50 Shades of Tony

by Virodeil

Tony chooses to think differently, see the little details, in the aftermath of the Battle of New York. The arc reactor in his chest is failing for the second time, at that. These, coupled together, sees him pelting down quite a different road than what anyone expects, including himself. An alien family, a pre-made romance, some inherited species change… oh, my!

2. The Resistance

50 Shades of Tony
By Rey

Chapter 2
Tony Stark and the Resistance

Warning for:
Piece 42: Teens: Nudity, Alien Biology

New York, United States, 4th July 2012

26. Satire
Tony is not going to be driven out of his sanctuary like a stray or a criminal. He returns to his birthland on his own term, in his latest Iron Man suit, and immediately goes posturing to the masses in New York. He loads satirical limericks into SHIELD's servers, too.

27. Stringent
SHIELD agents in civilian clothes patrol round the tower and the Malibu home. Some even try to be hired into the household teams responsible for those places. Agents Pretender and Legolas take up on Tony's offer of staying in the tower, to boot. A stringent measure, for a minor annoyance.

28. Cupcake
Tony, garbed in clothes pretty similar to what he wore round his Flores home, although goateeful again, roams the streets of New York at night. On his way back, he drops into a hole-in-the-wall shop selling coffee and little cakes and, there, finds a whole new appreciation of jam-filled cupcakes.

New York, United States, 5th July 2012

29. Oyster
Being underwater is still traumatising, even now, years after Afghanistan. But Tony still loves undunking wattery things. Right this afternoon, in fact, he is treating the lovely, irritated, exasperated, worrywart Miss Pepper Potts at a little restaurant that specialises on special-sauced oysters eaten right on their shells. Yummy oysters!

Stark Tower, New York, United States, 7th July 2012

30. Climbing
Tony hires a trainer to teach him climbing in various terrains. He doesn't care that the trainer is apparently SHIELD-affiliated, from JARVIS' secret background research. He just wants to move, and relish in being able to move, and not think about the unseen eyes watching him, as long as possible.

Malibu, California, United States, 12th July 2012

31. Crux
"You've… changed, Tony," Pepper comments carefully one evening, as she's delivering models from the R&D and attending a private dinner for two in the Malibu home. To that, Tony shrugs and says matter-of-factly, "Nearly died. Survived. Repeat. Three time's the charm. And apparently now I'm a zoo animal for SHIELD."

32. Doddering
Odin Borson, King of Asgard, looks old but stern and powerful on the paintings that Tony idly, compulsively browses online. He's not… old, though, Tony notes; doddering like an old man. But then again, he's supposed to be the god of war to the old Nordic civilisation, isn't he?

Washington DC, United States, 13th July 2012

33. Stair
The President wants to cajole Tony in person to make anti-alien weaponry. Rhodey gave him a heads-up, after being silent for years. And now here he is, in the White House, having just fended off the press, now taking the stairs to avoid weapon-related chit-chats from all too many people.

34. Pub
It's been quite a while since Tony last haunted a pub. But after the President and the latter's entourage held him in meetings for hours about making weapons, he just wants to drown himself in a sea of strangers, and maybe also in the alcohol he hasn't touched for months.

35. Careworn
Tony makes an interesting acquaintance in one of the pubs. Nalla. And seriously, Tony really can't determine their gender. They're gorgeous, though, especially since they don't need to display awesome things to be so. They look youthful and speak lightly. But their eyes, they're careworn, and Tony is drawn in.

36. Magical
Tony talks, and talks, and talks. With some practised obfuscation on a few parts, and without revealing his identity but for his nickname, he rants about everything to his new buddy Nalla. And Nalla listens, and talks back, and tries to make things light without insulting him. It's simply… magical.

Washington DC, United States, 14th July 2012

37. Weather Forecast
"It is going to rain heavily," Nalla warns, when morning comes and Tony at last thinks about leaving. He grins to that. "You a weather forecaster, now?" he teases. "Are you maybe a rain whisperer too? Any chance you can get it to stop drenching me once I'm outta here?"

38. Snack
Somehow, Nalla managed the nearly impossible, and now Tony is seated in a nearby breakfast diner with them, enjoying what the menu book terms a "morning power snack." Before this, the only date for the night that Tony spent the morning after with was Pepper.

39. Beach
"You seem to like water so much," Tony remarks, as he eyes the various soup bowls on the table, nearly all ordered by Nalla, who is now looking peacefully at the rain out of the window. "Wanna visit my home? It's by the sea. Has a beach of its own."

40. Kick
Nalla agrees to go to Malibu! Tony's really getting a kick out of this unexpected, unexpectedly prolonged date, and not in the literal sense at that. Just when he needs it, too. Now he'll make sure they'll get a kick out of this visit, as well. He promises.

Malibu, California, United States, 14th July 2012

41. Tray
Nalla's surprisingly with Tony and his bots in the lab, instead of lazing about in the beach. But, apparently, they're there for the doodling materials, because then Tony finds all of his metal trays drawn on with intricate shapes in some white paint. "Really? Now, you're a vandalist artist, too?"

*42. Clatter
The afternoon is overcast, and Tony finds a naked Nalla napping in the wet sand, with their legs in the water. Unfortunately, then the peaceful scene is broken, when the bucket of lunch things falls clattering from Tony's hand, as he notices that Nalla has neither male nor female packages.

43. Indignant
"You startled me!" Nalla is remorseful, but also indignant, and Tony glares at them as they splint the broken forearm he got from defending himself against their startled-out-of-sleep attack. Well, he has a good comeback for that: "You never told me you're an alien!"

44. Kiss
Nalla, for once, looks like the so-called deer in the headlights, vulnerable and helpless, on Tony's retort, and Tony hates it. Kisses can make things better, he thinks, so, without further ado, he hooks his good arm round their neck, brings them close, and kisses them right on the lips.

45. Jam
Nalla's gone. Completely disappears. Just so. Right after Tony let them go. What's left is only the tingling memory of Nalla's lips on his own, what feels like a mental half-friendly shove at his mind, and what looks like a little glass jar of palish-blue jam on the kitchen counter.

46. Colouring
The apples remind Tony of Nalla's eyes: light green, with a hint of yellow. The colour was most apparent in that last moment, when those eyes were open wide in fright as Tony kissed their owner. With that memory in mind, he hastily shovels away from the supermarket's apple box.