightened her fist to hold herself back while keeping the smile plastered on her face.
"Sorry about that." She apologized, placing the rest of the food on the table in record time so she wouldn't have to deal with the ungrateful bastards any longer. She was incredibly thankful that they didn't seem to notice her leave and she hoped that was the last she'd have to hear from that particular table until they got the bill.
With all her tables already eating or empty, Amelia looked around at the diner. It was definitely not one of the best places around but it was the only place near her home that was hiring. That and they only needed her in the mornings and afternoons, leaving her evenings free to do-
"Perrault!! Table sixteen!!" Her manager screeched again, causing her to flinch. She threw a quick glare at the man once more before heading toward the newly seated table. The brown-haired woman soon recognized the silhouette of her new customer and a smile suddenly graced her tired face.
"Hey there, welcome back!" She greeted the familiar woman, "Haven't seen you in a while, how ya been? You want the usual?"
Something was different about Stark Tower, but Steve Rogers could not figure out exactly what. Was it new lights? Or was it something with the decor? No... everything was still like he remembered it a few months back, give or take a new piece of artwork.
"Mr. Rogers? Your ID sir." A man in a dark suit and sunglasses handed the blond a thin card with his picture and name on it, "We will be escorting you momentarily. Let us just do a quick body scan."
Ah.
That's what was new.
All the security.
Tony Stark was a lot of things (mostly negative), but he was never cautious. To see this many men in suits wandering his building put up a definite red flag in Steve's mind. Maybe there would be more to this visit then Tony's recent spiral into his old ways.
Steve rode up the elevator by himself until it stopped at the top floor. Ever since his battle with Aldrich Killian that lead to the destruction of his old home and the break-up with Pepper, Tony had moved into the penthouse suite of Stark Tower and avoiding any contact with him and the rest of the Avengers. Even Bruce couldn't get a hold of Tony but rumors were circling that he was partying and sleeping around again. Any other time, Steve would have been content with leaving Tony alone, even if he didn't condone his activities. But now that SHIELD was disbanded and Fury was going into hiding to recuperate, Steve needed to reunite the old team. Or at least keep tabs on who was where. Finding out that HYDRA had sleeper agents all over SHIELD had put the Captain on edge. He knew he could trust the rest of the Avengers but did they know who they could trust outside the team?
Thankfully everyone else was welcoming to Steve's visits and had answered his message in a timely fashion. All except one. Tony's silence was expected after all that he'd been through, but Steve gave him enough time to 'mourn' all his losses. He needed Iron Man back.
The elevator finally came to a stop and the doors opened to reveal a thrashed room. It wasn't as bad as it was when Loki attacked a few months ago, but it was a close second. Various clothes were both strewn on different furniture and piled up on the floor. The mirror behind the bar was cracked and many of the liquor bottles were missing. Half of them were probably the broken glass pieces covering the floor of the piano. From where Steve stood, he could see that the couch was stained and covered in what looked like to be glitter confetti. All this trash, but no sign of the owner.
"Tony?" Steve called out as he stepped into the room. He immediately felt something slimy underneath his boot. Glancing down, he saw a pool of... something and swallowed back a gag. He stepped over the rest of the stain and began to wipe his shoe across the marble floor.
"Tony, are you here?"