riverviewlogs | [semi-open] ✪ may your smile shine on, don't be scared

[It had made sense at the time, really it had. The power outages meant that the elevators would sporadically stop working, and Eddie knows, subconsciously if not consciously, that that is a great situation to avoid. Because the truth is, even if he'd rather not admit it even to himself, Eddie is struggling. Objectively, it's not surprising, and if anyone else were going through it, Eddie would be beyond sympathetic. After all, it's been less than a month since he arrived here, woke up in a hospital in a strange reality after having shot himself in the chest to save everyone he loved. And only a few days before that, he'd been kidnapped for almost two weeks and confined in the dark, mostly alone.

If it were anyone else, he'd have endless bounds of empathy. He'd tell them they should see a counselor. He'd offer to let them talk to him whenever they wanted. But the fact is, it's not someone else. It's Eddie, and so he expects himself to be okay. But he still avoids the elevator.

So, when the power goes out, he's in the stairwell of the community housing building, heading down from his floor toward the lobby. And he very quickly learns that the security doors into the stairwells lock out whoever is inside the stairwell as soon as the power goes out. For a few long moments after trying to get the door open and failing, he paces, talks quietly to himself, and then he hears one of the doors further up the stairwell open.

Rushing to peer up the stairwell, he calls out-]

Hey, hey! Don't let the door-

[The slam of the door echoes through the stairwell, and Eddie crumples a little.]

-close. Dammit.

[Common sense tells you that, when there are rolling blackouts in a place, you either make sure you have a damned generator, or you avoid all possible places where you might get stuck when the electricity fails. This means elevators, security rooms, and apparently the stairwells in the communal housing. Which, honestly until now, Tony had no idea had that kind of lock. In his defence, he had been working more or less nonstop on trying to fix everything, structural damage, power grid damage, people damage, for the last... fuck, he doesn't even know anymore. It has been at least three days, possibly four, since he last focused on anything other than the issue at hand.

All he knows is that he managed to fucking fall asleep at the kitchen table on the communal floor when he needed to be anywhere but there. Tony had gone back to stop the worried look from a few friends and get some more coffee and a change of clothes after his last stint in the tunnels left him smelling a little bit like the horrors that Stephen was surviving off of. It wasn't pleasant.

Apparently, his body decided that after a shower and new clothes, coffee brewing time was prime napping time, because he startles away about forty-five minutes later, curses a blue streak, grabs his coffee and slams into the stairwell like a hurricane. He is barely processing anything beyond the things he has to fix, and who has to be where, when he hears the voice call out from lower in the stairwell.]

Wait, what?

[ The door slamming behind him sounds really fucking ominous and Tony turns on his heel to stare at the door, well what he can see of it because shit, it was dark. Blackout.

Calling down to the voice, Tony sounds horribly amused in a way that is just short of resignation.]

This won't open again if I try, will it? Who the fuck has electronic stairwell doors? Honest to fuck, this place is fucking insane, I cannot even-- fuck.

[The moment he hears the guy say 'wait, what?' like that, Eddie slumps sideways against the railing, wincing a bit as he looks upward and sees the other man peering over the railing down at him.]

Unfortunately, you're right. It's not gonna open. And about all the other stuff too, this place is completely insane, and I don't know why...

[Biting his words off, because he doesn't want to finish that particular thought or the thoughts it leads to afterward, he waves his hand almost dismissively.]

Seriously. What if there was a fire?

[It's a little more subdued, despite still being a complaint, because Eddie's pretty much run out of energy for being annoyed at this point. Leaning back against the railing, he purses his lips and crosses his arms and tries not to think too hard about how much this space echoes like the room Eobard had kept him in. How the half-darkness is a lot like that place. Shifting his arms again, he moves his feet against the floor, reminding himself that he's not tied up. Takes stock of himself to remind himself that he's not hungry.]

You feel like coming down and playing word games or something?

[If nothing else, at least he's not alone. And it isn't Eobard this time, either, there won't be any glowing red eyes in the dark, no voice purring about how useless and worthless he is.

Totally different scenario. Totally different.]

Edited 2017-03-23 05:47 (UTC)

Yup, well that is going to be a thing that a fix after this whole monsters under the city disaster because, locking stairwells? That sounds like a fire disaster right there, I mean maybe it is meant for security purposes but I really cannot see how it is going to be a good idea, because, hello, windows? Who doesn't-- Fuck, ow, hot coffee.

[ Tony is right there with you Eddie. Dumbest idea ever. And Tony really does not have the time left in today to spend it trapped in a stairwell until the power comes back on, he already wasted too much time napping on the kitchen table. Though, at least he isn't alone. Nothing good comes of Tony Stark trapped in dark spaces by himself.

With a bit of a muffled sigh (Tony is not wasting coffee whether it has burned him or not, so he is licking the coffee off his hand), Tony slowly starts moving towards the other voice in the stairwell. There was a tremor in the other's voice, something barely there but it resonated with Tony.

It was a familiar curl, claws in your lungs and a chill down your spine.

Tony continues to ramble as he picks his way down the stairs, trying his damnedest not to fall down and waste precious coffee.]

Word games? How about number games, or we can bounce ideas off of each other about the nine million different ways that we could make this place less fucking creepy and dangerous in case of fire, that might be useful. Hell, why did I leave my suit in the office, I swear, the one time.

[ It takes him longer than normal but he finally make sit down to Eddie.]

Also, hi, I'm Tony Stark. Wish we met in less obnoxious circumstances.

Wait, you intend to fix the monsters under the city thing?

[Eddie takes a breath, latches onto the first thing he can make himself focus on, squinting through the semi-darkness as the other person makes his way down the stairs, step by step. Licking his lips a little nervously, he watches until the other man is finally a bit closer to him, enough that he can see him a bit through the darkness.

For a moment, Eddie struggles not to press himself closer to the little window in the door, where a few streaks of light come through. As good as it is to have company, Eddie doesn't exactly want the other guy to see how messed up he is over this. How many memories it's bringing up, memories that are too fresh and recent to be anything but raw and painful still.]

Numbers aren't really my specialty, sorry. I'm all down for less creepy ideas, though.

[For a moment, he's quiet, then he looks out through the sliver of glass again, lips pursed, as if he's looking for someone outside that might help.]

Your suit?

[It's idle, just to make conversation, but Eddie isn't really expecting the kind of suit Tony might mean. Eddie being who he is, the first thing he thinks is tailored cloth and a tie, not iron.]

Errrr, I intend to try, I can't really say that about how much of the problem I am going to be able to fix while locked in here to be honest, though I guess this is good thinking time? Maybe?

[ There is an edge to his voice that makes it known that no, no this will not be good thinking time, not even a little bit, but hey he is trying for positive right? He feels like positive is a thing that he is going to need in this situation that is for sure.

As little light as there is filtering into the stairwell, Tony is well versed at reading people, at reading a language without words, and the moment he sees something like tension curl against Eddie's shoulders, he makes sure to move as slowly as possible. As non-threatening as possible (which was easy for him, despite his size, he had long since mastered the art of charming a room without even opening his mouth).]

Mmm that's okay, in comparison to me, most people aren't really all that good with them either, and I honest to god am not trying to be an arrogant shit when I say that okay, I just-- ugh. Whatever. Less creepy ideas. First one, fairy lights in the stairwells that run on green energy and a separate generator, what do you think?

[ There is a pause, where Eddie leans away, where he fidgets with nerves and that familiar rattle in his words that makes Tony think of sand and caves and--]

Yeah, my suit. Beautiful piece of machinery, nanotech and completely coded to me because that is the superhero business. Was way better when I was also part machine, but apparently being able to delete your brain is a thing that other humans look down upon or something. Even though it totally saved the day.

[ There is another pause, Tony stays away enough from Eddie to not be a threat, but close enough to gauge reactions.]

Hey, so, uh, you not good with enclosed spaces?

Obviously not while you're here, but, in general. Did you get some kind of job in... [He waves a hand vaguely.] ...monster-killing and city saving?

[Eddie watches as the other man comes closer, and he's not without his own skill at reading other people's body language. He can see that the other man is trying to be non-threatening, trying not to make him freak out, and his lips press together with a slight kind of irritation, not at the other man, but at himself for being so obvious.

When Tony talks about being good with numbers and the ideas and saying he's not trying to be an arrogant shit, Eddie laughs, softly. Because the matter-of-fact way Tony says it reminds him of a less self-conscious Cisco, talking about what he's capable of in a matter-of-fact way, comfortable with his own genius. Just like at home, Eddie feels a little safer working with a genius.]

Well, there are probably some things I'm better at than you too. [He winks, holds his breath for a moment to catch his bearings, listening to the explanation about the suit and being a superhero, and some of the tension goes out of Eddie when he hears it.]

You're a superhero? Seriously? That's so cool. The whole...machinery suit and nanotech and all that reminds me of a friend of mine from home. I also worked with a guy called The Flash. Heard of him?

[And right when Eddie was starting to calm down, to distract himself, Tony has to go ahead and ask that. About confined spaces. Instinctively, Eddie brings his arms up and crosses them in front of himself, shaking his head, lips pressed together again.]

Not my favourite thing, no. Bad experiences. You?

[After his experience with the stairwells, Eddie isn't keen on trying them out again. At least the elevators are made of glass and if it happens again, it'll be easier to deal with because he won't feel trapped in the dark. So he starts taking the elevators.

And of course, it happens again. And all that speculation about the elevator being easier to deal with goes out the window. It's not easy, he still feels trapped, and this time, he's alone. All he's got on him is the clothes on his back and his phone, so he pulls it out, finds that it blessedly has some bars of service, and dials up the first person he thinks of, waits while the phone rings until someone picks up.]

Hey. Taako? It's Eddie.

[Hey you know what's garbage?

Elevators, which is exactly why Taako never takes them.

Instead, he's all but buried himself in a pile of books in the communal space of his floor, trying to figure out... literally anything he can about this place, the portal that brought them here, or the weird shit going on back home. It's kind of boring, honestly, so he's relieved when his phone rings.

And pleased to see it's Eddie.]

What's up, handsome? Please tell me you're looking for company 'cause I could use an excuse to drop all this boring work.

[Eddie licks his lips nervously while he waits for Taako to pick up, and then when he does, all of that urgency leaves him. For a moment, he's quiet, not sure how to reply, and then he laughs nervously.]

Heeeyyyy.

[It's drawn out, just a little shaky, and then he laughs nervously again.]

Um, company, yeah. Kinda. Maybe just verbal for now. Unless you feel like staging a full-scale rescue from an elevator...

[As much as he pretends to be kind of stupid and oblivious, Taako knows almost immediately that something isn't right, and he's already on his feet by the time Eddie's explanation finally comes.]

Are you stuck, my man? 'Cause that's what you get for using those fucking things. [Despite the carelessness of the words, he follows it up immediately with:] Where ya at?

[It probably shouldn't be so startling when Taako immediately picks up on the situation, and asks if he needs to come get him. It had been a joke, the way Eddie said it, he was trying to be a little silly. Usually it works, a smile and a joke, to mask when he's feeling uncomfortable. Hell, it had worked after he was rescued from that little room under STAR Labs.

It's kind of stupid, but Eddie's not used to people noticing when things are wrong with him.]

Yeah...haha, I should've known better, but I got stuck in one of the stairwells a few days ago so I thought, you know, at least the elevator is glass and you can see out. Stupid.

[A little laugh, and then.]

I think I'm somewhere between the third and second floor.

Not having much luck, huh?

[The sound from the Taako's end of the line changes a little, the tell-tale sign of someone with the phone tucked between their ear and shoulder, since he's in the process of grabbing the umbra staff and heading out the door.]

Stand against uhhh, the far wall? That'll do, stand against the far wall! Like away from the door.

[There's a reason for this.]

Really, really am not.

[Eddie can tell from the ambient sound and the way Taako is talking that he's on his way already, and really, he shouldn't be surprised. The last time he'd been trapped somewhere, they'd been looking for him. They had been. It might've taken them a long time, but it wasn't because they weren't looking. It's just that Taako has more information than they'd had, not that somehow a person he met like three weeks ago cares more about getting him out than his own fiancée and all his closest friends.

Nope.]

Alright. Um.

[Scooting back into the furthest corner of the elevator, he hunches down, because he has a pretty clear idea of what Taako's about to do.]

Are you seriously going to blow up the door?

Nope!

[That's the last thing Eddie's getting from the other end of the phone, before Taako hangs up.

And appears in front of Eddie, looking incredibly dashing in fucking galaxy print leggings and a sweater that's easily five sizes too big for him. He blinks a little rapidly - teleportation is always a bit weird - then smiles, holding out a hand for Eddie to take.]

Sometimes violence isn't the answer, especially when I think they'd make me pay for damages.

[It isn't an explosion, but Eddie still jumps a little, blue eyes going wide as Taako basically appears directly in front of him, and Eddie isn't sure if he imagined the pop or not.]

Whoa.

[It's partly because of the teleporting, and partly because Taako is leggy and wearing tights with galaxies on them and a massive sweater. Carrying his magic umbrella.

Maybe it's partly because of the intense swell of emotion, relief and fondness, mostly, and how much he feels like he shouldn't be this emotional over such a mundane situation. (When did magical teleporting and leggy elven wizards smiling at him become mundane?)

Abruptly, he laughs, a little shaky, and reaches out to take Taako's hand.]

You know, I don't think they'd have a leg to stand on. Aren't big buildings like this supposed to have backup generators or something?

tony stark ✪ trapped in a....stairwell?

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taako taaco ✪ escape from the elevator

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do we need another thread? yes, apparently

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