"I never thought I'd be the fool,
Crawling after someone;
Now I'm crawling after you."

-Sami Akbari, "Telling Myself."

The week before Paisley was coerced into moving in with them, Tony's week had been rough. He welcomed his two teammates in with open arms, reconstruction calling for a floor for each of the members of the Avengers. Now that they were here, Steve and Bruce's floors were fully operational, refurbished, and in use. The bottom half of the tower, about twenty floors, was more of a base of operations for Stark Industries. He moved the Research and Development levels down to the next rung to make room for all of them. The next floor was Bruce's; he'd requested being close to the labs. Then came the thundering Asgardian's floor, in which he ensured the usual tile was coated in a diamond plate. The strongest substance on earth, he hoped, could protect against that damn hammer. Next up was Captain America's, decked out in everything American. It was more of an irony than a serious place- even Steve found it obnoxious. Then there was a floor for Natasha Romanoff, followed by one for Clint Barton. The assassins hadn't elected to move in, though they did promise to use them at least once a month. Hell, Tony paid good money for that.

Then, he put in a gym-facility floor. Next was the trademark bowling alley. With his floor being the top, he'd intended Paisley's to be right below his. If she ever asked, he'd just say that he forgot, and that was the only floor left. Not that he would've forgotten… It just, well, felt better. He filled all the rooms below that with complete bullshit. There were kitchens and living rooms on each floor… he ran out of ideas quickly. One space ended up just being a giant room with nothing but a toilet and a sink. No dividing walls. You just opened the elevator, and there it was. He did, however, make a few rooms for some of his friends and associates. He made one for Rhodey, Happy, and others…

He'd initially made one for Pepper, but she'd told him that she'd stay with him. Normally, he'd have taken this as an innuendo, playing along with it with a pleasured grin and a head-over-heels demeanor. But after all that had happened, he just wasn't feeling them as a couple any more. He no longer felt as connected to her as he had been in the past, and hell, he felt so guilty about it. Pepper had been his rock for years, and he felt like he was betraying his best friend. But, were they really as close as he'd thought they were? Pepper was always there for him, and he'd been the same. But even leading up to this all, they'd started to crumble. They'd keep each other oblivious with smooth words and the company of a body, but there was never an addressing for the elephant in the room. They just no longer had that spark.

It had then been about three days since the Chitauri Invasion. Bruce and Steve had moved in, and the tower reconstruction was progressing rather quickly. He'd sent Paisley a few texts, then finally given up and contacted Fury. He was told by the gruff, stressed man, that she'd quit, to which Tony promptly hung up and stared at the phone in shock. He'd remembered her mentioning wanting to resign, but he'd never actually foreseen her going through with it. Now that she had, what would she do? Why hadn't she told him? He became worried for her as the day had progressed, hoping she'd show up with a suitcase, or at least respond to him.

By the fourth day, she hadn't. Pepper had grown worried for Tony's sake; he'd spent a lot of time spacing out, watching his phone, the news, et cetera. She'd asked him about his distance, not meaning to insinuate anything, but he'd snapped at her. "Pepper, please. I can't focus with your hovering."

She stared at him, jaw set in a frown. "Tony, I didn't mean to-"

"Just leave me alone." He responded, turning his chair away from her, picking up the Iron Man helmet.

Oh, why'd he do that? Pepper clicked her tongue, turning on her heel. Obviously upset, she left the development room without a single word. Of course, he immediately felt awful about what he'd said. Pepper only ever tried to help him, and he always shut her down. He stood and the helmet clamored to the ground. Tony exited through the doors, following her. "Wait, Pepper!"

"Leave me alone." She demanded, angered, as she walked ahead of him. "Tony Stark, what has gotten in to you lately?" He caught up, swiveling her shoulder to face him.

He put a finger to her lips, trying to calm her. "Hey, I'm sorry. I'm just a little spooked from that fight, is all."

"I know you better than that." She said. "You're distressed over something else, and you have no plans to tell me what."

"That's not true, I-"

He didn't know what to say, meaning she was on the right track. She knew that look well; that smitten undertone, the worry, and his focus. It was all she needed to know that Tony's mind was astray and his sights were set on someone else. That thought deeply hurt her; even though they'd been growing cold. It would have only been a matter of time, the first pretty, challenging face to come along, and he'd be enamored. "It's that agent, isn't it?"

Tony's brow furrowed at the mention of Paisley. "Huh?"

Pepper sighed, exasperated. "I know you're interested in her. We haven't been very strong lately, so I saw it coming. I just didn't expect you to find feelings for someone so quickly."

What on earth was Pepper talking about? Tony shook his head, attempting to bring the redhead to her senses. "Potts, come on. You know I love you."

"I love you, too. We both love each other; I'm not denying that. But it's no longer romantic."

What she said struck a chord with the billionaire. She was right; their relationship was no longer sprinkled with that passionate factor that used to be such a big part. He nodded, almost nostalgically, as he thought back to their former glory. "You're right."

And that had been it. They ended their long-standing relationship mutually, no muss, no fuss. Pepper would work with and for him, but they would keep a professional distance. She elected not to live in the tower. Tony had gone back to his bachelor status, but the last thing he'd wanted to do was put on a suit and go perusing for one night stands. It was when he'd once again tried calling Paisley Reynolds that he realized he did, in fact, have feelings for the blonde.

What was the extent of those feelings? One sided, he'd decided, glumly, until the seventh day, in which she finally responded. She'd shown up, presented him with a spatula of his face, and joined in on their little dysfunctional family. Tony had hoped that maybe, just maybe, those feelings would one day be returned.

The day after, he was completely exhausted. Being woken up at five AM promptly by JARVIS, he'd barely slept a wink. He entered in to his kitchen and living room area, which had quickly become a base of operations for what he liked to call the Super Secret Avenging Man Club; though, with Paisley, he'd change that. Bruce and Steve were sitting about with coffee, and Tony was baffled at how they were even functioning. "Good morning," he nodded to them, eyes lidded.

"Mornin'," Bruce responded. "You look like you haven't slept in ages."

He chuckled, shrugging. "I didn't get much sleep, unlike some people who fell asleep during the movie. Is Pai up?"

Steve checked his watch, slightly musky from an earlier jog. Damn, how did these guys function? "Ah, yeah. She left about thirty minutes ago to get her stuff and bring it back here." Tony smiled inwardly, happy that she was really moving in. It was nice knowing that something could actually come of what he thought was a hopeless crush. Hell, he'd never really had those before. "She and Clint should be back in an hour or two."

She and… "Clint?" He asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, she called him to help her move stuff. I would have done it, but I was headed out, too." The Captain replied, noting Tony's change of mood from ecstatic to pouting. "Why?"

Tony shook his head, walking over to the coffee pot for some brew of his own. That's right, she and Clint were close. Damn, he'd thought that Clint had the hots for Natasha. Could there be any risk of something with Clint and Paisley? "Nothing, just wondering." He'd responded. Tony really hadn't wanted competition.

It didn't take long for Paisley and Clint to box up her stuff and head back out. She'd insisted on walking, her things not being particularly heavy. They'd made small-talk on various topics, and she was happy to be completely at ease for once. She wasn't working a case, surveying something or someone, nor was she running errands for Fury and the like. Being unemployed was sort of scary, but it was a lot easier to keep a calm mental state when she had a roof over her head and the support of Tony Stark.

"Still adamant about not coming back to SHIELD?" Clint asked, smiling a bit hopefully. It hadn't been the same without the snarky blonde.

She chortled, shaking her head. "Hell no. I'm enjoying the break."

"With Stark?" He teased winking.

Paisley sent him a sideways glance, a brow arched. "What are you talking about?"

Clint sighed, hoisting a box over his shoulder. "Oh, boy, you're clueless,' he said. "Stark's in to you."

"No way," she responded immediately, heavily doubtful. "Stark and I are just friends, nothing more.

He rolled his eyes, the tower before them. "I have no clue what planet you live on."

She input the access code, humming as they passed a cranky receptionist and headed in to the elevator. Paisley couldn't help but dwell on what Clint told her as they fell in to silence. Tony, attracted to her? That was honestly hilarious. They were friends. She couldn't say that enough. She didn't have that look like Tony's women did; the ones he lusted after were busty bimbos, and the ones he actually seriously went for were the girls like Pepper. Thin, smart as hell, charming… Paisley was average. She'd never be able to keep up with him, and she knew he knew that.

They went to her floor, fifty-four, only to be met with Tony. He was in her living area, surrounded by wires, installing a large television similar to the one he had upstairs. "Oh, hello." He nodded. He looked tired as hell.

"Good morning," Clint responded as he walked past her, setting a couple of boxes down on the floor.

Tony stood up, walking towards them. He was clothed in simple jeans and an AC/DC t-shirt, hair tousled and strewn about. "I'll help you get moved in, Pai. Clint, why don't you go say hi to Bruce and Steve? I'm sure they miss you."

Paisley raised a brow, and Clint sent her a chuckle. "Yeah, sure. I need to talk to them anyways."

The billionaire nodded to his departing form and smiled down to the shorter ex-agent. She'd left her hair down that day, and Tony really liked the look. "So, what're you planning on doing with your stuff?"

She scratched the back of her head, a hand on her hip. "Uh, well, most of it's just clothes and some pictures and trinkets,' Paisley shrugged. "I'll just toss the clothes in my closet and that'll be fine."

He nodded, bending over to pick up what Clint had left. He was pleased to have been able to persuade Clint in to leaving, and followed her into the spacious master suite. It was painted a lush shade of forest green, of which Tony was inspired to do from her eyes. He was a sappy romantic, yes."Can I help unpack?"

"Yeah, sure." She smiled at him, thankful of the company. Maybe she could test his 'feelings' for her. They got to work, quickly, Tony passing her clothes and passing judgment on her fashion sense.

"God, you have no dresses." He tossed yet another pair of jeans her way.

Paisely scowled, pouting her lips. "I don't wear them."

"A girl who doesn't wear dresses?" He gasped dramatically. "Pepper would have had a heart attack."

She laughed, then remembered something that had come up in the previous day's conversation with him. "Wait, you and Pepper are broken up, right?"

Was this hope? "Yeah, why?"

"I thought you two were pretty good together," she shrugged. Tony felt like one of those miserable high-school boys who lived their lives in a friendzone. Paisley was so incredibly and painfully slow on the uptake. "How'd it happen?"

He sighed, eyeing a few pictures at the bottom of the box. "It was, uh, mutual. We were better as boss and assistant, anyways. I had my eye on someone else."

She swallowed a lump, wondering if he'd meant her. She'd feel terrible if she was the reason for Tony Stark and Pepper Potts' split. Besides, getting romantically involved with Tony wasn't the best idea. She knew this. She'd never be able to meet the high expectations that his avant-garde life put forth. "Well, I'm sure she's very lucky."

He looked to her, frowning. God damn. "I hope she sees it that way."

Was that a lingering look? Holy shit, what if he did have feelings like that? She'd never been one for romantic commitment, not ever. Because of her family, she swore that she would never get married, have children, the like. Oh hell, one little possibility of romantic interaction had her squirming and jumping to conclusions. She had to change the subject, and fast. "Have you heard of Roxxon?"

"Roxxon Oil? Yeah, they're one of my biggest competitors." His voice was lacking in his normal playful quality. "Why? You aren't thinking about applying there for a job, are you?"

Paisley shook her head. "No, don't worry. I was only asking because of that shooting."

"Oh," he nodded. "Gotcha. Their boss, Lukin, he's a real snake. If you ever cross paths with him, turn tail and run." She nodded, never before having heard of all of this. Lukin, huh?

This was where not having a job would come in handy.

Hey guys! I'm so, so sorry about the lateness of this update. Last night was my birthday party, and I've had people over for a long time. Anyways, without further ado, here it is! It's a bit shorter than normal, but still pretty important. It's a super sweet when it comes to the relationship side of things, so I hope you all like it.

Thanks so much to all the reviews, faves, and follows on the last chapter! I'm glad you're all excited for the new plot :). Please leave any comments, criticism, or praise you may have in the reviews, I love to hear what you all think!

-Caroline.