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Chapter Six.
June.
That was the month Allie set for herself, the month that would be her designated deadline for working with Stark.
It currently comprised of being little over eleven months, of being forty-seven weeks and 334 days away. When she broke it down, really broke it down, it didn't seem so far away, didn't seem to out of reach. Allie thought she could do it, knew she could handle less than a year with Stark. She handled working seven years in the customer service industry, she handled five of those years working in the same dead end job as a barista, making the same drink with a million and one variations, saying the same words over and over with a fake smile and even faker voice. What was those eleven months, forty-seven weeks and 334 days anyway for the rest of her life?
Yet, now, Allie felt she was putting too much faith into herself.
Her first day of working wasn't really an official day of working; there was still the fact that Allie was, technically, taking a sick day from her current job – or, rather, past job. There was no formality with her accepting the job, nothing discussed other than pay and daily duties; part of her was uncertain with everything being discussed by word and Allie longed for some written form of proof, or a book with instructions titled So, You Decided To Work For Tony Stark And You Regret It.
She could imagine it would be New York Times' next best seller.
So, despite her informally formally taking the job, there was still much to do before she could actually begin working. For one, she needed to explain her situation to Francis – after so hastily taking the position of being Stark's assistant, Allie hadn't really thought about how it might actually affect other parts of her life. Putting in a two weeks' notice would have been the decent thing to do, but it would be difficult to that and Allie couldn't help but feel like a complete asshole for leaving Francis short on staff; aside from that, she had to put thought into how she would even get to the Compound in the mornings – to Allie's horror, she was told that the workshop in the Compound would be where she would be situated during her time working for Stark; this was mostly because he never seemed to actually leave the place and her job was to seemingly dog his footsteps.
For all her contemplation during those weeks, Allie hadn't actually given much thought to the situation and to do so now resulted in a headache blooming in her temples.
Stark was insistent that she start right away, giving Allie little time to psych herself up or to even organise herself; she hadn't even thought to ask about holidays or days off, but she had a feeling that working for Tony Stark was an all year round job and there would be little time to take a break. To her dismay, she would have to take everything one at a time, to take whatever space she had to rest to put it to contemplation instead.
The first thing she had to deal with was telling Francis; Allie felt the guilt gnaw away at her stomach, at the fact she hadn't given any thought to actually being a decent person and giving him notice that she would be leaving. Coupled with how distant she had been during the past few weeks, Allie had a feeling her being asshole factor was going to through the roof with her ex-boss; though part of her dreaded the confrontation, the other half of Allie was somewhat relieved as to having a reason to leave. No more hours of having to wear that fake smile, speak with that fake voice, to no longer having to put up with people yelling at her for the mistakes that they made. While she could applaud people who could manage to work in such a place for the rest of their lives, Allie felt that if she didn't get out soon, she would be stuck there for the rest of her life.
So, she made the call.
Or, rather, the visit.
It had been early in the morning, around the time that shop would open and Allie had been nervous, tightening her grip on her bag strap as she pushed the door open, feeling weird to be there without her uniform. Francis had been there, setting everything up for the day and had glanced over at her, smiling but then taking in her appearance.
It had been awkward, to say the least.
While there was no yelling or reprimanding, she could still sense his disappointment, maybe even a hint of annoyance lingering in his tone as he accepted her resignation, tight lipped yet not cold. He hadn't felt bothered to ask her where she was working now, and Allie hadn't felt inclined to tell him. It felt strange, to sever ties with something that had been a part of her life for so long, to leave behind people she had known for so long. Had Allie been more prone to such displays of emotions rather than internalising them, she might have shed a few tears but, instead, gave a crooked smile that Francis returned, before asking her if she wanted a drink for the road.
It felt like an olive branch and Allie took a hold of it, thinking that that was the best tea she had ever drank before in her life.
Getting to the Compound was another hurdle Allie had to surpass.
The morning commute was a pain in the ass to sit through but she found, quite quickly, that she could walk most of the way, past the worst of the traffic and through the city, before hailing a taxi to bring her the rest of the way. It might resulted in her having to wake up that bit earlier and walk that bit further, but it was better than sitting behind miles long traffic that could move an inch every two hours. Plus, the walk managed to wake her up more than anything, a hand stuffed in her pocket and the other wrapped around her takeaway drink, alternating between the two whenever the palm of her hand got too warm for her to handle. The frigidness of the morning would soon melt away to the warmth of the summer, but July was quickly slipping away to August and Allie knew the pain of being outside during the winter, the biting teeth of frost sinking into whatever little bit of exposed skin she had, but she could handle it, she always did.
She had dealt with all she needed to deal with, no loose ends fraying and all cases were closed.
And yet…
"Allie."
It was early in the morning, but already Allie could tell she was running late. Briefly, she could hear the gentle mumbling of the T.V humming in the background and there was the pitter patter of feet from upstairs, the rumbling of car engines and squawking of horns; Allie had learned to sleep through all the noise, had to if she wanted a decent night's sleep and now she felt she could sleep through anything.
At the moment, she was entangled in the duvet on her bed, legs twisting around the sheets as she held a pillow close to her chest, the remaining three askew beneath her head; it had become a habit that she had developed in her childhood that had remained with her to adulthood, finding it difficult to go to sleep unless she clutching something close to her in order to gain some veil of safety. There was a crick digging its way into her neck and Allie turned onto her stomach, the pillow she clutched to her chest doing little to lessen the feel of her arms digging into her due to the position as the world darkened, the light no longer managing to burn into behind her eyelids, making it all pink. Never before had Allie felt more comfortable, more warm and not sweating beneath the heavy blankets and she cursed her friend for even thinking about waking her from her sleep.
"Go away," Allie groaned, voice muffled due to the fact she was lying face first into her pillows, words being understandable as she curled closer into a ball, twisting herself so that she lay on her side, burying her nose into the pillow she held, catching the smell of her shampoo, of strawberries and sweet things that had been purchased cheap at some corner store that catered to all and any. There was a moment of silence before she could hear the click of Lisa's shoes, snapping down on the floor boards and then the warmth, the comfort of her own little world was ripped away from Allie, the freezing cold of the apartment sinking into her.
A growl left Allie as she turned around, eyes bleary and hurting at the light seeping in through her small, pathetic window and Allie glared at her friend, at Lisa as she stood with hands on hips and the duvet clutched in one hand, appearing every bit like a disapproving mother, complete with a tsk and a shaking head.
"Listen, as much as I enjoy you wallowing in your regret and self-hatred," Lisa began, though not sounding as critical of Allie as she appeared, looking down at the curled up form of her roommate with a varying degree of humour, from the sight of Allie lying on her side in a ball to the make shift bed buddy being held in Allie's arms. Lisa shook her head once more, perfectly curled hair shaking around her shoulders as she did so before she threw the duvet clutched in her hand down, letting it lie in a heap in the bottom corner of the bed. "I don't think sleeping in while in the second week of your new job is a good idea."
"It's the best idea I've ever had, Leese," Allie said, blowing a raspberry as she flickered her gaze to the clock that lay on top of the all too cluttered bedside table; Allie didn't trust her phone to ring in the mornings and had had too many incidents where her phone had died in the middle of the night and she had awoken with horror to see that she was late; now, Allie almost dared the clock to keep ticking by. "Maybe I should just become an unemployed asshole instead of just being an asshole."
"It would add more to your personality."
"What personality?" Allie snorted and Lisa leant down to give a swift and soft slap to Allie's leg, giving a gentle laugh at Allie's words, looking more and more the stern mother with each passing second, even dressing the part with her pencil skirt and buttoned jacket, the white shirt beneath tight around her throat.
"Anyways, get up," Lisa ordered, voice firm and turning to leave, reaching up to fix an earring hanging on her ear, shoes clicking on the ground sharply as she moved. Part of Allie watched her go with envy at how professional Lisa could manage to make herself appear, looking more the part as an assistant than Allie ever could, no matter if she was dressed in her best clothes. "Your disgusting tea is sitting on the counter stewing."
"It isn't disgusting," Allie called after her, tracking how Lisa moved back into her own room beside Allie's. For all they complained about how terrible the place was, it was large enough for the two girls to have enough privacy; as always, money could always buy the best in New York. "It's the only way tea should be made!"
"Okay, Al, whatever you say. Get your ass in gear!" Lisa hollered and there was the sound of a closing door, leaving Allie alone in her bed, body bare and holding her pillow close to her body, the warmth that had left her being seeped into the cushion and mimicking the body heat of another person, making her that bit more sleepy but Allie knew she couldn't be late, knew that Lisa was right.
For a moment, Allie lay there, cold and pouting, scowling at the alarm clock that blinked and was falling closer and closer to her being most definitely late. With a growl and a curse, Allie pulled herself up, a frown deepening on her lips as she swung her legs down from the bed, shivering at the feel of the cold floor pressing against her feet. For all Allie's complaining and whining, Lisa knew very well that Allie would hate to be overly late and that sometimes all she needed was a little push to prevent the panic that would have occurred had she remained in bed.
If there was one thing Allie hated, it was the fact that she had to dress in clean and professional clothes, no more converse, no more wearing the same half of a uniform that was a life saver as it prevented her from ruining her own clothes and Allie was quickly running out of things to wear; it had come to the point she was even borrowing clothes from Lisa under the promise that she would be going shopping later that week in order to buy herself a new wardrobe. If there was one thing Allie hated more than working to earn money, it was spending that hard earned money. But, as she slipped on the same pair of jeans for the second day in a row, she wondered if maybe being such a tight arse with money wasn't doing her any good.
For the most part, Allie kept to black and white clothes, the boots she had previously never worn before becoming her new best friend as she paired them with everything she wore nowadays; Lisa had permanently given Allie ownership of her black jacket as it was too tight for Lisa and her somewhat taller than average stature and the shirts Allie had been wearing weren't as noticeable when she threw the new piece of clothing on over it.
Make up had become part of her new routine, too; Allie couldn't remember the last time she had worn make up for multiple consecutive days, thinking maybe it had been in her teen years when make up was all she had to cover her acne and to make her red cheeks and acne scars less noticeable. While it had calmed down significantly in her adult years, it remained to some degree but Allie didn't want to put anything on her face that might make it flare up or to cause her to break out. Plus, there wasn't really any point in wearing make up to work before since it would have melted off of her within the hour.
It wasn't that she didn't know how to apply makeup, it was that she wasn't sure she had to energy to up keep it throughout the day; but, since she didn't want to appear like a dead rat turning up to work, it begrudgingly became a part of her morning routine, even if the end result did bolster her self-esteem.
Allie could hear the movement of Lisa in her own room, footsteps light yet loud against the floor as Lisa moved out into the living room of the apartment, the T.V mumbling in the background humdrum of the grey morning; after Lisa had managed to secure a small position secretary at some big time law firm, the two were rarely home anymore between early in the morning and late at night, making the place feel more like a ghost town; still, money was money and Allie couldn't help but fantasise what she could manage to do if she had enough cash buried in her pocket. With a huff, tugging on the hem of her jacket, Allie deemed herself presentable, no longer caring to put her hair through the torture of running the straightener through it and letting it fall loose around her – though she knew herself well enough that it would be tucked into a hair tie in less than two hours.
Taking a hold of her bag, Allie slipped it over her shoulder and all but stomped her way out of the room, ignoring how heavy her bag was these days due to the amount of work she was carrying home with her to bring back the following day. The paperwork was astounding, consisting of contract work, of letters that were both professional and personal; part of her heart broke into small pieces that puddled into a pit of guilt in the bottom of her stomach as she read many of them, of how they went ignored, how they called for help, gave praise and some were nothing but letters comprising of nothing but poison filled, bitter and cruel words that cursed Stark and the Avengers.
Those were the ones she got rid of first and the quickest.
"Don't you look presentable!"
Allie pulled herself from her thoughts to catch sight of Lisa at the table, pushing away her bowl of soggy Special K, a hand wrapped around her morning drink, perfectly painted nails tapping against the ceramic as she gestured to the other mug resting on the counter, indicating it was Allie's for the taking. Allie gave a groan at Lisa's words, ignoring how much her eyes hurt due to staring at letters on a page for so long and the fact she couldn't exactly wear her glasses to ease the ache unless she wanted to ruin the makeup she had on her face for the rest of the day. Contact lenses were a big no-no and the day she'd put something into her eye would be the day she would let herself be buried alive in her own grave.
"I feel like shit," Allie grunted, slipping her bag onto the back of the only other free chair available, walking to the counter to make her tea and nearly letting out a sigh at the warmth of the drink as it bled into her cold palms. Lisa chortled, leaning back into her chair and taking a sip from her own drink, the tint of her lipstick staining the lip of the mug as Allie moved to sit beside her, slumping in her chair and forcing a yawn away.
"Then don't stay up so late," Lisa teased, watching as Allie stifled her yawn, wincing at the burn on her tongue that ran her throat before she spoke.
"I had no choice! I actually had to bring stuff home to work through!" Allie complained, voice high and whining as the ache in her eyes spiked again as if pained by the memory of how much reading was involved in her daily life now and, had she not put on mascara, she might had rubbed at them until stars burst and died in her vision. "Lisa, you don't understand how much paperwork he's been ignoring. He's been shoving them into cupboards!"
"It can't be that bad," Lisa replied, offering little sympathy to Allie's plight and becoming used to the latter's daily complaining about her job.
"I'm pretty sure I found something that said he was being sued by the entire food chain of Dunkin' Donuts because he destroyed so many of their stores during The Incident. He put it into a cereal box." It was true and Allie dreaded finding more work awaiting her in the most unlikely of places; she was all for the 'out of sight, out of mind' way of life, but this was reaching new heights she wasn't used to.
"You've done that before."
"It wasn't very important business I stuffed into the cereal box, Leese."
"No," Lisa stated, rolling her eyes at Allie, placing her cup down onto the table, tracing half-moon rings on the wood that ran through the knots on the laminated top with a soft and dull clink. "Ignore every pressing manner with alarming anxiety."
"I have not!" Allie defended lamely but Lisa gave Allie a pointed look, one that Allie knew all too well and she dropped her defence, knowing that Lisa was right. For all her dragging of Stark, Allie had spent the better part of her life abiding by the 'out of sight, out of mind' motto but found that Stark was quickly challenging her for the title of being a champion of ignoring all and anything.
"Allie, it took you nearly three weeks to take a job with amazing pay," Lisa remarked and Allie opened her mouth, tongue ready to once more defend herself before she shut it once more, screwing up her face in realisation at the fact that Lisa's words were right, turning to wrap both hands around her cup and clicking her tongue.
"That's different."
"Right."
Allie turned her gaze to Lisa from the corner of her eyes, sharp and narrowing as she watched a smile curve around the cup, green eyes glinting with something that looked like smugness. Once more that morning, Allie blew a raspberry and placed her elbow on the edge of the table, the curve of her jaw resting against her palm while being careful not to smudge her makeup, eyes gazing off into the distance of the pale turquoise wallpaper of the apartment. "Don't give me that. It's so tiring and I've only been there for a few days. Do you think Francis will take me back if I begged?"
A sudden, small pain exploded in the back of Allie's skull and Allie straightened, a stifled gasp leaving her as her hand reached to the back of her head, clamping over the source of the pain as Lisa half stood from her hair, hand poised and ready to strike again with a disapproving glare at Allie, whose blue eyes were wide with shock and disbelief at Lisa's actions. "Ow! What was that for?"
"You're being stupid!" Lisa hissed, not yet sitting as her hands placed themselves on the dip in her waist and Allie rubbed at the pain in the back of her head, pouting.
"I'm always stupid!" Allie retorted, voice once more taking on the high, whining tone that had become frequent these past coming days and Lisa shook her head, raising her hand once more as if to strike Allie but the other woman darted from beneath her hand, eyes wide and trying to ignore the speed at which her heart was racing. It wasn't Lisa's fault, she knew, and the sudden panic that raced through her was made up an irrational fear, of old fears that were useless and no longer important. At the back of her mind, there was a spike in terror that Allie squashed down because it wasn't real, the danger wasn't real and she tucked away all those thoughts, all those niggling fears that found their way to the surface once more as she watched Lisa sit down, unaware of her actions, of Allie's reaction.
"Even more so now!" Lisa sighed, taking a swig from her drink as Allie leaned back into her chair once more, finding comfort instead of hanging off of the edge of the seat; she willed her heart to slow, to keep her voice steady and to find the strength to keep everything in the back of her mind and to not let those thoughts sink their fangs into her. It was too early in the morning to start repressing past traumatic experiences – and she hadn't even finished her tea yet.
"I don't think being stupid warrants a hit on the head," Allie grumbled, giving a small sniff as she once more gave the stinging spot one last brush with the pads of her fingers before sipping her drink, mind wandering to buying her breakfast during her travel to work. It was what she had been doing the past few days and she found it woke her up better rather than scarfing down a soggy bowl of cereal.
"In this situation, it does," Lisa said, letting the crook of her arm rest over the back of the chair. "You've been complaining non-stop since you took this job."
"If I wanted to be given out to with that look of disappointment, I would have rang up my mother," Allie sighed, nearly snapping before Lisa turned to Allie, eyebrow cocked and seeming less light hearted, as if she was already in the role of being a serious faced secretary rather than just being Lisa, the same girl who had burst into tears for 15 minutes after watching Bambi's mother die. (Allie had comforted her after she managed to reel back in her own tears after that rather traumatic scene in the movie.)
"You've given yourself until next June, yeah?" Lisa asked, crossing her legs and Allie gave a limp nod in response. "Then just soldier through it. Take your work, take the hits, and get through it."
"I know, Leese," Allie mumbled, voice low and heavy as she reached up to run her hand through her freshly brushed hair, catching on the few knotted strands entangled in each other before snaring them free as she once more rested her head on the palm of her hand. "I'm not trying to purposely be like… this."
"Like a whiney baby?" Lisa teased, a smirk on her lips and Allie returned it with a playful glare.
"Precisely," she responded before she dropped her eyes, catching on the deep rooted knots and nicks in the wood of the table, eyebrows furrowing and trying to form a proper sentence to voice the worry that weighed down in her chest. It felt silly to her, felt like she was just being over dramatic but part of Allie knew, just knew that it wasn't the paranoia, but a real and valid fear that had been partly the reason why she had managed to survive so long. Lisa knew and she hadn't judged her, hadn't turned her nose up at the other woman. A breath heaved in Allie's chest as she chewed on her cheek, attempting to string the words together so that Lisa might understand. "It's just… it's almost a year with Tony Stark, Leese, it sounds ridiculous. I keep thinking… about how it might all blow up in my face. Say I do my year and then I leave, what if he decides to dig deeper? What do I do then? I know that he shouldn't be able to find anything but… but what if he does?"
By the end, Allie was staring at Lisa, as if hoping she might have all the answers but Allie knew Lisa didn't, of course she didn't, but that didn't mean she could hope for some guidance, something to keep her mind from plunging itself into an abyss. Lisa's eyes narrowed just by a fraction, head tilting itself to the side as the bare audible hum of the T.V filled the pregnant pause.
"Why are you so concerned with what he thinks?" Lisa asked and Allie felt the furrow on her brow deepen, scowl deepening at Lisa's words as she pondered on her friend's words. It wasn't so much as she cared what he thought (she didn't) but it was more so on what he might do. The thought of it all made Allie's stomach tie itself into knots and she knew that had she eaten breakfast already, she might had thrown it up there and then. Allie shook her head, an exasperated sigh bleeding past her lips.
"I… I don't know. Because maybe he could actually do something. Maybe because he could blackmail me into staying," Allie mumbled, not caring to look back to meet Lisa's stare but there was a gentle touch on her elbow, making Allie turn her attention and meet the concerned green eyes of Lisa.
"Are you so sure he's like that?"
Allie's mouth opened, a sharp inhale pooling in her chest to fill her words but nothing came out as she thought on the words, on what she actually thought of Stark. She didn't know him – well, she knew him but she didn't know him, didn't know anything about him save for what she read in tabloids and articles, what was written on his miles long Wikipedia page and the endless Youtube videos of interviews and everything in between.
She didn't know who Tony Stark was and didn't pretend to know him.
But…
For all his jackassery, for all the teasing and such, did Allie really think him capable of doing what she thought he could do? What he should do if he ever did dig too deep? That pit of guilt in the bottom of her stomach bubbled, boiling and frothing due to her thoughts; she always sought to see the worst in people so as to not feel the cruel sting of disappointment later and it always made her feel guilty, always made her feel like she was the bad guy – which she most likely was. Had Stark not offered a job – and a job with amazing pay, at that – when she had little to no experience? Granted it was either work for him or jail, but it was better than having her only choice being going to prison. He wasn't truly as condescending as he was in high self-regard and it wasn't as annoying as it had been once she learned that he didn't seem to mind when she would snipe right back at him. Allie shook her head meekly at Lisa and stared into the puddle of her drink, a frown on her lips.
"No. No, he isn't," she decided, a hefty exhale pushed through her nose as a groan left her. "Great, now I feel like such a cynical bitch for assuming the worst in people."
"It's understandable," Lisa attempted to comfort and Allie turned to her, a questioning look on her face.
"Being a bitch?"
"No, assuming the worst," Lisa chuckled, before it faded off into silence, an uncertain look gracing itself onto Lisa's features; it was a look Allie knew, one that she had learned to mean that Lisa was wondering whether she should say what was on her mind or not, which almost always resulted in the former. Lisa scooted her chair closer and linked her hands together, chewing on her bottom lip before she found her voice, looking at Allie with something that burned – pity. "Al… you know I can't ever judge you. You're my best friend and I get why you're worried, even if I hate the complaining and what. Whatever you do decide, I'll back you."
Allie mulled over Lisa's words, turning away briefly to ponder on her own thoughts on what she should do, as if there was anything she could do. Lisa was right, as always; all Allie could do now was to just soldier on, to go through each day and keep her mind focused on that deadline on June and to not let anything ever bother her or deter her from reaching it. Allie took a breath, shoulders rising before she turned to Lisa with a small smile curving on her lips. "I think that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me."
"Oh hush," Lisa snorted, leaning back into her chair once more. Allie found herself noticing how too often the two of them found themselves discussing Allie's problems, too often was Allie turning to Lisa for her own problems. It annoyed Allie at how so easily and readily she was to dump her troubles onto her friend. "Drink your gross tea and get to work."
"Yes, mammy," Allie teased, finished the lukewarm drink with a grimace at the same time as Lisa did, taking the two cups over the sink and giving them a quick rinse under the tap before leaving them on the rack to dry as she heard a beep coming from within her bag. Shaking her hands free from the loose droplets, Allie made her way to the bag that hung on the shoulder of the chair, rooting for the device until her fingers rushed over it, pulling it free from the confinements and the trinkets that lay in the bottom, wiping her damp hands on her clothes before she opened it up, the sight of what was before her nearly warranting a roll of her eyes due to the message.
'i sure do hope my favourite assistant doesn't decide to skip work today :('
"Who is it?" Lisa asked as she turned back to Allie, catching sight of her screwed up face, as will as the fact there was a small quirk at the corner of her lips.
"Three guesses," Allie shot back, taking a hold of her bag strap and slipping it on her shoulder, not looking up as she quickly typed out her reply to Stark ('i'm ur ONLY assistant so :^/'), sending it a whistle from Lisa caused Allie to turn her eyes up at her friend.
"Well… at least you finally have a guy hitting you up," Lisa snorted, making a look half torn between horror and feeling grossed out flitted over Allie's face, nose scrunching as her phone buzzed. ('don't put noses on your emojis :('.)
"Gross! He's, like, fifty!" Allie exclaimed but that seem to bother or deter Lisa as she gave a half shrug at Allie's statement.
"Forty-five, actually," she said, causing Allie to stare at her in silence, almost judging the fact that Lisa knew how old her boss was and Allie didn't and Lisa rolled her eyes. "Listen, every college kid has a low point where a sugar daddy is the only choice."
"And you're assuming I'm out of that low point," Allie joked, turning back to face the screen of her phone as she turned on her heel to leave, reaching into her bag to make sure she had enough cash money in order to buy herself a warm breakfast. ('why :^) ever :^) not :^) mr. stark :^) ? :^)))))')
"Leave! Go!"
(:(!')
"You are exactly three and a half minutes late."
Stark turned around in his chair, a smudge of grease rushing along the bridge of his nose as he adopted a look of faux disapproval on his face, arms over his chest and shaking his head at Allie as she strolled in, clutching yet another takeaway cup of tea that was still rather hot as the remnants of her breakfast remained in her mouth. Allie paused in her footsteps, raising an eyebrow at Stark and how he was trying to appear stern but it was hard to believe him when she could see was attempting not to smile. Allie reached into her pocket, clicking the home screen button and seeing that, indeed, he was right and she turned back to him.
"Are we counting the minutes now?" she asked, making her way over to her "desk" – the term was used loosely since it was far from being anything that Allie could actually work on, save for using the laptop she had taken from home and sorting through the large amounts of paper that were piled high on the edges of the table, her own make shift tower of Pisa that was threatening to collapse at any given moment. Allie placed her drink down on the table, sighing at the amount of unprocessed work that lay before her before turning eyes back to Stark, watching him roll himself away without standing from the chair to the other end of the workshop.
Allie actually wished that Stark was less of a recluse so that she might be able to save her eyes from the sight of the amount of work that awaited her, her glasses lying forgotten in the bottom of her bag.
"Only when I have to," Stark stated, raising his voice slightly so as to be heard as she watched him continue to tinker, somehow being able to find sense in all the chaos that was his workshop. It still amazed Allie that, for all the mess that surrounded her, he seemed to know where everything was, could name everything in its exact place. She had been careful in moving things around, keeping only to her small spot in the place to work on replying to the thousand upon thousands of e-mails and calls that soon flooded her phone after agreeing to work with Stark. For the most part, her job mostly comprised of denying invitations to dinners and charity events alike, though agreeing to donate a sum of money for whatever charity that was seeking it.
At times, he would disappear behind that high security door, the one that Allie had been dying to ask about but managed to stop herself from doing so; she had a feeling that was where he kept his suits, where he went to work on all things Avengers and the sort. Allie wanted nothing more than to sneak a peak but didn't want to appear nosy – the man had spent most of his life having his privacy intruded by the public and paparazzi alike, she hoped to let him have some form of secrecy.
"I didn't know my absence would be so noticed," Allie muttered, more so to herself than anything but it caught on the echo that was present in the room, carrying itself over to Stark where he caught wind of it.
"Well, it is," he replied back, standing from his chair and throwing her a smile as he began moving away into the other breakaway room of the workshop, where he spent most of his time working on all types of cars that Allie didn't even trying to name so as to not insult them. Stark disappeared around the corner, voice loud and calling back to Allie. "Coffee, black."
"Yes, Mr. Stark," she sighed, taking a sip from her own drink and moving around her desk, finally memorising the steps she must take so as to not knock anything or push anything from its place. The place was bigger than her own apartment but felt small, claustrophobic due to the sheer amount of junk that littered the place. But it felt homely, maybe due to the fact there was an actual kitchen put in place that Allie had yet to see be stocked with proper food and beverages. She wondered if he ever left the damned place, ever managed to actually step into the sunlight and breath in fresh air. She had entertained the thought of maybe going food shopping so that she wouldn't enter the place and find him dead, face first on the ground.
Knowing her luck, it might just happen.
Still, he had managed to survive this far without her, but it is technically her job to keep her boss functioning to some degree. She could do it the next time she went shopping, and what was a few dollars anyway?
Making her way into the kitchen (which might appear to have been hastily put it, was more done up than her own one at home) Allie clicked the kettle on – the kettle was one of the first things she invested in when she came here, as she couldn't stand the use of a coffee maker, nor did she understand how to use it. It had been a culture shock to Allie when she learned that kettles were not a common household item in many homes and it had been one of the first things she had corrected upon living here; it made life so much easier and she had refused to throw her own away despite years of decaying until Lisa convinced her to buy another one. She would never force herself to witness any hot drink being made by sticking it into a microwave ever again.
She peered around the kitchen, taking in the sight of the mess and it made her sigh yet again, glimpsing at the papers that were gathering dust and were limp and willing to fall over the edge. Taking note of the mess and reminding herself to clean it later, Allie quickly made the coffee, nearly gagging at the sight and smell, wondering how could he ever subject himself to such torture so early in the morning. It was positively vile and Allie held it at a distance from her, keeping one eye on her footsteps and one of the drink, careful to not drip any of it so that she would not end up falling ass over tit. The sound of music startled her at being put on so suddenly, nearly making her jump and she grumbled beneath her breath, cursing Stark at almost giving her a heart attack as she made her way to him, ignoring how much colder it was in this part of the workshop.
Allie flickered her gaze around the room and caught sight of his legs sticking out beneath the carcass of a torn apart car, making her way over and standing over him, waiting for him to roll out to take his drink from her hand; when Allie realised he hadn't noticed her presence due to the fact the blaring music silenced her entranced and the fact he couldn't actually see her, she stopped down, heels on the ground with knees bent as she tapped him on the knee, Stark instantly pulling himself free from beneath and giving a satisfied sigh at the sight of the cup, taking it from Allie's hand and sipping on it. The smell of metal and oil and rust invaded Allie's nose and it stung, making her recoil as she stood, watching Stark roll himself back under while placing the drink beside him
"Hey, have you seen my phone?" he called out from underneath, nearly having to shout over how loud the music was. "I put it down somewhere and I can't find it."
"You're asking me where is the phone that you literally used this morning? The person who literally just arrived not ten minutes ago?" Allie asked, screwing up her face and Stark rolled out from beneath the car, awaiting her answer and they held the stare before Allie gave an exhale, shoulders slumping and nodding, pointing over to where she could just about see the door to kitchen. "Yeah, it's over on the table beneath the stack of papers."
He gave a thumbs up in response and Allie took it as a sign for her to leave and get back to work, palms pressed together and moving back and forth to dispel whatever coldness that might have clung to her bones. The music wasn't so loud from where she worked, making it less likely for a headache to form.
For the most part, Allie was quite confident in what she should do during her day; most of the e-mails sent to her were ones asking if Mr. Stark would be able to attend this, or give a speech at that, or donate to such and such. She replied with the same thing every time and she wondered if she should start using copy and paste in order to speed up the process but found that to be a little too cold hearted. Her tea turned cold and when she couldn't handle staring at the screen of her computer any longer, she turned to the stacks of paper beside her, a raspberry sounding as she let out a breath, grabbing a hold of as much as she could take in both hands and began sorting through them, the job tedious and very boring.
Despite the fact that the majority of it being useless nonsense that Allie could throw away without a second thought, some of it made her hesitant to dump into the trashcan she had elected to place beside her desk that was quickly filling it. While she knew that he had said to only run things concerning the Avengers by him, there were many that contained urgent notices that Allie thought were important enough to warrant his attention. And it was, technically, her job to run these things by him, so he couldn't really get annoyed at her for doing her job. One of the first things Lisa had taught her was that it was better to be yelled at and be sure, than assume and be fired.
As if sensing her indecisiveness, Allie caught a glimpse of movement as the music was lowered, no longer pounding against the walls as Stark walked in, chugging down his drink as fast as he could without paying any heed to the fact he might scorch his throat and mouth at doing so. Taking the chance, Allie scooped what she had reviewed into her arms and made her way over to Stark, following his footsteps.
"Mr. Stark, I have a couple of things I need to run by you," she began and he didn't jump at the sound of her voice from behind him, nor did he turn to face her as he continued to make his way around the workshop, seeking refuge in the kitchen as Allie straightened the stack in her arms, fingers flicking over the edges and casting down to the top of the pile. "There are a lot of letters concerning the work in Sokovia."
At that, Stark did turn and Allie halted in her steps, nearly slamming into him at his sudden movement as he pursed his lips, seeming less amused at her words but not snapping as she thought he would, much to Allie's relief. He chewed on her words for a moment before turning away once more and moving to put his empty cup into the sink upside down. "Oh?"
"Personal ones aside," Allie started, taking it as a sign to continue her inquiry and took the first one off the top, taking it in her hand and holding it for her to read, babbling as she spoke and getting all she could in before he would decide that he didn't want to hear anymore and make her life that bit more difficult. "It's mostly just contract work and the recovering of sites. Because a lot of the sites where the most destruction was caused are now under the control of the Stark Relief Foundation, there have been a lot of inquiries into whether rebuilding can – "
"Agree to it."
Allie blinked, tearing eyes away from the page and back to Stark, watching him as he turned the kettle back on, no longer complaining at having to use it. When she had first brought it in, he had all but turned his nose up at it but now it seemed that his intake of coffee tripled in size ever since. Allie opened her mouth, fumbling for words as she continued to hold the page out in front of her, confused.
"But… you haven't looked at it."
"Don't need to," he stated, throwing her a wave of the hand over his shoulder, watching the kettle click finish and pouring it into his new, clean cup. Allie frowned at the fact he didn't bother using the same one but kept her trap shut before she could say anything. His voice was exasperated, heavy and devoid of the usual light heated tone that he kept when he spoke. Allie almost forgot that he had been there during Sokovia, that it wasn't an empty metal suit but a real human who had seen countless lives destroyed, saw so much destruction unfold and could do little to stop it. She wondered if his dreams kept him up at night and if the coffee was a way to keep them at bay. "Civilian homes and lots can be given back to the control of Sokovia once the rubble has been cleared and… and once the recovering is done."
She knew what the pause meant, knew what lingered behind the word recover and her lips pressed together, looking down and trying to not think of all the videos that had been shoved in front of her, of all the photos of blooded and bent bodies trapped beneath bricks and buildings. Her stomach knotted and Allie swallowed the lump in her throat, pushing forward quickly and away from all those dreary thoughts, those dreadful realities for some people.
"Right," Allie said, breathing the word out sharply and trying to not let him catch on to what she was thinking, shaking her head and scattering the thoughts before turning back to the more important matters at hand, shuffling the papers as she continued. "And, there's been an inquiry into whether you'll be attending – "
"Nope. Next," Stark said instantly, cutting Allie off and her face pinched together as he turned back around, nonchalant and unbothered as he drank, awaiting the next order of business.
"You didn't even listen to what I was going to say!" Allie cried with dismay and he raised his brow.
"Is it a charity event?"
"Well…" Allie hesitated, maybe hoping that she could lie or twist her words but a quick glance to the page and found that it would be next to impossible to do so, finishing her sentence with a semblance of defeat. "Yes."
"Then I already know," Stark shrugged, pleased at having won out against Allie and he paused for a moment, mulling over his thoughts before he pushed himself from the counter and across the kitchen. "Donate whatever money is needed and send a heartfelt and longwinded e-mail that, unfortunately, I can't make it, so on and so forth."
"Should I just use copy and paste from now on?" Allie mumbled, intending the words to be for herself but they came out louder than she expected and she turned pink, watching Stark stop in his footsteps and giving her unintentional suggestion a thought before nodding, uncaring and moving forward to make his way past Allie as she stood near the door way.
"If it speeds up the process quicker, then knock yourself out."
"Fine," Allie all but snapped, nearly wanted to tear her hair out as she trailed after Stark, shuffling the papers in her arms once more to move onto the next thing that she felt that needed attention. "I also have to – "
"Tell me, Ms. Lawrence," Stark suddenly said, rounding on Allie and once more nearly making her stumble. Bastard, Allie hissed in her mind as she stopped the papers in her arms from flying everywhere, scattering on the ground that would have been a pain in the arse to clean up. He seemed unbothered by his sudden action, hair wild and untamed, curling at the ends and catching in the curve of his ears, beneath the collar of his shirt. "How long have you been learning about how to crack firewalls?"
That was not she was expecting.
Allie blinked, confused and befuddled at his question as she let her arms drop slightly, looking up at him. "I'm… sorry?"
"To break it down in layman's terms: codes, data, firewalls – the whole shebang," he further explained, taking a step away from Allie and moving to one of the desks that held what looked to be one of the few fully intact computers in the room, the others locked away for his use and safe from any prying eyes. Allie kept her eyes trained on him as he reclaimed his tattered and worn down swivel chair once more, rolling it beneath the lip of the desk.
"I don't see how's the relevant to my job – sir," Allie said, hastily sticking the last word onto the end of her sentence so as to need seem rude or bristly. Truthfully, all she wanted was to get her job done and she wasn't sure if she had the energy to put up with whatever game he was trying to play with her. Stark turned himself around and adopted a look of surprise on his face/
"Oh, it's very relevant. You see, after the whole situation of you managing to breach my security while drunk," Stark emphasised, giving Allie a pointed look that caused the warmth in her cheeks to deepen, making her sure that had she not been wearing makeup, her face would have been far too red for her liking. "I've come to realise I'm not as invincible as I thought."
"Uh… you're welcome?" Allie coughed, unsure of what to reply with.
"Not really," he sighed and Allie dropped all pretence of shyness to give him a deadpan look that didn't deter him. He moved back and forth in his chair, the two eyeing each other before he broke first. "So, tell me, how long?"
Maybe if she relented, she could finish this quickly and get back to what she was meant to be doing. With a sigh, Allie replied, moving to place what was in her arms in a steady stack on a spare space on a smooth surface, one of the few that were in the room but only because it was one of the places Allie had been allowed to clear up. "Since I was fourteen, Mr. Stark."
"And that was, what, five years ago?" he snorted, garnering a glare from Allie.
"I'm not that young," she insisted, arms snaking around her chest in a very unamused manner as Stark copied her stance while sitting, mimicking but not mocking.
"Anyone born after '89 is practically a baby," he stated and Allie let out an indignant huff, a strand of her hair catching and being pushing back from where it lay tickling her cheek.
"I'm twenty-five!"
"Wow, you're like a little baby," Stark cooed and had Allie been allowed to, she would have given him a smack on the arm but found that she worked better with words rather than her physical strength – or rather, her lack of it.
"Only because you're absolutely ancient," she sneered without a thought and an uncharacteristic pout found its way onto his lips, slumping into his chair as he acted the part of a wounded pup, big brown eyes almost gleaming and catching on the lights on the ceiling,
"Ow, ow, ow," Stark gasped, giving a sniffle and clapping his hand on his chest, giving a sharp tsk with his tongue. "Sticks and stones, Ms. Lawrence, sticks and stones."
"Can I ask why you're asking me this?" Allie inquired, trying to not appear as hostile as well as letting curiosity get the best of her; Stark couldn't have seemed happier at her question as he gave a bright, toothy grin at Allie.
"Call it curiosity," he beamed.
"I have a feeling it's nosiness," Allie countered.
"Same difference," he scoffed, shrugging and Allie might have tried to argue had he not been right to some degree. He clapped his hands together, palms and fingers pressed together and pointed towards Allie as he spoke. "The point is, I want to know if you've actually thought to try and perfect a security system rather than break it down. That's where true skill lies."
"Uh, no. I haven't," Allie revealed. It wasn't the whole truth, but he didn't need to know that. "I've never seen a point to doing it, or have had the chance."
"Great! Because here's your chance!" he exclaimed, hands breaking apart to spread at his side, the bright smile on his face causing crinkles to appear along his eyes, the laugh lines digging deep and making him appear that bit warmer, eyes bright and throwing back the dotted reflection of the lights. "I did say I would teach you some things. Apprentice, meet master."
He gestured to her at the former and to himself at the latter and Allie pulled a face at his words. "Is there a Human Resources department I can call?"
"How about: student, meet more experienced student," he hastily corrected and Allie gave a satisfied shrug and he leant back in his chair, seemingly satisfied with his correction. "We can have a 'learn from each other' kind of thing."
"Mr. Stark, I'd really rather just do my job," Allie sighed, no longer having the energy to keep him entertained. It wasn't a lie and she got a pain just by throwing a glance to her rather pathetic looking desk that sat in the far corner, scowling at the sight of how much work lay awaiting for her. "I have a lot to do."
"It'll still be there when you're done!" he half sighed, half pushed, as if it would make her jump at his offer.
"Unfortunately," Allie whispered but the man must have ears like a dog because, by God, did he managed to catch onto her words. Or maybe it was because Allie was absolutely terrible at muttering to herself.
"I'm sorry?"
"Nothing, Mr. Stark. Listen, I think I should get the work that's need to be done before I do anything else."
"As your boss, I'm afraid I'm going to have to tell you that this is a very important part of your training and needs to be done immediately," he stated rather seriously, but he didn't appear to be serious about being, well, serious and Allie found herself breaking.
"Fine, fine," Allie finally relented with a groan, reaching up to gently pinch the bridge of her nose, careful not to remove the makeup that she had placed there that morning. Life would have been much easier if she could just gently place her face into her hands and scream into them but she really didn't want to end up ruining her perfectly shaped eyebrows. "If it needs to be done, I'll do it. Then can I please get my work done?"
"It would be easier to just put everything into a shredder," he told her with a shrug and Allie looked to him, eyes narrowed.
"Do you have a shredder?" she asked him and his mouth opened before promptly closing, a sheepish grin on his face.
"Ironically, no. I could build one for you, if you want," he offered, sitting up straighter as if he was hoping for her to say yes, as if he wanted something to keep him busy, but Allie gave a quick, pre-emptive shake her head at his suggest.
"I'd be afraid it'd start shooting lasers or something of the sort," she said.
"Nonsense! It'd be cooler if it could break down anything – metal, cement, bone, wood. You name it."
"I really, really don't want to know why you included bone on that list," Allie stressed, trying not to feel somewhat creeped out at his little list but he cocked his head to side.
"Why not?" he asked and that made Allie stare even wider at him.
"Alright then, Hannibal Lector, let's just do whatever you want me to do and let's do it quick."
"Wrong."
"What do you mean wrong?!"
"I meant you did it wrong."
"That's a lie, and you know it. I've been at this for nearly two hours and I've already missed my lunch break! You're just being cruel."
Allie pushed herself back into her chair, sulking as her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at the screen and then glowering at Stark who was torn between being amused at her reaction and feeling exasperated at the fact that they had spent so long at this and Allie had not yet gotten the hang at it. Despite the fact Allie was failing miserably at honing her skills to his standard, she had yet to see him get annoyed, to show her some 'tough support' in order to make her get her skills to a standard he approved of without having to rely on an accessory to aid her.
"Cruelty is one of life's greatest teachers, Ms. Lawrence," he consoled, shaking his head sadly as if he knew she could never manage to surpass him. "One day you'll learn."
"What, when I'm as old as you?" Allie scoffed, ignoring the pain in her stomach at the fact she had, unwittingly, missed her lunch break without her noticing due to the fact she had been so engrossed in her impromptu lesson. Rather than getting annoyed at her comment, Stark actually gave a laugh instead, the two trading barbs far too easily for employer and employee.
"You have another forty years before that happens," he said and Allie turned to him, blinking and both processed his words, neither knowing of what to make of them.
"I don't know if that's supposed to insult me or you."
Stark pondered for a moment, trying to decide before making up his mind. "Both, I think."
"I'm not doing it wrong," Allie whined, pulling herself up into a straight position as the ache in her back began to twinge again, wrists hurting and fingers stiff, the jacket she had been wearing long since gone and thrown over the back of her chair, sleeves tucked up to the crook of her elbow and her hair was – as she had predicted earlier this morning – tied to the nape of her neck after it had begun to annoy her some time ago. "I know I'm not."
"Wrong yet again, Ms. Lawrence. Maybe you should stop thinking with your head, and stark thinking with your fingers." Stark screwed his face up in unison with Allie, his words hitting both of them and he gave a shudder, closing his eyes and giving his head a short and brief nod, as if relenting to her earlier statement. "Okay, no, I heard that and it sounded wrong."
"I'm tired, I'm going to take a break – you know, to make up for the one I missed," she pointed out and Stark threw up both hands, palms facing outwards in surrender and he moved away, making his way across the workshop in the chair, not caring to look at what was being pushed around.
"Alright, alright."
Allie stood to her feet, taking a hold of her jacket in her hand and slipping her arms through the sleeves, pulling her ponytail free from the collar and letting her soft curls fall down her back, reaching up to sweep any loose strands back behind her ears. Stark began to fiddle with something Allie couldn't name, a strange looing piece that he tinkered with, his tongue peaking out form the corner of his mouth as he did so; tearing her eye away, Allie made her way back to her bag, taking the strap in her hand and slipping it over her head so that it rested at the crook of her neck, the bulging back bumping against her hip.
Allie turned, hand reaching in to take her wallet before a thought occurred to her, trespassing to the forefront of her mind and making her footsteps still; while she had managed to sneak a few snacks throughout her missed lunch break, she hadn't actually seen Stark eat at all through the day and that was worrying for anyone. Allie chewed on her bottom lip as she stiffly turned on her heel, unsure of her words and of her actions. Truth be told, Allie hadn't ever seen him eat through out the day save for shoving a few hastily made sandwiches down his gullet but only when Allie would prompt him, taking notice that he hadn't eaten; she bit on her tongue, mind half screaming at her to go, the other half pushing her to say the words.
"Do… you want anything?" Allie asked awkwardly, the latter half of her mind winning out while watching Stark slowly turn in his chair and stare at her, pausing in his tinkering and giving her a strange look as if he was uncertain as to why she was asking – just as Allie was unsure why she was asking him too. She fumbled for a moment before clearing her throat, ignoring how tongue-tied she was. There wasn't really anything wrong with asking someone if they wanted to eat, was there? People needed food to survive! He didn't have to look at her so weirdly. "I'm pretty sure I haven't seen you eat all day."
"Is that concern, Ms. Lawrence?" Stark said, a grin winding itself onto his mouth but it didn't seem to quite reach his eyes and Allie shifted on her feet, giving a half hearted laugh. He didn't think her to be so cold hearted as to not actually care about his wellbeing? He was the one signing her pay cheques after all; he couldn't do that if he was dead.
"I can't have my new boss dying on me after just getting hired. Not again, at least."
"That is equally terrifying and respect worthy," Stark gaped, unblinking before flashing her a million dollar smile, winking at Allie, not making her as uncomfortable as it ought to have made her. "I won't keep you for much longer then. That doesn't mean we're going to abandon this little project!"
"Project? It's a project now?" Allie scoffed.
"With the fact you keep failing miserably, yes."
"Right, well," Allie said, ignoring the insult as she clapped her hands together, quickly wanting move away from a subject that showed her rather laughable skills at trying to breach Stark's security – she was quite happy with how she worked, even if it was the reason why she got caught. Maybe he did have a point in having her learn without relying on an accessory but not when she was nearly dying of starvation. "I'm going to get food before I die and then I'm going to do my work – my actual work. I still have a lot more cupboards to clean out."
"My shredder offer is still open," he half sang and Allie quickly shook her head.
"I'd be afraid I might slip and it'd eat me," Allie shuddered, not wanting to imagine it in her head lest she wanted to give herself nightmares; Lisa had always called her a big scaredy-cat for being unable to handle any type of blood and gore, even in horror movies, but Allie didn't want to explain the smell of rust clinging to the inside of her nose, the metallic taste staining her tongue. She pushed all thoughts of blood and a shredder eating her away from the front of her mind, back into the dark corner where she banished almost everything.
"I'll try and make sure that won't happen – at least, not again," Stark said solemnly, shaking his head sadly and Allie stared wide eyed at him before realising it was simply a repeat of her own words earlier and she snorted.
"That is terrifying and respect worthy and I am leaving to get food," Allie announced, an echo of his own words back at him before making her way over to the elevator, straightening her bag and jacket on her so as to not having anything feeling ill-fitted or digging into her, the soft crooning of the music player echoing through the walls as she pressed the button to call the elevator, a moment of debate taking place before she turned back to face Stark, speaking to take his attention. Are you sure you don't want anything?"
"I've survived so far." His choice of words, for some reason, bothered Allie. She knew what it was to just survive, but she didn't want to dig too deep, didn't want to entangle herself more than she should.
"And I'm partly curious yet too frightened to ask how," Allie stated, the truth in her words as she had thought about it before, not hours ago due to the fact there was a startling lack of food in his cupboards but he waved her words and her concealed concern away once more, the elevator giving a small ding behind her and the maw of the metal opened, Allie not looking as she stepped into it.
"Enjoy your lunch, Ms. Lawrence," he called out as the elevator doors closed in front of Allie, making the last thing she saw being Stark giving her a wave, a rather friendly yet tired smile on his mouth before all she could see was the sight of her warped reflection in the doors. A breath she didn't know she had been holding burst free and Allie sagged, resting against the cool metal of the walls of the elevator.
Despite how tired she felt, there was some relief there – relief that she knew that Stark was proving himself to be less and less like the asshole always described in the countless trashy exposés that had forced herself to read through to gain any grain of insight into his character. For all his teasing, all his comments, his aloofness, she had yet to see him act like a complete asshole.
Then again, maybe only time would tell.
And it was only until June.
And Allie could do until June.
She hoped.
If she didn't end up smacking Tony Stark over the back of the head, that is.
Hello, hello! Just before I get into my A/N i'd like to answer a few of your reviews!
Tabbycat1220: thank you so much! I'm so glad that you enjoy the story so far!
PrincessMagic: AJSODJAOI THANK YOU! I have to admit that this style of writing it is a bit different from what I'm used to and now I'm alternating between this writing style and the one I'm used to so at times it's weird for me. Thank you so much for reviewing and for loving Allie! she's such a dear and i love her sm! (i say as i plan out a world of pain for her) thanks again for showing this fic much desired love and support!
paulavara140: no problem dear! I hope you enjoy this chapter as you have the last few!
pinkeye: ahhhh thank you! i'm so glad to hear that you're enjoying the fic so far! i love my baby boy tony so much and by god if marvel won't let me love my boy, then i'll just have to CREATE someone to love him for me! really, though I might have it secret for now, Allie really does deserve some happiness in her life after everything. thank you so much for supporting the fic as always!
eden: thank you thank you thank you! it was important for me to get the dialogue down right and i find it so much easier to establish a chemistry when i write the dialogue first and then the description in between. i wanted to make them similar in some sense but not overly the same; they both have their own demons to fight and it's always nice to find comfort in someone else! these two kids are super sad and super lonely and super READY for everything together! thank you so so so much for reviewing once more and showing my little fic so much love!
PotatoeWriter54: ahhhh thank you loveen! i'm so glad i managed to get tony and allie's chemistry down and didn't make it seem forced or anything! it's such a breath of relief to know i managed to get it right because i'm always worried about the interaction between two characters, especially when only one is a canon character. i'm so glad that you're enjoying to story so far!
spacevoyage: thank you so much dear! i do hope you enjoy the rest of the story as well!
Usagia94: thank you! i hope that i managed to impress with this chapter and i hope i continue to do so!
just a quick notice that next week's chapter might be a little late, i'm not sure yet as my debs (or prom for non-irish people) is later this week and i don't know if i'll have the energy to have the next chapter up by next tuesday, but it will definitely be next week!
also once more this chapter is unedited! sorry!
Thanks for reading!
