House Calls

[clint_barton]

 

"I'm sorry, sir, but Mr. Stark is currently unavailable and unannounced house calls are highly discouraged. Please contact Ms. Potts to make an appointment."

Standing at the doorway of Stark's Malibu home, Clint gives the interface on the wall a mildly annoyed glance. The well-mannered rejection isn't unexpected, but Clint would stake his life on the fact that Stark's computer knows exactly who he means by "Mr. Stark". Only Stark would give his AI an attitude problem on purpose.

"No, not your Mr. Stark. I'm here for Stark Senior. I just need to speak with him, don't even need to step inside. Just patch me through."

"I'm sorry, sir, but I am not authorized to allow-"

“Stark, I know you're listening. S.H.I.E.L.D. has some questions for your dad, I'm here to relieve you of babysitting duty. Let me speak to him and we'll both be out of your hair within the hour."

The buzz and click of the door lock releasing comes almost before he's finished the sentence. The smooth English accent follows a short second later, all polite efficiency. "Mr. Stark is in the second guest bedroom on the first floor."

 

Comments

[fatherofinnovention]

Howard overhears the conversation play out downstairs, so by the time Clint knocks on his bedroom door he's had plenty of time to discard whatever emotions still linger from the night before.

"Come on in, pal." He calls, standing in front of a nearby mirror, working on fastening the last few buttons of his shirt.

[clint_barton]

Clint's mostly just surprised that Tony hadn't interrupted already, so finding him blocking the door isn't a shock.

"No reason you're authorized to know." Even though the words are technically a professional "buzz off", Clint's tone is entirely nonchalant.

[clint_barton]

Vintage guy using an even more vintage gun. For some reason, Clint's not surprised. He's still grinning when he answers, obviously entertained by Howard's chattiness and curiosity. "I'm more of a bow and arrow guy."