12 - IT GETS BETTER

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TONY DIDN'T EXPECT TO RECEIVE A PHONE CALL FROM BIRDIE THREE DAYS BEFORE HALLOWEEN. He was in the new facility, working on organizing the rest of the items and talking to Rhodey on the phone when FRIDAY alerted him of an incoming call from Birdie, whom he had given his number to despite it being a breach of security.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, hands stilling from his work as he waited for her response, immediately on edge.

"I'm sorry, it's just—" she paused, as if taking a calming breath, before continuing, "Remy's hiding something from me and I was hoping you could try and get him to tell you what's wrong."

He paused for a moment, weighing her words carefully. "Is he not telling you?"

There was a sigh. "He doesn't tell me anything anymore. Look, I wouldn't be calling if I could fix it on my own, but he seems extremely upset and I don't want him to just bottle it up inside."

"What makes you think I could get him to talk?" he asked, sauntering around the large workspace, glancing at the various gadgets and screens he had strewn about.

Birdie made a noise in the back of her throat. "I wouldn't be calling if I didn't need your help." Tony had never heard anyone sound so pained in asking for help, and he had met some incredibly stubborn people.

"Is he home right now?" he asked, already starting to head out.

"Yes, I have to head back to the office and Stacey can't babysit. Can you get here soon, I need to go now." He could practically see her throwing on a jacket, looking tired and utterly dejected as she pressed the phone up to her ear.

"Already on my way," he called out, making his way to the garage, "Be there soon."

Another trip to the city. At least he was getting out.

º º º

"Thank you," Birdie breathed the moment she opened the door, only glancing at Tony for a moment as she let him in, "I really appreciate it, I just—" she paused, unsure of what to say, and Tony nodded, not wanting to force her to continue.

"It's no problem," he said lightly, looking towards the living room area where the TV was lit up, the sounds of a video game coming from the speakers, the bright colors filling his vision, contrasting the neutral tones of the rest of the room.

He turned back to Birdie, raising an eyebrow in silent question and she licked her red painted lips, glancing towards the couch for a moment before moving closer towards the man, whispering softly right into his ear.

"Try to get him to talk about Halloween. I got him to talk about his schoolwork, but he won't talk about Halloween." After repeating the last word one last time, she pulled away, taking a step back to keep a respectable distance between them.

He nodded silently, as if they were trying to sneak around the boy, very reminiscent of some of the missions he'd had to go on with the team, a thought that made him wince in pain that shot right to his heart.

"Good luck on your case," he said, just as she was about to leave, "I heard about it on the news."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise, giving him a small smile. "Thank you."

With that, she left, practically racing towards her car, Tony locking the door behind her before walking towards the couch, leaning against the back near Remy's head, watching the game for a few moments, neither saying anything, both focused on the TV, Remy being much more serious than Tony.

Finally, the man spoke, "You liking the game, kid?"

It took Remy a moment to reply. "Yeah, I really like it. Thank you."

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