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ifwebeworthyDon took a moment to just look up at the state Board of Education building before he went in. "I don't want to do this."
We could leave, but then we would be fugitives.
"Yeah, I don't want to do that, either."
Do not hit him. You cannot risk damaging your hands.
"I wouldn't hit him in the face." Tempting though it might be. He paused to send Jane a quick text message before he headed in.
After he'd stepped inside and through the metal detectors, he was directed to what turned out to be a conference room where, surprise, surprise, Tony Stark was waiting for him.
"Dr. Blake." Tony was dressed in Hugo Boss instead of the suit, but they both knew that meant very little; that he could be in it almost as quickly as Don could have changed if he'd had Mjolnir in his hands. His gaze flicked down to Don's hands, or more specifically the definitely-not-Mjolnir cane in them, and there was a moment of confusion that he visibly shoved away just before he asked, "Or should I say Thor?"
"Thor is dead," Don told him coolly. It was technically true at the moment, at least.
"But now you're back."
"But I'm not Thor." That took Tony aback. "I never was. We were very different people. Surely you remember."
"Dr. Donald Blake wasn't really--"
"Odin made me," Don cut in. "He just...did not quite realize what he had made. A person, not a seeming. When he changed the magic on Mjolnir and Thor could no longer become Donald Blake, I died, and then Thor died, and I could live."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"It's magic, Tony. It's not your science. It's not supposed to make sense to the likes of us. And Odin and the rest of the Aesir are dead, so it's not like we can go ask them. The fact remains, I'm not Thor. I don't have powers. So your...extremely poorly-conceived law doesn't apply to me, and this is a colossal waste of both of our time."
"Bullshit," Tony hissed. "Mjolnir didn't just get up and walk away. I know you took it."
"Obviously. You didn't think I was going to leave it where it fell for anyone to pick up, did you? Mjolnir...remembers me, I guess. But I don't wield its power." Don held up the cane. "This isn't it, but you know that. Here. Take it."
Tony looked at the cane like it was a snake that might strike, but seemed willing to accept that if Don was willing to let him touch it, it could not possibly be Mjolnir. "I'll pass. Where's the real one?"
"That is absolutely none of your business."
"Mjolnir is a dangerous artifact--"
"Agreed, which is why I took custody of it."
"You should consider remanding it to the US government for safekeeping."
Don snorted. He couldn't help it. "So you can figure out a way to give it to that desecration you made out of your dead friend's DNA, you mean?" Tony opened his mouth to protest, but Don rode over it. "No. There are very few people I would consider giving Mjolnir to. Beta Ray Bill is in space as far as I know, and Steve is dead."
The hard shell in Tony's eyes cracked at that, the grief showing through, and Don wasn't sorry. Tony rallied and pushed on, though. "Where have you been, then? Since Thor died."
"That is also none of your business." Tony opened his mouth to object, but before he could speak Don told him, "It might have been, once. We were friends. But that was before you decided that thing that killed Bill Foster was a good idea. Now you're very lucky that I get the stick and not the hammer. What I do now has nothing to do with you, and I would appreciate it if you let me get back to putting my life back together and removed whatever hold you and SHIELD have on my medical license. Now. Are you going to arrest me or what?"
Tony just looked at him for a long moment before finally asking, "You're human?"
"As human as I ever was."
"You swear it?"
"In the name of the Allfather."
Tony studied him for a long moment, doubt plain on his face, but then he said, "Then you're free to go."
Don turned around and left the room without so much as a backward glance. He stopped at the information desk and asked the guy there how to figure out if he actually had business here today or what, and Sergio very kindly did the calling around for him before eventually telling Don that no, he did not have a real appointment here today, so Don thanked him and summoned an Uber back to the airport. He assumed Tony would try to have him under surveillance after this, but he wished him luck getting past the squirrels. They seemed territorial, if easily bribed.
And hey, maybe he would finally get his license back soon.
(NFI/NFB due to distance!)
We could leave, but then we would be fugitives.
"Yeah, I don't want to do that, either."
Do not hit him. You cannot risk damaging your hands.
"I wouldn't hit him in the face." Tempting though it might be. He paused to send Jane a quick text message before he headed in.
After he'd stepped inside and through the metal detectors, he was directed to what turned out to be a conference room where, surprise, surprise, Tony Stark was waiting for him.
"Dr. Blake." Tony was dressed in Hugo Boss instead of the suit, but they both knew that meant very little; that he could be in it almost as quickly as Don could have changed if he'd had Mjolnir in his hands. His gaze flicked down to Don's hands, or more specifically the definitely-not-Mjolnir cane in them, and there was a moment of confusion that he visibly shoved away just before he asked, "Or should I say Thor?"
"Thor is dead," Don told him coolly. It was technically true at the moment, at least.
"But now you're back."
"But I'm not Thor." That took Tony aback. "I never was. We were very different people. Surely you remember."
"Dr. Donald Blake wasn't really--"
"Odin made me," Don cut in. "He just...did not quite realize what he had made. A person, not a seeming. When he changed the magic on Mjolnir and Thor could no longer become Donald Blake, I died, and then Thor died, and I could live."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"It's magic, Tony. It's not your science. It's not supposed to make sense to the likes of us. And Odin and the rest of the Aesir are dead, so it's not like we can go ask them. The fact remains, I'm not Thor. I don't have powers. So your...extremely poorly-conceived law doesn't apply to me, and this is a colossal waste of both of our time."
"Bullshit," Tony hissed. "Mjolnir didn't just get up and walk away. I know you took it."
"Obviously. You didn't think I was going to leave it where it fell for anyone to pick up, did you? Mjolnir...remembers me, I guess. But I don't wield its power." Don held up the cane. "This isn't it, but you know that. Here. Take it."
Tony looked at the cane like it was a snake that might strike, but seemed willing to accept that if Don was willing to let him touch it, it could not possibly be Mjolnir. "I'll pass. Where's the real one?"
"That is absolutely none of your business."
"Mjolnir is a dangerous artifact--"
"Agreed, which is why I took custody of it."
"You should consider remanding it to the US government for safekeeping."
Don snorted. He couldn't help it. "So you can figure out a way to give it to that desecration you made out of your dead friend's DNA, you mean?" Tony opened his mouth to protest, but Don rode over it. "No. There are very few people I would consider giving Mjolnir to. Beta Ray Bill is in space as far as I know, and Steve is dead."
The hard shell in Tony's eyes cracked at that, the grief showing through, and Don wasn't sorry. Tony rallied and pushed on, though. "Where have you been, then? Since Thor died."
"That is also none of your business." Tony opened his mouth to object, but before he could speak Don told him, "It might have been, once. We were friends. But that was before you decided that thing that killed Bill Foster was a good idea. Now you're very lucky that I get the stick and not the hammer. What I do now has nothing to do with you, and I would appreciate it if you let me get back to putting my life back together and removed whatever hold you and SHIELD have on my medical license. Now. Are you going to arrest me or what?"
Tony just looked at him for a long moment before finally asking, "You're human?"
"As human as I ever was."
"You swear it?"
"In the name of the Allfather."
Tony studied him for a long moment, doubt plain on his face, but then he said, "Then you're free to go."
Don turned around and left the room without so much as a backward glance. He stopped at the information desk and asked the guy there how to figure out if he actually had business here today or what, and Sergio very kindly did the calling around for him before eventually telling Don that no, he did not have a real appointment here today, so Don thanked him and summoned an Uber back to the airport. He assumed Tony would try to have him under surveillance after this, but he wished him luck getting past the squirrels. They seemed territorial, if easily bribed.
And hey, maybe he would finally get his license back soon.
(NFI/NFB due to distance!)
