ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴏғ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍs

On some level, he knows Sam must have known he was coming back. In every sense of the word, it feels like homecoming, but it's bittersweet of course. There is a part of him that only wants to see Vision -- to hear Jarvis' voice again and withdraw. There's always that urge within him to shut everyone else out, which was why his friends had been robots and computers. Rhodey had been the first one to break that. It's a tearful hello to his best friend, but he can't dally here when there's so much to do. James has always understood him like no other and he tells Tony to stop fucking around, Sam's waiting to talk to him.

It's ominous in many ways; and it feels like that first time meeting with Fury. His 'evaluation.' Tony can't help but wonder how much Sam even knows about that. He makes his way through the compound slowly, stalling for time because he can't be sure what will happen here. Good or bad, he's fully committed. And maybe it's silly to be scared of a girl who's more scared than all of them. Given what she did to him and his friends... it's probably apt, but Tony still blames himself.

"You don't have any rings I need to kiss, do you?" As always, a joke to break the tension. Or at least saw through it a little. Tony pulls off red-paned glasses, wearing a sharp black suit and a bright red tie Pepper had chosen for him. She said politicians choose red because it's confident, and she always likes him in red anyway. Tony obviously has a thing for the color himself without any of that. He doesn't waste any time, tucking his shades away and offering a handshake for a man he's genuinely happy to see. It's been a long time since Sam and Tony had a one-on-one. They're due.