touch of disaster ;
James reacts to the damn mess of Tony’s failed arrest.
Mentioned (a lot): @ofgeniusism
Something’s 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 doesn’t 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 wouldn’t leave right now, not for anything.
He pushes himself up carefully - it’s barely been a week since his surgery, and while his body is adjusting to the bionic spine, he’s still tender and he can’t afford to take a step backwards right now, so his motions are careful as he eases himself over into the chair that he’ll only need for a few more weeks. “Friday?”
“Sir, you have a message from the boss.” A message? James frowns as he grabs for his phone, tapping at the screen to bring the message up.
“i’m sorry. urmw nv. tkh, rm nb qzxpvg zhp uirwz”
Typical, Tony and his codes. He knows this one though, this is easy, Tony used to use it all the time in college. “Who else got this?” FIRDAY lists off the names - people Tony trusts, people he can count on in the worst. Which doesn’t bode well.
“What happened.” He asks FRIDAY - she remains silent. “I need to know!” Instead of giving him an answer, she plays the surveillance videos, and James’ heart sinks as he watches what unfolded in the lobby. It wouldn’t have woken him even if he wanted it to - every floor is soundproofed, and right now James isn’t sure if he’s grateful for that or not. He knows he would’ve been useless, in his condition there’s nothing he could’ve done, they would’ve used him as leverage against Tony - and that makes it all worse.
If he leaves this building, he’s 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.
“GPS, Friday.” The image on the screen is replaced by a map, pinpointing Tony’s location. Untraceable to anyone but her, James is sure. Tony’s 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 they’ll tail him and he’ll lead them right to Tony. He can’t have that, not in a million years.
Wheeling around the room - it’s as close as he can get to pacing and he can’t stay still, even just sitting is killing him, James tries to figure out what to do. This is all one big goddamn mess, and he’s not sure what he’s 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 James’ world, is out there. Alone. And there’s 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. “Alright, Friday. We’ve got work to do.”
“Sir, the Boss wants you to focus on your recovery -“
“I know, Friday. I’m not leaving, but we gotta figure out how to get him home.”
She doesn’t argue this time, and James is glad. He’s gonna need her help on this, he’s sure of it.