Operators

[quark_assassin]

WHO: Dustin, York, and Tony
WHERE: Temba Hospital
WHAT: Finally fixing up York's ear!! (maybe)
WHEN: Near the beginning of April
WARNINGS: Dustin and York in the same room. Uncomfortable talk of body modification re: An android.

Dustin is not looking forward to this.

He probably should be - this is the culmination of more than half a year's worth of work, and that's in Agra 10 time. Getting this prototype installed, successfully, will mean that he's not only cracked the shell on how to build more Thirium-based biocomponents, but has also resolved an outstanding problem that's been lurking on his to-do list since shortly after he arrived. It would mean closure for him and for York, who certainly deserves it at this point.

If only it didn't involve begging for the help of someone else. If only that 'someone else' wasn't Tony Fucking Stark. The simple Hospital in 30 message sent to him shortly before relaying the same to York felt like enough of a betrayal, even though the android knew someone else would be there to meet them. All Dustin can think about is the image of York nearly attacking Tony at last fall's Agrii-provided feast. Dustin lacked the context for what exactly triggered that assault, and Tony had mentioned that he and York have talked about fixing his ear anyway, but he doesn't know if that was before or after the Outburst, or even if that was what caused it. Tony had been frustratingly vague on the details and Dustin had been too flustered to ask the right questions anyway. The point is, there might be politics involved once York realizes that Tony is required to fix his ear, and Dustin has no idea how to handle that.

For the moment, he's done his best to at least coordinate that the two will meet him at the same place and at roughly the same time. Dustin waits past the front entrance to the Hospital, leaned against the wall to force himself not to pace - not that this stops him from looking incredibly nervous and uncomfortable anyway. His hunched posture and anxiously flickering eyes say enough.

Comments

[in_extremis]

The sparks finally make Tony raise his hands in surrender, York and Dustin's combined intensity prompting a deep breath before Tony was dropping his tools and pulling his sunglasses back down onto his nose. Whatever game this was, however much Tony thought he might distract them from hurting each other, his presence here was clearly designed to hurt both of them. Dustin was right; he had made the parts, he was the one that had seen some apparent blueprints, and Tony didn't even have an argument against how much they clearly didn't want him here.

"Enjoy the venue," he invited as he ceded the floor to Dustin, rounding the chair to head back the way he came, his voice echoing in the hall as he went. "You're both clearly really into it, glad I could help."

[quark_assassin]

For just the briefest flicker, Dustin is relieved. That had been a gamble - Tony just as easily could have bodily picked him up and tossed his scrawny ass out of the door, he's well aware of this. But it seems like, between his persistence and York's crackly pleas and rather worryingly sharp increase in electrical discharge, they've managed to find a compromise.

It is, of course, only a flicker. Dustin's relief quickly morphs into confusion as Tony turns towards the door, then absolute befuddlement when he doesn't stop.

"Both into--what?" Clearly there's some subtext here that Dustin has missed. He glances at York, giving him a helpless, baffled stare, like maybe the android has an answer that makes sense, before shrugging with an exasperated groan and striding towards the door. As much as he might want to let Tony run off, he didn't reach out to the guy for no reason - he needs his help and so does York. "Tony--fucking, wait. Wait!"

[buildingitsir]

What the hell was going on? York frowns, squinting and trying to adjust against the bright light as he looks up. All he can see is Tony's silhouette, the outline of him, throwing up his hands and moving away.

What were they really into?

It's only when Dustin moves too, that the android realizes that Tony is leaving, with the other teen following. He routes the power to come back online and rolls off of the chair to go after him. It makes some more sparks, but he doesn't care. York is confused as to what's happening.

"Wh͜y a̸r̶e y̧o̴u̷ ͡t͠wo ͘l͟ea̧vi̕ng͞?"

[in_extremis]

The one relief that Dustin had offered Tony thus far was never pursuing him, at least, and whatever barb he had at the ready was meant to keep Tony at a distance. He was happy to facilitate now, already saying, "No," one finger up to put an end to that discussion, only to slow and stop even as he did. He could hear the scuffle of York trying to follow as well, making his tense shoulders drop with some resignation, letting out a long sigh as the kid caught up and Tony could glance between the pair of them with pursed lips. "I'm not interested in playing whatever game this is," he said, flicking a finger to each of them and their heightened energy. "You can call me when you actually need something. I can't promise I'll answer, but you can call."

[quark_assassin]

Tony already knows that one of Dustin's less-appreciated superpowers is his ability to argue about anything, so it should come as no surprise that his mouth is already open and he's taking a breath to protest after he's interrupted. The fact that York is following them isn't what gets him to pause - it's Tony's explanation.

I'm not interested in playing whatever game this is.

Dustin's brow furrows, his mouth still slightly parted in a baffled scowl, as he waits for the other shoe to drop, for Tony to follow up with a convoluted metaphor or something, but it never happens. He believes it. The concept is so absurd that - maybe per Tony's expectations - Dustin can't help but bark a derisive laugh.

"You think--you think this is a game?" he sputters in disbelief. A wild gesture, both arms out and palms wide, is thrown behind him to York. "You think I'd want to put him through this for fun? Are you fucking high?"

[buildingitsir]

York needs to calm down. He knows it. It wasn't logical for him to let his synthesized emotions get the better of him and he knows it. He lets Dustin speak and takes the moment to get his synthetic nerves back under control.

"It's not a game, Tony," York agrees in a firm voice. "I know you don't think the best about me, but I'm not fucking around with this. I'd do it on my own if I could, but I can't."

He moves up to first stand next to Dustin, then a little closer to Tony. "This isn't a game. I swear I'm not working for anyone here in the city or outside of it. I am just an android looking to get fixed."

[in_extremis]

The derision was not making a strong argument, and Tony folded his arms with a raised eyebrow for Dustin to consider the delicate variables that might be contributing to the energy levels. York at least didn't seem intent on challenging Tony's patience, drawing out some of his defensive tension, but didn't have a much better reason for Tony to stick around and find out what other insults either of them had lined up for him. He flicked a finger toward Dustin to point out, "You've got your help. He made the part, he's going to fix it, nobody's got any regrets left. You don't need to go out of your way to prove how smart and capable you are, I get it, I'm not arguing. That's on me, sorry I wasn't clear about that, lab doesn't have a key, it's all yours."

[quark_assassin]

From just past York's shoulder, Dustin lets his face drop into a hand so he can knead at the bridge of his nose. At this point, he's starting to wonder if Tony's not the one trying to play a game with them - perhaps an elaborate ploy to make both him and York agree to some kind of deal to keep him around, past the original (admittedly vague) specifications Dustin established with him? Getting them to admit that he's needed as an ego boost, or to get back at them for all of the annoyance and public spectacle both of them have caused him? Recording for blackmail, or to try and prove whatever weird theory Tony has about York working for outside sources?

But those aren't the sorts of puzzles Dustin is equipped to solve, nor does he think any of those things are especially important right now. "You know the venue isn't what I needed from you," he says, dropping his arm to fix Tony with a tired, exasperated glare. "Unless you included documentation for how to navigate York's security protocols somewhere in your lab, I'm not going to make any more progress than I did the last time we tried to perform an install of custom hardware on our own."

For a moment it seems like Dustin might leave it there, but then irritation takes over his pride.

"--I'm not trying to prove shit," he blurts. "Alright? York wants to get his ear fixed, I want to fix his ear. What do you want out of this?"

[buildingitsir]

York's tired of this. Between Dustin withholding information to get the android here, to whatever the fuck was happening now, he understands the exacerbation humans feel towards each other. He turns on heel and goes back into the room, returning even as he pulls the hoodie back on in a hasty and rough manner. The LED is red from his stress, not even hinting at one of the other colors as he does so.

"You know what? Fuck this. I just wanted my fucking earpiece fixed and it's become a circus. So nevermind, I've got a warehouse to go sulk in until my sleep cycle fucking kicks in." The garment finally gets pulled on, the dark hair mussed around his head. "I'm sorry for my behavior at that feast thing the Agrii gave us, Tony, but I'm not going to stand here and try to convince you this isn't some fucking game."

He pulls the hood section up and starts storming off, shoving his hands back into the pouch again.

[in_extremis]

The only thing that Tony had wanted was to get the kid's head fixed, which apparently still wasn't going to happen. "Don't worry about it," he muttered at the apology, watching York thunder away and swinging out an open hand in his wake, expectant stare back on Dustin. He wanted Tony to help, but Tony wasn't supposed to do anything, and he needed to prove that he wasn't a liar, but didn't have anything to prove. Some part of this system must have been doing it for him, but Tony was not seeing it.

"Hey, listen, for the record," Tony was willing to linger enough to point out, "I get that you trust him so much. I've been there. I'm not going to say that it's not worth it, just..." What would he have done differently with Whitney, with Sunset, with Indries? When did he accept that any of them were lying to him, and why didn't he do anything about it? "I get it."

[quark_assassin]

Dustin doesn't stop York from leaving, either; this wasn't where the android wanted to be in the first place, and even through his haze of frustration, he can recognize that trying to keep him here against his will would make things much, much worse. He just stares at the back of his head as he goes, expression vacant and numb.

All of that anxious, nervous anticipation he felt while waiting here, the tenuous hope that a project months in the making would finally be realized - slapped out of his hands in an instant. Cold disappointment leaves a pit in Dustin's stomach. That is, until Tony speaks up.

Dustin doesn't even realize how angry he is until the words come spilling out of his mouth. "--No you fucking don't," he snaps, whirling on Tony with a seething glare. "You haven't listened to anything I've said, this whole fucking time! If you had, you'd understand--"

That he trusts me and I can't let him down, is what Dustin tries to say, but the words suddenly catch in his throat and he has to stop, breathe, make a concerted effort not to sob with frustration. How much of that was his own fault? Is that really why he's so upset? Annoying and confusing questions, and Dustin doesn't have good answers for any of them.

Eventually he gives up with a rapid, flustered shake of his head. "--Forget it," Dustin growls, stomping his own way towards the Hospital entrance. "This was a mistake."

The fact that he's left the prototype behind in the lab doesn't escape him - Dustin just doesn't care enough to go back for it. He can make another one if York ever wants to try this again with him.