prodigalsonreturns | Pollen, America and some rather poor choices || closed rp || warning: adult

As far as battles went, the one that the Avengers handled on Memorial day hadn't really been anything of note. There had been evil scientists (as there so often were), and talk of fear pheromones and taking the city by dusting everyone with an easy-to-disperse air-borne chemical agent similar to pollen, but the team had managed to track the men to their operating labs and contain their experiments there before any harm could be done. Experiments that were, it seemed, rather a ways off from inducing mass-panic as it did little more than coat the outside of the armour and Steve's uniform with a fine coat of a rather bemusing shade of blue powder which was easy enough to clean off with a spray down provided by Dummy when he returned.

He had, from a brief discussion with the good Captain before he settled into his workshop properly, discovered it apparently hadn't even needed to be washed off skin, it simply seemed to fade away. Phil had slated both of them for bio work-ups within the next 24 hours, but as there seemed to be no immediate adverse side effects, they all sort of agreed it was on a 'when you've got a moment have JARVIS do a read out' sort of scale as opposed to a 'your skin is evaporating get to SHIELD' issue, which had, unfortunately, been somewhat of a real concern after the time in Malta.

So, assured in another day of saving the world, hip hip hooray, Tony had settled behind the four screen array and sunk into the mess of upgrading the output of his thrusters. It wasn't until fifteen, thirty minutes later that JARVIS announced he had a visitor, and he looked up with mild surprise as Steve pushed his way into the room. It wasn't as if Steve was a stranger to the workshop--instead, the other Avenger often spent time holed up on a stool in the corner reading a book or drawing while Tony worked, but it was rare that he came down this soon after a mission--preferring to do the by-the-book briefing that Fury and Coulson so desperately desired.

Perhaps his terrible influence was finally taking effect. Or maybe Steve had simply done the reports quickly. Or perhaps he'd forced Natasha to do them instead of scaring everyone else by looking at them. Tony could hope.

"Evenin', Cap," :He greeted with a smile flashed toward Steve, that quickly vanished as he latched on to the exact point where he needed to make changes, "What can I do you for?"

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"We were both covered in that stuff back at lab and it's been hours since. If it's transmitted by skin to skin contact then I've exposed several back at HQ as well." He should have been more careful, should have insisted that the team get checked out as soon as the debrief had concluded. There was no telling how many people he'd inadvertently exposed to whatever this was. "We have to get a message to them as soon as possible and maybe sealing off the garage from access as a temporary quarantine until we figure this mess out."

Except, by JARVIS analysis, it wasn't going to a simple matter of waiting it out locked in Tony's garage-slash-workshop and hoping that the people back at HQ would know what to do.

"JARVIS does that mean what I think it means?" Steve's cheeks, already rosy from the fever, darkened in embarrassment. "This stuff is making me doll dizzy?"

Oh God, he was blushing, Tony's patience was always tested the most when Steve blushed because there shouldn't be someone who was able to look as attractive from a simple flush, but Steve managed it, and dammit. Tony swallowed, and through a force of effort pulled both of his hands away as JARVIS replied.

"I am unaware of the colloquialism, but I can safely assert the drug has drastically increased the output from hormones regulating desire and pleasure,"

Tony could translate Jarvis' speak and he swallows, heavily. "JARVIS, what's the burn-through?"

"Nearly 24 hours Sir, though I would not recommend the Captain try to wait this out,"

"Elaborate, please," He cast a glance over at Steve and then shoved his hands further into his pockets to keep from reaching out and touching the younger man.

"The longer he puts off--release, the more toxins build up in his system, which will, unfortunately, reach a critical point and cause the Captain undo harm,"

Steve would like to have checked out of this conversation about two minutes back. Any relief he felt at knowing that whatever was in his system wasn't immediately harmful had been washed away by the growing embarrassment at just what was wrong with him. If ever there was a situation Steve thought he'd never be in this was it.

"How harmful?" He knew the minute the question was out of his mouth that he should have kept his mouth shut because it made seem even worse. Essentially he had to...get off or deal with some side effects that were bound to be painful. He really didn't want to do either but the former was definitely more appealing than the latter, just more mortifying.

It wasn't like he didn't do that sort of thing - he was a red blooded male after all - but the thought of someone else knowing that he did it, had to do it in order to work the drug through his system, made him want to take a swan dive back into the ice and sleep for another seventy years. And of all the people to be in the know it just had to be Tony Stark! The man was a walking advertisement for -- well, Tony wouldn't have a problem dealing with this if it had been him.

"Better question: Is there any way around that or is that the only course of action available?"

"If my calculations are correct, Captain, ignoring the build up will result in an overload of amino acids in your muscles that will overwhelm the serum. Cramping and soreness will be the least of your concerns--" JARVIS pauses as Steve asks his question and then, "I can begin running tests, but finding an antidote will not come quickly, Sir,"

"Thanks, JARVIS." There was no amount of enthusiasm but the gratitude was still there. The AI was the best chance he had of getting out of -- if JARVIS didn't come up with a better solution then this was going to get a lot more embarrassing for all involved.

Steve brought a hand up to scrub across his face. His brushed against Tony's and he froze. The heat hadn't ever really gone away but he'd been able to ignore it. Now? Not so much. Steve made a pained noise and curled in on himself.

Tony let out a low groan as Steve brushed against him, and stepped back, dropping his eyes and sucking in a breath.

"Ah, Steve--" He moved forward slightly, worried as the giant man seems to become years younger in his discomfort. "Hey--"

Doctor Erskine had told him how the serum worked, how it would change his body's genetic makeup in order to make him better. To make him more than he was before. It enhanced every single aspect of him in some way that pushed his entire being to the peak of perfection. Every sense clarified, every muscle toned and reflexes off the charts. This meant that when Tony came forward Steve jerked back, away.

There wasn't actual pain, he realized, but an ache so deep that it mimicked pain and left in its wake a clawing need that, thanks to JARVIS, Steve understood. Before he would have been bewildered and off-kilter but knowing what his body needed he read the flashing neon signs and wanted. If this was the product of the drug metabolizing then it was going to get worse.

"You -- I need to be quarantined."

"I can't just leave you down here to suffer in solitude," Tony protested, but he could take a hint and his hands found their way back into his pockets.

Steve gave a slight shake of his head. No, there wasn't any way he could be left down here among Tony's gadgets and doodads. Despite knowing what the blue powder actually did he couldn't be sure that was the end of it. There could be something worse in store, worse in a way that would have Steve and his enhanced strength doing some serious damage to some pretty sensitive equipment.

"Do the rooms lock down like the exterior of the house?" He figured if they did then he could be safely locked away while waiting for either JARVIS to come up with something or have the privacy he needed in order to take care of it himself.

"Ah, the workshop does, for when I'm keeping everyone out. We can--lock that down and we'll be confined in here." He replies, suddenly nervous because he's not going to leave Steve to go through this alone, but he's also not entirely sure he wants to watch Steve go through it, all the pain JARVIS had implied might happen right there at the front of his mind.

As if called by his thoughts the AI is speaking to both of them, though his words are for Steve, "Captain, formulating and constructing an antidote will take me approximately four hours,"

That, it seems to Tony, is an impossibly long time.

Four hours.

It wouldn't be a cake walk but it was something he could do. Would do because there was no way he was going to resort to exposing himself in more ways than one just to gain some relief. No. He could withstand fours hours of whatever happened easily.

"It's not ideal but probably the best place for me to be while JARVIS works on the antidote."

"JARVIS, go ahead and lock down the perimeter," He instructs, and, for a moment, thinks about telling the AI to notify SHIELD, but then second guesses, figuring Steve would likely prefer as few people to know about this as possible.

But then that leaves him here, faced with Steve who seems, apparently, convinced he's going to endure the next four hours in agony--

"There has to be something we can do--"

Pollen, America and some rather poor choices || closed rp || warning: adult

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