Chapter 7 Spying Tony
The morning comes. I wake up and look around. Waking up here brings back so many memories. I suddenly feel a rush of nostalgia and a slight smile creeps onto my face. I remember how mornings used to be with everyone here. Everyone, except Stark, who always seem to be away and isolated.Now I know that it was a way of him protecting himself. Things that never really mattered to me are now the most important. I don't get it. What's wrong with me?
I leave my room and head down to the living area. I step out of the elevator and notice that everything is silent and empty. Where are they? Maybe I should go to the lab. If Tony isn't anywhere else, he's definitely in his lab.
I take the elevator down to the floor of the lab and there is Tony. He seems to be tinkering with something, but of course that is no surprise. I stand around the corner of the glass so that he can't see me. I don't really know what I'm doing. He seems so busy and I just don't want to bother him. Maybe he needs this to cope with the fact that Bucky is coming over today. I stay around the corner and observe the genius play-- billionaire philanthropist in his natural habitat. I know that I shouldn't be spying on him but I feel like a need it.
"Jarvis. Update on the new suit?" No one replies. "Uh... sorry. F.R.I.D.A.Y?"
"All ready boss. Do you need anything else?"
"Nothing." He walks around the lab.
"Boss you're receiving a call from Ms. Potts."
He sighs and answers on his computer.
"Yes?"
"Tony." The voice rumbles around the room.
"Is everything okay?"
"We need to talk." She sounds worried.
"Uhm.. what for, exactly?"
"I don't want this to end bad."
"Pepper... We're okay."
"You were very disappointed that day." What day? I think to myself.
"I couldn't believe it.. that's all."
"Tony, try to understand me, please... I c-can't be with you. You make everything hard for me. I love you, please understand that I do, but I can't handle it anymore."
That hurts, I don't know much about their relationship but I'm sure that Tony wouldn't make things harder for her on purpose.
"I got it." His voice sounds off now. "I guess we have nothing else to discuss. Thanks for supporting me for the past 10 years." He hangs up without giving her a chance to reply. There's only silence. Maybe spying on him wasn't such a very good idea. This is private, this is Tony's business.
But now I know that they're not together anymore...
He walks to a shelf and takes out a whiskey bottle. I was just about to go and stop him but something unusual happens. He doesn't do a thing. He just looks at the bottle for a minute.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y, what's wrong with me?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know about- ah..." he closes his eyes. "I don't even want to mention it... New York, and everything that happened after that. I thought it was all gone but I feel like I could go nuts again lately. Did it came back?"
What is he talking about? What is that thing he doesn't want to mention?
"It was never gone boss... you just had a good period."
"Good period." He whispers frustrated.
"Barnes has arrived, boss." Oh crap. Why so early?
I run around the corner before Tony turns and heads for the elevators. Rhodes is already there in the living area and gives me a look.
"Spying on Tony?"
"N-No I was just searching for him..."
"It's okay. I've spied on him too, it's very funny when he talks to all his machines." He smiles. "Anything interesting?" I cannot tell him what I just heard about Pepper. That's something we shouldn't get involved in, unless Tony tells us. However, I do want to know what happened after New York and what's making him act so weird?
"Well he said something interesting about something that happened after New York. That something is... wrong with him?"
His smile fades as I say that. "Oh no..." he sits up straight. "Cap, I don't know if I should talk to you about it. I'm sure that's something he'd rather not have going around."
"It's okay. I understand, I prefer him to tell me when he trusts me enough."
"Much better. So... is Barnes already here?"
I nod. "How did you know?" I had to play it off somehow.
"You know, F.R.I.D.A.Y usually alerts those kind of things to everyone. Im sure she already alerted you on your room." he laughs.
We wait for him to get up onto our floor. Not much time passes until the door opens.
"Steve! Did you fix everything?" He asks immediately walking over to give me a hug.
"Not entirely, but we are working things out."
"Well that's an improvement." He stops hugging. "Where is Stark?"
"Here." He says looking at us from the other side of the room. When did he get here?
He walks here nervous without looking us at the eyes. I've never seen him like this. Meanwhile, Bucky looks pretty calmed.
"Barnes." Tony says giving a hand to Bucky.
"Stark." Bucky says as he shakes his hand.
"I'm really sorry for.."
"Let's not worry about that. It's fine."
