PLEASE READ!
DOES NOT FOLLOW STORY OF IRON MAN 3, COMPLETE AU/ALTERNATE SITUATION. DO NOT CHEW ME OUT FOR IT BEING DIFFERENT, THIS IS YOUR WARNING! IT ONLY FOLLOWS THROUGH THE FIRST PART, THEN TAKES A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TURN. DON'T LIKE? DON'T READ! THANK YOU!
Disclaimer: Do not own Iron Man 3 or the Avengers, they belong to Marvel and any other money-grubbing fiends who have a stake in it. That means you, Disney!
I Didn't Know You Cared
December 31, 1999 (10:03 P.M)
God, he felt old.
He was 28, and he felt old.
That shouldn't even be physically possible, he was pretty sure there was a law somewhere against that.
He would have to talk with his lawyers over that. Or not, since he probably won't even remember his own name by the end of the night, let alone the needed counsel of an attorney. Considering how pointless the conversation would be in the end anyway, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. The council was already trying to shut him out of the company for his reputation, God forbid they should actually have a reason to take him out of his position.
Maybe he shouldn't sleep around with the wives of senators anymore... Nah, the tabloids afterwards were way too funny. Besides, it's not his fault Senator Crawford's wife had nice breasts. Well, nice for a beta.
Tony downed another shot, curling his right hand unconsciously around another tumbler. Strange that very few people had actually come to talk and converse with him. Oh, there had been a few, that was to be expected, but this was really odd. He had been sitting at this bar for a good thirty minutes, without anyone really coming to approach him. Security must have a tight grip on the reporters and fanboys, he'll have to offer them jobs with SI before the evenings out.
Unless he drinks himself stupid, that is.
Oh what's he talking about, he's Tony Stark! Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. The lowest level of intelligence he can drop to, is slightly below sagacious.
Another shot, and another. Back to back. Ha! That's what he said.
Wait... that doesn't make any sense.
Fuck he's wasted.
He sits by himself, surrounded by crowds of enthusiastic sex machines, cradling the bourbon close to his chest. When had he lost his suave nature? He had it yesterday (oh boy, did he have it yesterday), he hit home run twice the night before (twins, god bless america), both alphas. And yet, right now, he felt...
Peculiar. While normally he'd be aching for a good fuck by now, he felt like there was something missing, like he needed to wait for someone or something first. That he just needed to hold on, and the perfect mate would happen to stop by.
Tony's not an idiot (far from it, he's a genius), he knows how stupid that sounds.
And yet, here he is.
The song blasting from the speakers changes, hard metal drastically forming into an auto-tuned pop song. Fuck...
Yo listen up, here's the story...
"Mr. Stark?"
About a little guy, who lives in a blue world.
He looks up, only to meet the questioning gaze of a brunette woman. By her scent alone, he can tell she's only a beta, and yet she's still riveting. Theres a spark in her eyes that tells him she's smart, and a curve to her lips that speaks volumes of self-assurance. No doubt she's here to speak to him on a professional level, but thats never stopped him before.
(He ignores the growling "NOT RIGHT" in the back of his head)
And all day and all night...
"Yes? How can I be of assistance?" Tonight might not be a complete and total waste of time after all. Hot, intelligent, nice ass. Oh yes, she'll do nicely.
And everything he see's is just blue,
"I represent a small research group experimenting with-" He interrupts her, feeling the heady effects of the alcohol already weighing down his thoughts.
Like him, inside and outside.
"Let me guess, you want to talk to me about funding," She shakes her head, "research partnerships," another shake, "then, sorry toots, I don't know how to help you." Yeah, he was being a dick, but fuck! He hated not knowing what to expect from people, and this woman was a total enigma. Engineer he may be, he still hated being incapable of solving an equation without the help of others. Of course, the only reason he couldn't figure it out now, was because he was running on minimal brain power. That tended to happen when he was drunk.
Blue his house,
When he turns to look at the beta brunette again, he comes to the strange discovery that she whirls around when the room does. Huh.
with a blue little window.
Maybe he should lay off the liquor for now.
And a blue corvette...
"As I was saying before being interrupted," Ooh, nice glare there, "I represent a group of biologists working-" This time when Tony cut her off, she appears to be considering homicide as a better alternative to talking to him.
"I don't do much in biology. Now cars, machines, weapons, that's more my style. Sorry, can't help. But I would love to discuss it further in a more private setting, away from all the," he waves his hand to the whole room at large, "witnesses. Don't want this getting out to the general public, do we?" That's it, layer on the charm.
And everything is blue for him,
"Well, actually, that's exactly what I was intending to do with it." Theres a sneer in her tone, one so cleverly hidden that if Tony were sober he'd probably have missed it. But guess what? He's not.
Big shock.
and himself,
"Fascinating," he sets his public mask firmly in place, feels his lips twitch up into the well practised smirk, "I really would like to hear more about it."
And everybody around...
She looks weary, suspicion clearly eating at her thoughts. This woman wasn't stupid, and perhaps that is what he found so attractive about her. Most people would jump at the chance to sleep, or even just be in the same bedroom, as the notorious Tony Stark. Considering his reputation with women, it's a surprise to find one who doesn't want to fuck him, then sell the story to the local tabloids.
Cause he ain't got...
"I promise," He crosses his finger over his heart in a parody of how a child would do, "we'll be talking only. I'll keep my wandering hands to myself." Liar.
Nobody...
It takes a few moments for her to respond. But when she finally looks up, there is a wide smile stretching across her face. "Alright, follow me, Mr. Stark."
She stands, and he follows suit, slowly rubbing out the wrinkles of his tux. Tonight was gonna be fun.
"Mr. Stark was my father. Please, call me Tony."
To listen to...
They made their way out of the dim, neon lit room, and into the blinding white light that coated the hallway. Where it had been harder to see around the room before, now it was easy. Too easy.
Unless you count the burning of retina's hard, then it was exceptionally difficult.
Still, they made their way towards the elevator to the back of the hotel, conversing about different topics and their various careers.
He found out the beautiful woman in his company was named Maya Hansen, a brilliant botanist trying to fix the world using nano technology. Apparently their experiments for the most part had been successful, yet there was one little problem in the equation.
"What do you mean 'it keeps combusting? You mean it's exploding in random intervals." His chuckle is extremely condescending, "And you want to give this thing to people. Sorry, but I don't quite follow. You want to help people, with an incredibly dangerous test stimulant."
Shaking her head, she pulls out a sheet from her purse, "This is only the basic bones of the experiment. We're planning to find a less fatal alternative before offering it to the general public. What we were hoping to gain from you, was perhaps a solution to the meticulous problem in our equation. The math seems all there, but we're still having the same issues."
"Let me see it." She hands him the paper, and he notices the way her fingers linger on his. He offers her an apologetic smile, knowing exactly what she had been hoping for. Sadly, most betas didn't have a bonded in the world, and those that did rarely felt as strong emotional pull as alphas and omegas. With sad eyes, she glares at the ground, an depressive aura clouding the air thickly around her. Against his better nature, Tony feels pity for her. He knows how it feels to be alone in a world where biology itself seems out to get you.
Well, she should be thrilled. God help the poor soul who's forced to be stuck with him forever...
If there is a poor soul to begin with, that is.
They boarded the elevator, and nearly had the silver doors securely closed, when a snivelling, limping, tired looking man jumped in at the last moment. Quickly apologizing to the employee working the lift, he immediately turned towards Maya. Tony felt a possessive growl stab his throat, though, strangely, he wasn't sure who it was for. While the alpha (with those pheromones bleeding into his nasal cavity, there was no question whatsoever) didn't have any outward appeals, he felt a tug, an indescribable urge, to follow him. To allow himself to be ravaged by this man. To be taken, on a bed, the floor, or even against the wall.
Maybe he should have laid off the alcohol.
Ah well, too late now.
"Sorry," Nervously the dishevelled alpha clutched his various papers and notebooks to his chest, wincing when one appeared to dig into his abdomen. "I really need to talk to you two."
Maya looked interested, though Tony supposes she's probably just pitying the poor little man. The uninterested look in her eye easily tells him enough to know that she doesn't really care about what this alpha has to say. This sparks a strange annoyance in him, directed at the woman he had planned to spend the evening with.
Well, if she didn't give a shit, neither would he.
Obviously, the attention of the two scientists cut down whatever courage he had built up. Lowering his eyes, his muscles (yes, he had muscles. They were well hidden under his white dress shirt, but when pulled across just right they became very apparent) twitched around the papers shyly, his glasses sliding down his nose.
"I-I'm um, I-I wanted to, uh, talk to you abou-ab-about-ab-" He clears his throat, collecting his thoughts, "I wanted t-to talk to you b-both about my organization-" He stops, and breathes a sigh of relief.
When he didn't continue, Maya raised an eyebrow, waving her hand for emphasis. The man blinked, before realization drenched his face like ice water on a sleeping mental patient. Terror filled the air, and the alpha instantly threw up a hand towards the beta.
"Sorry, uh, I'm-I'm," Unfortunately, with his other arm occupied shaking the biologists hand (again, Tony didn't miss the disappointment covering her feature when they didn't bond), he left his other appendage to hold all his items by itself. There was no alternative. Humpty dumpty, was gonna fall. It was only a matter of time.
Equivalent to all of three seconds, apparently.
"Shit," the man yelled, clamoring down to grab the stray sheets. The other passengers in their metal carriage were clearly pretending to ignore the blatant action happening next to them, though the snickering made any sense of privacy virtually nonexistent. So, pretty much the perfect replication of Tony's life in general.
Funny, that.
Sighing, Tony fell to his knees. If he was going to pretend to be a decent human being, he may as well act the part. Besides, he'd had his share of disapproval from those he looks up to. The Chairmen, most public officials, and the government had all looked at his lifestyle sneering. Hell, even his father had oozed disappointment and disapproval at all his actions, even when he was but a sad-eyed child. No, he may not know why, but that didn't change the fact that he didn't want the same thing for this man.
Shaking his head, the alpha turned his face away from the billionaires view, pink slowly covering his cheeks. "This is so embarrassing..."
Tony smirked, "Don't be too ashamed. Honestly, this wouldn't even make it on my top fifty this year."
A shy chuckle reached his ears, "Thanks,"
Picking up the last sheet, Tony turned back to the alpha. He reached out, papers clutched in his right hand. The man gave a grateful smile, grabbing for the documents.
It happened the moment their fingers made contact.
At first, he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Ok, not true; he noticed that this man had extremely warm hands, and wondered for a brief moment what it'd be like on his sides. But his attention was truly drawn into the moment when his hand briefly glowed.
Though, he's not completely sure, since he's not exactly in his best state of mind.
The alpha in front of him blinks again, bewilderment drawing his face into a taut line. He places his hand back on top of Tony's, watching the worlds greatest light show start again. Briefly looking around, it was clear that no one else was watching the phenomenon. Tony felt sorry for those around them who were so close to this light from heaven, and yet could not bask in its beautiful glow. Euphoric feeling filled him, as well as shock and intense excitement, spliced with an edge of embarrassment and fear. It took a second for Tony to realize theses deep, throbbing, emotions were coming from his other half. But over all the shame, thrill, and self-depreciation, two emotions stood out, covering all others in a thick blanket of something Tony hadn't felt in years.
Love, and safety.
It was glorious.
A large, goofy grin dripped from the face of his partner. Love coated his eyes thickly, and it looked like he wanted nothing more than to kiss Tony right there. Which didn't sound like such a bad idea, if he did say so himself.
They both leaned forward slightly, watching the other as they came closer.
closer...
closer...
almost there...!
"Mr. Stark?"
Damn.
Tony broke eye contact with his to-be mate, then closed his eyes, knowing that if he opened them again he may not be capable of withstanding his yearning anymore. Just the thought of those deep blue eyes locked onto his sent a shiver down his spine. If they were alone right now... Oh, the possibilities!
"Mr. St-"
A growl pierced the air, causing Tony's eyes to snap open in slight fear. After a brief pause he realized it was from his new mate.
His alpha. His new mate. The to-be father of his cubs.
Tony kind of liked the sound of that.
"He doesn't like being called that. He finds it extremely annoying, so if you would mind not doing it again." His alpha had a protective look to his stance, even kneeling. It was apparent to Tony that should anyone so much as attempt to touch him, they would be facing the rage of his mate. Not that it didn't make sense, Tony, afterall, had felt a similar burn of jealousy even before they had bonded.
The elevator had turned silent, all eyes on the two men clutching each-others hands desperately, as though letting go would make the other float away. And who knew? With how light Tony suddenly felt in his other halfs presence, maybe he would. Though, he would still die happy. He had spent even a fraction of a moment in the calming, peaceful aura of his alpha.
And he needed more.
"I'm-" He was shocked by how much his voice cracked on that one syllable. He cleared his voice, and started once again, "I'm fine, just in a little shock. I was skimming over some of these notes and they truly astound me." He turned back towards his alpha, gazing at his slowly enlarging pupils, "If I could, I'd like to talk to you briefly about this. Would that be alright?"
He must have caught on, because he nodded his head. Though, honestly, he probably would have agreed even if Tony had asked him to jump of the building. Not that he would, but the man looked ready to do anything Tony asked.
"Great! Stop the elevator. Yes, here is fine. Um, what level is this? 24? No, no this is fine. C'mon, lets go." They together step out of the elevator, his mate staying close to his side as they start down the hall.
"Wait, Tony!"
Turning around, Tony spots Maya standing half-way out of the elevator they'd just left. Huh, he'd almost forgotten about her. It had to be a side effect of the new bond. "Yes?"
"What about our talk?"
Fuck, that had slipped his mind too. He needed to know if this was going to be a normal occurrence, otherwise he would get nothing done.
Not that he did a lot in the first place, mainly he just did the fun inventing stuff, and left the lame ass business meetings to Obie.
And he lost his train of thought again. Great.
"Give me your hotel number, I'll meet up with you afterwards." He would ignore the small thrill that ran up his spine as his new alpha snarled quietly about the possible innuendos of that statement.
"Floor 32, room 3224." With that the doors swiftly closed, and Tony and his mate were alone.
Finally.
Tony had all of a second to think, before his mouth was suddenly being ravaged by the other. Licking into his mouth, the alpha groaned at the taste of his mouth. Tasting the sweet saliva on the invading tongue, Tony indulged his new hunger. The kiss wasn't slow, not at all. it was fast, and heated, both unwilling to slow down or relinquish control in fear that, maybe this wasn't real. Bringing his hands up, Tony wound his fingers through the others unmade waves, clutching at the locks in hopes of deepening the kiss. Arms found their way around his waist and pulled him taut into the musky scented chest. And for a brief moment, everything was perfect.
But don't let it be said that Tony wasn't extremely greedy.
Snaking a hand out of the warm blanket of blonde, Tony managed to worm his hand down the mans muscled chest, finding its way down to where a very noticeable tent had appeared in the others pants.
He was on the zipper, when the alpha's grasping hand stopped him. He pulled away from Tony, gasping for breath and rested their foreheads together. When he caught his breath, the alpha breathed out, "No."
No? Why not? Tony whined deep in his throat, nipping along the underside of his chin. Honestly, he'd fucked in way worse places than here; usually not even making it to a bed first.
His alpha growled and bit him where his neck and shoulder conjoined, not enough to bleed, but enough to get his point across. There would be no fighting an aggressive alpha, especially one in the throngs of lust.
"Not here," He pressed Tony harder against the wall when the omega tried rutting against him, "No, Tony."
"Why?" The last syllable was drawn out, Tony forgetting his pride in hope of getting the one thing that sounded absolutely amazing, to be in the throes of passion with the one person who mattered, the only being in the entire world he wanted to be with. His alpha.
And he didn't even know his name yet. When had his life morphed into such a cliche romance story?
Right, twenty minutes ago. Before he started sucking face with a complete stranger that he was magically in love with.
Fucking cheesy as shit.
Again, the alpha pulled away, smiling slightly at Tony as though he were but a child begging for a lollipop. And really, he was. Depending on how perverted your thoughts were.
"I'm not gonna take you the first time in an empty hallway, against the wall." The finality in which the statement was said left little room for arguments, even though, duh, Tony had been fucked against much worse things than a wall. Still, Tony could tell the alpha was using certain perks of his heritage to sway him. Not that he was complaining, mind you.
Ten minutes, and an incredibly awkward encounter with an employed maid (as well as a spent check of $10,000 for the universal room key and to keep her trap shut), later the two found themselves breaking into an unoccupied room. While the decor was bland compared to Tony's own room (to be fair, he had a villa), the room itself had little interest to him. No, he much preferred the tantalising, panting blonde in front of him.
He watched as the other man stalked towards him, a limp in every other step that neither would comment on.
A/N: I'm sorry, these two are adorable together. You know what? No, I'm not sorry. Why aren't there more of these?!
