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Chapter Seven.

Allie didn't particularly mind having a routine in her life; routine was comfort, it was how she managed to function. For all her worries of spontaneity with working for Tony Stark, none of them had actually come to pass. While part of her remained disappointed that life wasn't turning out as excited and adventure filled as she hoped, the other half was largely glad that there was normalcy in her life rather than the fear of being dragged in to danger coming to pass.

For the most part, she found herself being dragged into a sense of security; every morning she would wake up just after the crack of dawn, make herself presentable, drink her tea and scarf down her breakfast, mindlessly scroll through her social media for a few minutes before she would finally find herself leaving the apartment, throwing a quick and hasty good-bye to Lisa over her shoulder as she went out the door that was quietly returned before she would begin her trek to work.

July had come and gone and now the frigidness of August was finding its way into her skin; her coats had become heavier and ankle boots were now a staple in her wardrobe as she was sure that rain was going to burst from the heavens at any given moment due to how puffed up and bloated the grey clouds appeared to be nowadays. Every morning, her feet would find themselves walking the path to her old workplace and she found herself almost missing it when she was engulfed in the warmth of it all; there, she would purchase herself a hot drink from a much warmer Francis, who seemed to growing more and more curious as to what her new job was and Allie would always leave him hanging.

Work was where that sense of security lulled; it never ceased to amaze Allie how Stark could always leave her surprised in even the most mundane of tasks. Her job didn't consist of much, save for answering calls, replying to e-mails and making sure to keep Stark free from any commitments that he had no interest in being a part of . At times he would disappear from the workshop and into that strange room, the one that Allie was dying to know what was hidden behind the high security door. She could probably guess it was where all his suits were, where he spent hours upon hours locked away with those extensions of himself, but guessing and thinking wasn't as fun as knowing.

Because of his lack of presence at times, Allie often found herself alone and counting the minutes down to lunch time where she could spend as much time on her phone as she could without feeling guilty for not putting effort into her work; of course, sometimes she could find gems and jewels of things that would spark her interest and capture her attention before it, inevitably, went into the bin because while it might had intrigued her, she could tell that Stark wouldn't feel the same. It was simple really, how it all worked; she kept him free from anything that wasn't to do with the Avengers or Sokovia, and in return he paid her an immense amount of money to sit there, bored out of her skull while going through his paperwork – the majority of which ended up in the bin even if Allie did find something that she felt needed his attention but would be something she knew that he would end up scrunching into a ball and throwing over his shoulder.

He had been quite specific in his instructions: only bother him when she comes across anything to do with the Avengers and/or Sokovia. It was that simple and she knew what he meant when it was something important. It was quite a simple, easy to understand rule.

So, Allie did what anyone bored out of their mind did.

She broke that rule.

"Mr. Stark?" Allie asked, footsteps light as she made her way into the room, watching him with a wrench in hand as he tightened the bolt to some contraption that Allie couldn't figure out for the life of her. For a moment, she stopped and stared, turning and tilting her head in all different directions before shaking her head and moving forward again, balancing the laptop that she held in her hands on one arm as she drew nearer to Stark's crouching form, his back towards her and unsurprised by her sudden appearance.

He still hadn't turned around by the time Allie paused her steps an arm's length away from him, the music he was playing much louder than she had anticipated but the volume being something she was becoming used to. While, once, Allie might have considered his lack of attention and failure to turn around to meet her as being rude, she quickly learned that it was just how he was and that she couldn't expect his undivided attention whenever she needed to run something by him. Plus. There was the fact she knew he had heard her because, being the only two people in the entire place, they were always aware of the other's presence.

"Yes?" he replied, still remaining crouched down, wrench in hand as Allie turned her eyes towards the screen of her laptop, a free hand reaching up to push the glasses that had slipped down the bridge of her nose back up to where they had previously sat; Allie had decided that the pain of not being able to see properly was greater than having her make up looking perfect throughout the day and she began wearing the spectacles more often throughout the day. Allie felt unsure, shifting her weight and she gave a quick cough to clear her throat.

"You know how you told me there were specific documents that you would like to look over?" Allie said, running her tongue over her lips as she tried to keep her voice loud enough for Stark to hear her words. It must have worked as he gave a snort, throwing the wrench down beside him and wiping his hands on his pants, stains and smears washing off of his palms and fingers and onto the material before he stood, his hair a straggly mess and face seeming pale, unwashed and streaked with grease and exhaustion; the purple bruises beneath his eyes were definitely due to the lack of sleep during the night, making Allie narrow her eyes but she pushed the concern aside as he cocked his head to the side, pulling up a corner of his mouth.

"I think," he began, voice light but there was a weariness to it and Allie couldn't help but wonder when was the last time he had a decent night's rest. He raised an eyebrow at her and rolled his shoulders, as if to lessen the tension that was buried deep there. "I said I wanted only to have documents about the Avengers referred to me but then you completely ignored that."

"Yeah, that," Allie nodded, correcting her glasses once more as she turned to the laptop once more, ignoring the dull ache arising in her muscles from holding it up for so long as she began to scroll through the miles upon miles of e-mails to pull up the one she had wanted. "So, you know how you said that?"

Stark looked at her, pausing in his actions and there was a gleam in his eyes, crinkles along his eyes more pronounced. "How I said what I just said?"

Allie blinked and gave another nod. "Yeah."

Stark gave a huff and copied Allie's nod, moving around her but careful not to brush up against her in case he might leave a smudge. "Yes, I do remember."

"Was it anything to do with the Avengers – I mean, anything at all?" Allie further continued and it made Stark spin, looking at her and at the laptop in her arms, eyes narrowing as he continued to stare down at her as she rolled her weight to one leg, shifting the growing weight in her arms to ease the dull ache of it all.

"Why? Is there something?"

"Yes – maybe."

Stark raised an eyebrow, rolling his weight to one leg just as Allie had, arms winding across his chest as he prompted her to continue. "Well, which is it? Yes, or probably not?"

"Well," Allie began, ignoring the ache in her arms that began to grow more and more by the second. A sharp gust left her mouth, catching on a tickling strand of hair that was resting against her cheek as she tried to ignore the fact she was now looking at Stark over the rim of her glasses, the spectacles now lower from their previous position. "You see, it's both. It's to do with the Avengers."

"And?" Stark encouraged Allie, the latter gesturing to the laptop that was clutched in her hand.

"And," Allie stressed, blinking behind her glasses. "I wanted to see if you wanted to look over it."

Stark raised an eyebrow at her, glancing at the laptop before turning back at her, waiting for her to further explain. "Is it important?"

"I think so."

"There's a difference between thinking so, and knowing so," he said and suppressed the need to scoff, the weight of the laptop becoming too much for her arm to handle at an angle so she began to switch arms, moving the weight to ease the pain but before she could, Stark began reaching out, taking it from her so she wouldn't have to look like a fool holding it for much longer. Allie stretched her arm at her side, wiggling her fingers as Stark balanced the laptop much as she had, not bothering to stop himself from giving a scoff of his own as he turned to the screen.

"But thinking it's important makes me know, in my feelings, that it's important," Allie explained, making much more sense in her head than it had when she said the words aloud; Allie stood beside Stark, scrolling through the e-mails once more, trying to catch sight of the one she wanted as he held it out at an angle to make it easier for her to do so.

"Knowing is based on confirmation and facts," he tried to say as Allie worked, not bothered that her attention was divided, as if speaking more so to himself rather than to her but not particularly minding the fact that he had an audience. "Thinking is based on feelings."

Allie pulled her eye away from the screen and up at him, his words making her confused and he gave a shrug, as if it wasn't his problem that she didn't understand what nonsense he was spewing before she shook her head, looking back to her laptop before catching sight of the e-mail . "Technicality aside, here's the document."

Clicking on it, Allie brought it up, expanding it on the screen and stepping back, resuming the stretching of her arm as Stark pulled the laptop closer to him, eyes darting over the screen and the words, the crease between his brow deepening and deepening as he skimmed over the e-mail.

"Ms. Lawrence?"

"Yes, Mr. Stark?"

He turned the laptop around to face her, not looking half annoyed as she thought he would be but there was a hint of exasperation in his tone, less amused and looking more the disapproving and tired boss. "What is this?"

Allie fixed her glasses on her nose, able to make out the words much better than he had before, half worried that she had made a mistake and ended up clicking on something that wasn't what she had to be, dreading that it was a completely different e-mail. Yet, as she looked, Allie saw that she hadn't made a mistake and it was what she had wanted to run by him and relief flooded through her as she met Stark's gaze once more, trying not to feel too confused by his reaction. "It's, uh, it's a document addressed to you about whether – "

"I can see what it's about," he interjected, using a hand to break her off mid-sentence, though it didn't annoy Allie as much as it should have because she knew that running things by him would either end in being shut down or being ushered away. "But what is this doing in my hand?"

"You said you wanted to look over any document about the Avengers and such," Allie reiterated, echoing his earlier words that he had told her back when she had decided to sit for their impromptu job interview.

"I think I was a bit more specific than that," he muttered, twisting the laptop back in his hands so that he could look to the screen, looking over it to stare at Allie with a look that made her feel like the stupidest person in the room – which was true no matter what since it was only the two of them regardless of the situation. "But what I meant was anything but this."

"Technically," Allie began, trying to explain herself, head tilting to the side as her hands wrung themselves in front of her stomach. "It is with regards to the Avengers."

"Technically, Ms. Lawrence," Stark parroted and Allie frowned as he took another glance towards the screen, as if he was once more trying to make sure what was before him the very same thing Allie felt was in dire need of his attention before he looked back at her. "It's a charity invitation to raise money for a children's hospital to replace the one destroyed during the attack on New York."

They stared at one another, waiting for the other to break first but Allie kept her spine straight, not yet backing down. "Yes, that's why I handed it to you."

"What I meant, Ms. Lawrence," he sighed, as if trying to sound incensed but not quite succeeding at it. Allie was half afraid to see him when he was truly angry. He gestured with his free hand towards the screen, pulling a face. "Was not things like this."

"But you said documents referring to the Avengers – hence, this," Allie replied, mimicking his gestures right back at him and he gave a snort, holding the device out in front of him, indicating that he didn't want to look at it anymore and Allie stepped forward, taking it back in her grip once more as he dusted imaginary dust from his palms, brushing them together.

"Let's just put this aside. Tell them we can't make it and that we have to go fight some evil aliens or something," he said, seeming indifferent and stand-offish, Allie's annoyance spiking at his behaviour. She tried to not let it get to her but she couldn't stop herself from feeling aggravated by his actions. Maybe it was an act, maybe it was sincere, but in the end, no matter what, it bothered Allie to no end.

"You… you're not even going to think about going?" Allie queried, making Stark turn his attention back to her, a cough leaving her as she tried to find the right words to say, or any words that didn't come off as being rude. She knew he had his reasons, even if she didn't understand them, but that didn't mean she had to just roll with his seemingly uncaring attitude. She knew that he wasn't as cold and heartless as the media tried to paint him as. She knew about what he did during The Incident, how he helped retain peace in the Middle East, helping Sokovia by channelling money and resources into it's recovery. Allie knew, knew that he was doing more than he appeared to be doing – but she still couldn't understand why he was acting the way he was. "I just meant, Mr. Stark, that it's an invitation to raise money for the destruction done to a children's hospital. Destruction done during The Incident."

There was a pregnant, tension filled pause as Allie finished, an implication hanging in the air, one that Allie hadn't meant and all trace of playfulness was leaving Stark's face as a worry began to brew in Allie's veins. "Is that distaste I hear in your tone, Ms. Lawrence?"

"Not distaste, sir," Allie cleared up, shaking her head and swallowing roughly to soothe the dryness in her throat. With each passing second, Allie was wishing that she had kept her big, fat mouth shut rather than spewing the nonsense that was leaving her lips at that moment. "I think it's more confusion."

"And what, Ms. Lawrence is it that you're confused about?" he questioned, as if he was genuinely curious about what she was thinking, what she was trying to articulate but was failing to get across.

"As to why an influential public figure just as yourself would dislike using your influence to, well… influence people."

"Nice wording," he laughed, tossing her a quick wink that didn't quite fit the situation and Allie didn't return it with a smile or anything, ignoring how she was feeling a bit irritated by how aloof he was being. "Liked how you used influence there."

"Mr. Stark, as your assistant, I believe it's my job to help you throughout your daily business as well as your personal tasks," Allie began, trying to tamp down on the annoyance in her veins, nearly bursting beneath her skin as she stared at Stark over the lip of the laptop, the glow of the screen casting an eerie glow over the darker room, shadows cast over her face. Stark met her gaze without defiance and it spurred her on, the moment rushing by too fast for Allie to catch a hold of. "I'm afraid that soon my job will consist of helping you clean down cars and making coffee and I don't think that there being a lack of hospitals that tend to children specifically will help any of us."

Allie's mouth snapped shut and she could feel the horror and mortification of what she had said dawn on her like a cruel reality, eyes bugging out from where they sat in her skull as her face began to burn, Stark's face remaining impassive and not taking on a look of anger as she expected, as she dreaded. The breath in Allie's lungs dried up, the crashing feeling of guilt hitting her so hard it left bruises in her bones, knotting her stomach as her voice died, as if it was too shocked by what she had said to resurface again. She found whatever courage she had wilt away to ash in her, crumbling beneath the stare of Stark as he remained silent, unmoved, unnerved by what Allie had spat out at him.

Her stomach was tying itself into knots – but she found it was not because of what she feared would happen, not because she thought he would fire her or anything of the sort; the tugging of her guts, the dryness of her throat, guilt eroding away at her, it was because she felt horrible for what she said. The shock of the moment dripped away and left Allie feeling some sense of self-disgust for what she had said to him, of what she had implied beforehand – that it was his fault that the hospital was damaged because it was done during The Incident.

Stark gave a sharp hum, pursing lips for a moment before he gave a ghost of a grin, not at all as warm as they used to be and clearly forced. Allie's mouth parted and the sharp blade of a breath cut through her, doing little to stop the guilt and shame of what she had said. "Sharp words, Ms. Lawrence."

"Mr. Stark, I'm – I'm so sorry. I meant no disrespect," Allie spluttered, trying to ignore the croak in her voice, the remorse that wavered her words. There was a coil around her throat and she tried to find the right thing to say, backing away as an undignified string of words forced themselves up her throat, out through her mouth. "Mr. Stark. I'm sorry – I'm so sorry, I overstepped my boundaries – "

"No, it's – it's fine, stay," he sighed, making a motion of his hand to draw her nearer and Allie couldn't help but comply. "Let me have a look at it once more."

"Here."

Allie once more put the laptop into Stark's clutch, the warmth of his hands burning into her cold ones before she stepped back, chewing on her lip while trying to ignore the shame and guilt that was eating away at her. She felt awkward, unsure of what to say or do as Stark read through the e-mail, lips pursed and eyes flickering back and forth on the screen before he clicked his tongue, a sharp tsk sound leaving his mouth before he brought his stare to meet Allie's one, pulling her from her internal ass kicking. "Do you have any more information on it?"

"Yes," Allie said, trying to hide how dumbfounded and astounded she was at the fact he was actually interested in finding out more. Allie gave a small cough and racked her brain for what she remembered as Stark continued to read through the e-mail at a pace Allie wouldn't be able to keep up with, the words only half sinking in. "Fancy wording aside, it's mainly the selling of paintings that were damaged during The Incident and have been recovered. While they aren't of any historic or artistic importance, they are done by very well known artists who have donated what they can in hopes of raising sufficient funds."

"When is it?" Stark inquired, scrolling quickly through the e-mail without regards to who it was from or where it was being held.

"Three days from now, sir – the 14th of August," Allie clarified prompted by a quick throwaway glance from Stark as she stood closer to him, bumping arms while reaching a hand out and her index finger pointing out the most important information that was on the screen, ignoring the heat of his bicep that was starting to seep in through the material of her clothes, burning; she could smell the metallic tang rust and his cologne from him. "It starts around mid-morning – half one would be the time the first bidding takes place."

"And today is?" he asked, weary and wispy.

Allie stared at him, casting a look his way before stepping away to gain some space to breathe with trepidation rising as she watched him before answering. How long has he locked himself down here for? "It's Tuesday."

"Right. Right," he repeated, balancing the laptop on one arm briefly to run his hand over his face and up through his hair; Allie felt her lips purse into a straight line, taking notice of how the bright glow from the screen of the laptop highlighted his exhaustion, the smudges beneath his eyes a deep, dark violet that hung half way down his face, the smears of dirt and grease old and almost painted on. It was at times like these that Allie couldn't help but worry, wondering if he ever slept at night. There was a moment's pause of silence before Allie couldn't stand it anymore.

"Sir, are you okay?" Allie asked, concern burrowing itself into her as she stared at Stark, watching him as his eyes darted over the invitation, features pinched together as if he was deep in thought and that it was hurting him. She hadn't ever seen him so quiet and it was nearly worrying for her; Allie stepped closer, ignoring her glasses as the slipped down her nose, trying to get a better look at Stark and see if he was okay before he gave a hum of confirmation, indicating he was listening before a breathy sigh left him. It did little to brush the growing concern for his reaction away, making Allie think he was anything but okay.

"What, me? Of course. Just thinking about my best suit to wear, is all," Stark stated, eyes flitting across what was before him, stunning Allie to say the least.

"You're… you're going?" To say Allie was surprised wouldn't be the right word; Stark tore his eyes from the screen of the laptop, an eyebrow raised as if it was so obvious that that was what he was going to do.

"It's as you said, we can't have you cleaning cars," he smiled, but it didn't seem all that natural, like back in her apartment when they first met, the forced grin he gave at the sight of Allie in all her glory of damp clothes and soaked hair, not really the vision of what he had in mind of someone who managed to break through his security. He held the laptop out towards her, making Allie shake all thoughts of surprise and confusion from her mind. "Can't keep the children waiting either."

"Oh!" Allie exclaimed, taking the laptop from his hold, their hands brushing over one another during the passing over as Allie weighed it in her arms, watching Stark turn around before she snapped it shut, no having any need of it for much longer and making it easier to hold on to while her eyebrows knotted together above the rim of her glasses. "Yes, right."

"Make the calls and whatever," Stark said, giving a wave of a hand as he moved around Allie to stand before what he was working on before, taking up the wrench up off the ground, Allie's eyes stuck to him all the while as he did so. The quick turnaround in his decision was fast enough to make her feel as if she had whiplash, blinking but accepting of the sudden change of mind. He walked towards a spare tools bench, not meeting Allie's befuddled gaze as he continued to talk. "I don't think the rest of the team have the energy or temperament to put up with events such as these. I know I don't and I've been brought up to attend them."

"Yes, Mr. Stark," Allie answered, eyes locked onto his back that was faced towards her for a moment before she turned, wanting nothing more than to leave and sit at her desk so that she wouldn't have to stand this tension anymore – maybe it was only her that felt it, felt the awkwardness and uneasiness because of how unbothered he seemed by her behaviour and how he tried to brush her apology away.

Guilt ate at her and Allie couldn't banish it; she knew that her behaviour warranted an apology and nothing would change that, even if he seemed quite unbothered by what she said. She didn't want him to think she took him for granted, or that he was an aloof person who was unbothered by her sharp words. Allie stopped in her steps, chewing on the inside of her cheek as her heart suddenly became to big and tight for her chest, a heat rushing from beneath her collar and burning a path to settle beneath her cheeks, an unsteady and wavering breath entering her lungs before Allie turned.

"Mr. Stark?"

"Yes, Ms. Lawrence?" Stark said, not turning to meet her and seeming lost in his own world, galaxies away in his thoughts and Allie coughed, not so much as to gain his attention but more so to get rit of the unsteadiness that was shaking her voice.

"I… I really am sorry about what I said," Allie croaked out, making Stark glance at her over his shoulder before facing her completely, a look that might have been surprise on his face. Allie fidgeted where she stood, a sharp breath sucked in through her nose as she found her voice, trying to make it steel and strong. Allie did not hesitate to meet his eye, but she found it hard to maintain the gaze because it felt as if he was picking her apart, seeing through her. "I shouldn't have said that. It was rude of me and – "

"Nonsense, you were only saying what you were feeling and I was the punching bag," Stark replied, trying to brush her apology off but Allie wouldn't have it; part of her, a part she didn't quite like, was wondering if he was used to this behaviour, used to people assuming the worst of him; the thought was something that didn't sit well with her and it made her feel worse. Allie didn't want to be one of those people, didn't want to be a rude person who treated others like shit but it happened anyway. It made her all more determined to get her apology across to the older man.

"Doesn't mean what I said I was right and I didn't intend to use you as a punching bag, sir," Allie insisted, a hint of desperation seeping into her voice as she spoke. To say she felt bad would be an understatement. "I don't mean to overstep my boundaries."

"It's alright, Ms. Lawrence," Stark said with a shrug but it did little to make Allie feel better. "I guess every man needs a wakeup call."

"I think he could do without one that is next to verbal assault," Allie breathed, keeping the closed laptop tight to her, ignoring the dead weight of it as her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, glued in place as they stared at one another, unsure of what to do and waiting for the other to say something. Was she no better than those who dragged his name in the press? Allie didn't presume to know Tony Stark, the real Tony Stark – not the man she worked for and traded playful barbs with. She had been rude, to say the least, and her behaviour was eroding her insides, making the tangles in her stomach tighten.

She shifted beneath his stare but maintained it, forced herself to not appear overly cowardly as her teeth grasped her bottom lip, fiddling with the device entrapped in her arms before his face seemed to soften and he gave a gentle smile, the breath that had been gathering in Allie's chest rushing free in an instance. "Well, apology accepted, Ms. Lawrence. You can rest easy now."

"Thank you, sir," Allie said, feeling awkward and ashamed still by her words. The mortification at what she had said was dripping away, leaving behind only the guilt that was stewing in the pits of her stomach, knotting her guts and bringing a wave of self-annoyance for what she had said. Allie hadn't meant to say them, of course she hadn't, but the problem was that she did say them and there was nothing she could do to reel them back in. Her cheeks burned and her mouth felt dry, a tightness in her tummy as she turned to go, the laptop still firmly in her grip from Stark handing it to her earlier. Even if she had apologised and even if he had forgiven her, Allie couldn't ignore the guilt that ate away at her; even if she had been used to talking back to Francis, it was never like what she had said to Stark.

All in all, it made her feel like shit and, in Allie's mind, she deserved to feel bad for treating him like that. Hadn't he been nice to her all along? Hadn't he given her a job she was most definitely unqualified for? A job that paid her enormous amounts of money, at that. Allie dragged her feet as she walked away, head ducked down as she wished to leave the place so she could crawl into bed and berate herself.

"It wouldn't do for us to have any animosity between us if we're to attend this damned art show thing on Friday," Stark called after her, picking up on the light hearted tone once more. That had made Allie pause as she turned back around to face Stark, confused and befuddled as she once more met his gaze again, finding herself not burning with as much shame as she had before due to his forgiveness that Allie felt was she had not yet deserved, especially since she had not been at the job for long.

"I'm sorry, did you say we?" Allie repeated and Stark shook his head in agreement, giving a small hum.

"You are my assistant, are you not?" Stark said, stressing his words and Allie gave an unsure nod of the head, not knowing where he was going with this. Her glasses had fallen down her nose slightly and she couldn't completely make out the look on his face but there was a mischievous tone in his voice, a blurry look of boyish playfulness in his features that she could just about make out. "And isn't the job of an assistant to help me throughout my daily business and personal tasks?"

Allie blinked at his words and her mouth parted, looking at Stark over the rim of her glasses before she pushed them back up on her nose, able to completely make out his face and the teasing look that was ingrained there, a soft smile that wasn't tight or forced and the crinkles deep around his brown eyes, a half dimple in his left cheek. She couldn't stop her own lips curving and Allie gave a small, friendly role of her eyes at Stark for him throwing her own words right back at him. She felt not so burdened by the guilt of her earlier words and felt more relaxed at the fact he was ready to move on past what she said, even if Allie wasn't. "Yes, I suppose it is."

"Great," he grinned and his lightness in mood eased Allie, made the guilt subside but not disappear completely. While he might have said he forgave her for the completely out of turn chastising, Allie couldn't help but find herself dipping her toes in the shame of acting so harshly towards him. Her annoyance towards Stark's reclusiveness had dissipated and she was left with nothing but the bones of regret for her words; Allie just knew she would be kicking herself in the ass for the next coming week, no matter if he tried convincing her all was forgiven. "I hope you can stomach the obnoxiousness that comes with events like these because God knows I can't."

"Yes, Mr. Stark. Of course, Mr. Stark," Allie sighed, but she found herself not really minding all that much.


"For someone who has never done paper work before in her life," Lisa began, sitting beside Allie at the kitchen table while nursing a hot drink between her hands, eyeing the pile of work that her friend was working through with half her attention on the T.V that was playing in the background over Allie's shoulder. "You've gotten through a lot of paperwork in such a short span."

"That's because I have two easy steps," Allie revealed, looking over the rim of her glasses briefly at a page before sorting it into the 'No Good' pile – which seemed to be the biggest pile, the other two around her being the 'Maybe Good' pile and 'Check If Good' pile, the former being significantly smaller than the first one listed and the latter consisting of one single page. Her laptop was sitting on the bottom of her bed, turned off and healing from a day's work and her eyes hurt from staring at the screen for so long throughout the day.

"Oh?"

"First, I read the first line of the document," Allie explained, holding up a page for Lisa to see as a demonstration before she put it in the 'No Good' pile after a second's glance. "Then, I throw it away."

Lisa nodded, seemingly impressed by Allie's worth ethnic. "You're right, that does sound easy."

"I actually think I'm getting the hand of it," Allie agreed, continuing on with her work as she listened to the daily hustle and bustle of life outside the building, the cars honking, the gentle murmur of voices that rose like tidal waves over the buildings. It was getting late in the evening and the place was becoming quieter, her neighbours and, indeed, herself becoming worn down by the day and wanting nothing more to sleep but having to wait because it was too early in the day for it. "You know, today I spoke with Mr. Stark about attending a charity event."

"That's so weird."

Allie paused her work, looking up at Lisa with a very confused and somewhat concerned look knitted on her face as she stared at her friend, waiting until Lisa's green eyes met her own blue ones before she continued, hoping for Lisa to further explain what she meant. "Attending a charity event to raise funds for a kids' hospital?"

"No, the fact you call him Mr. Stark outside of work," Lisa furthered explained but it didn't little to make Allie less befuddled, a few nonsensical sounds leaving her as she tried to make sense of what her friend had said – or understand why what she had said (calling her employer by his name) was weird.

"But…" Allie began, brows furrowing together in confusion as she blinked, looking at Lisa as if she had spouted something truly strange and irrational. "That's his name."

"I'm pretty sure he wasn't born as Mr. Stark. You never used to call Francis Mr. Kelly."

"That's different," Allie tried to explain, shaking her head and pulling away from Lisa as she made herself focus back on her work again, noticing how she was all too easily snared up in a conversation with Lisa and that she could spend hours there speaking with her friend without doing a single jot of work; the attempt failed miserably as Lisa gave a snort, not believing Allie's words or her defence while no longer trying to watch whatever was playing on the T.V in the background.

"How so?"

Allie sighed, taking her glasses from where they sat on her face and placing them beside her, brushing back the fallen wisps of her hair behind her ear, hooking them in place and accepting the reality that she might not be able to finish her work for the night, but it didn't bother her that much. She could always just shove it in the trash – as Stark instructed her to do – and save herself a headache, but she didn't want to risk throwing away anything that might have been considered important. "Because Francis isn't – "

"Old?" Lisa offered, making Allie stare at her dead pan.

"That wasn't what I was going to say," Allie defended hastily while Lisa gave a small and short whistle.

"I guess you have a point, he is pretty old," Lisa mumbled, taking a sip from her drink and smacking her lips, words being mumbling into the mug in the pretence that she had hoped that Allie wouldn't hear them.

"Weren't you the one saying that he's only forty-five?" Allie countered, arms linked on the table and eyebrows raised as if she had caught Lisa out. Part of her was wondering how this even became a topic of conversation, and how quickly their roles were reversed. Wasn't Allie the one who used to state just how old she used to think Stark was? All of it was done in jest, sure, but it felt different this time with Lisa assuming the old role Allie used to don. "As in, he's only twenty years older than me?"

"He could be your dad, Al," Lisa stated, giving Allie a pointed look as she placed her drink back down onto the top of the table with a sharp yet soft clink as she mimicked Allie's raised brow, though managing to pull it off just that bit better, to Allie's dismay. "That's kind of weird."

"Having kids at the age of twenty isn't all that common nowadays," Allie told Lisa, shaking her head but Lisa gave a laugh instead of remaining quiet.

"Back in his days, they were," Lisa chuckled and Allie couldn't stop the grin on her face as she turned away, giving a snort in response to her friend's barbs.

"You're mean," Allie said, reaching across to give her a friend a soft smack on the arm, head shaking as she did so but Lisa was unbothered by it, giving a shrug of her shoulders to maintain an appearance of aloofness.

"I'm just saying," Lisa reiterated, turning the ceramic cup on the spot with her finger pads before turning back to Allie, a smirk on her face and a gleam in her eyes that caught on the light of kitchen, making the green appear that bit deadlier, that bit sharper. "You were right saying it was different with Francis because he was only, what, five or six years older?"

Allie paused before she spoke, pondering on it for a few moments before relenting to Lisa's statement. "I guess so, yeah."

"And because of that that one time you guys went on a date," Lisa reminded and Allie's reaction as instantaneous, nose crinkling up as the memory resurfaced once more after being buried in the back of her mind for so long, an indignant cry leaving her at being forced to remember that moment in time four years back that neither party had wanted to remember and never addressed during their time working together.

"Please, I don't want to remember that," Allie shuddered, quickly shuttering all memories of the date from years back when she had first started working there. It wasn't as bad as she was remembering it to be but it had been a one time thing with no follow up. "It was awkward and I only said yes because I didn't want him to think I was a loser."

"And," Lisa began, leaning in close with a mischievous smile on her lips. "Because he's cute."

"And because he's cute," Allie agreed quietly, knowing that she would never have admitted to it when she used to work for the man in case Lisa might have felt it to be her job to tell Francis that Allie thought him to be attractive.

"Just saying that maybe you shouldn't make a habit of dating your bosses," Lisa hummed, teasing but there was a sharpness to her tone that showed a seriousness she was trying to hide. Allie frowned at her friend's words, trying to not feel slighted due to Lisa suggesting Allie was the type of person to just up and date her boss. Allie gave a huff and turned away from Lisa, stopping herself from rolling her eyes.

"Okay, first: Francis wasn't my boss at the time. And second: that's gross," Allie said, nose scrunching up. She was more offended at the fact Lisa was trying to make a point of the fact Allie dated her employers, rather than the fact she was trying to suggest her and Tony Stark were dating secretly. It wasn't gross as Allie put it, per say, but she couldn't find the right word to match what she was feeling; uncomfortable? Annoyed? Uncertain?

"You're such a kid," Lisa snorted, stretching to take a hold of Allie's cheeks between her thumb and index finger and pinching the skin, grinning and cooing all the while she did so and Allie tugged herself free from her friend's grip, ignoring the sting of it as pink flooded her cheeks.

"Then don't keep talking about me dating my boss if I am a kid," Allie frowned, trying to ignore how uneasy it all left her, the implication of Lisa's words not sitting right with her; Stark was her boss and she was his employee and that was all kinds of inappropriate, no matter how handsome he was.

"What can I say, you bring out the mother hen in me," Lisa joked, clapping a hand over her heart momentarily before she reached over to place her hand atop of Allie's shoulder, a dire and serious look on her face that seemed so out of place with her playful tone. "If he anything says or does anything to you, kiddo, tell me and I'll give him the ol' one-two."

"Thank you, mammy," Allie laughed, a forced sound leaving her lips but she felt strange, almost uneasy due to Lisa's words – though Allie couldn't figure out if it was because of what Lisa had implied, or simply because of how casually her friend had said them.

Allie wasn't stupid, and she didn't see Stark in that sense, the one Lisa was trying to suggest that was there. There was the fact that he was not only her boss, but also the fact he was twenty years older than her; while it might not have been a problem for her (not that she was trying to say that she would date him, regardless of age) but he was a public figure and that kind of stuff wouldn't go down well, especially with the expansion of social media. Allie shook her head and put her focus back down to her work, freeing herself from the snares of those kind of thoughts. Even if Lisa was implying that Allie would date her boss, there was no saying he would do the same because of how much older he was than her. Such an age gap might leave people recoiling or reeling with disgust, and outside pressure was often the reason so many relationships broke up; a silent growl left Allie, fidgeting in her seat as she gave a huff, trying to ignore the mumbling of the T.V in the background to focus on her work, ignoring the ache in her eyes.

"What were you saying about this charity event?" Lisa asked, changing the subject as an awkward tension settled over the two from Lisa's previous insinuations. Allie jumped at the changed and cleared her throat before speaking.

"Well, normally he tells me to just donate the money instead of attending," Allie explained, a raspberry leaving her as she slumped back into her chair, hands resting palm facing upwards on top of the table as she ignored the burn in her throat left behind from the words she said before. "But I may have slightly gotten annoyed at him today when he said he didn't want to go."

"And?" Lisa pushed and Allie shifted in her chair, trying to ignore the old burn of guilt and the flames that licked at her insides, at her bones.

"And," Allie sighed, exasperated more at herself and what she had said, that at Lisa probing. "Now he's going."

"Wow," Lisa whistled, low and surprised. "What did you say?"

"Some not really nice things," Allie revealed, not wanting to remember her own words. They weren't the most terrible things a person could say but that didn't mean she didn't feel bad; she had all but insulted him and his decision to remain out of the public eye, bringing up the fact that the Avengers had caused so much damage during The Incident and she had even insinuated that it was his fault. Allie knew it was, she had seen the videos, had watched a hundred and one variations of Tony Stark making a seemingly one way trip through that damned Wormhole with a missile on his back. He had saved eighteen million people and he was condemned for it; was she really any better than any of those people? Maybe there was a reason he didn't like putting himself out into the public, maybe that reason was because they half hailed him as a hero, and half condemned him as a terrorist.

Allie dropped her head, feeling that wave of annoyance towards herself rearing its ugly head as her hands curled in slightly, fingernails nipping at her palm. "I felt like an asshole for hours afterwards and I still do. I apologised but I felt like a complete gobshite."

"Cute," Lisa teased and Allie rolled her eyes but felt a burn in her cheeks, blotches of red on her cheeks as her hands unfurled, the indentions in her palm appearing like half moons waxing and waning.

"Shut up," Allie murmured, voice low and mumbling, making Allie unsure if Lisa had actually heard her but a small wink from her friend confirmed that she had caught onto Allie's words. Lisa gave a sigh, twisting her mug in her hand as she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

"Hey, at least it worked and he's not going to act like a recluse," Lisa shrugged, chugging down the last few, cold remnants of her drink, face scrunching up at the lukewarm drink as it washed down her throat. "Maybe a little tough love is all he needs."

"Tough love shouldn't be a thing," Allie stated, catching herself zoning out before she caught up with herself, turning to Lisa with a sincere confused face. "Why be mean to someone if you love them?"

"Who knows, but at least it worked," Lisa reaffirmed and Allie couldn't help herself agreeing. For all she knew, had she abided by Stark's rules, he would have happily spent the rest of his days locking himself away; it could have been weeks and months before he began to put himself in the publics eye once more, no longer relishing in the attention that was given to him as being Tony Stark, as being Iron Man. "Now he's actually going outside where people are."

Allie screwed up her face. "I'm people."

"I mean real people."

"I'm real people," Allie insisted, clicking her tongue as her elbow sat on the table, hand going to cradle her cheek as she picked at the flecks and knots trapped beneath the laminated wood of the table top. "And he's dragging me with him."

"Really?" Lisa questioned, genuinely surprised and seemingly stunned at Allie's revelation and Allie gave a half hearted nod, as if to let on that she was more bothered than she actually was at the prospect of having to join Stark on his day out.

"Yeah, I think it's payback for being like an ass to him," Allie sighed, leaning back into her chair and reaching up to press the pads of her fingers against her temples, a dull pain picking away at her skull as her eyes squeezed shut, stars bursting and dying in her vision while she tried to compromise with her rumbling stomach to just hold on tight for the next half an hour before she would let herself eat something. A groan left Allie as she sagged, meeting Lisa's eyes with a dreaded look on her face. "I'll probably end up falling face first into a plate of hors d'oeuvres with my luck."

"Right," Lisa said, dragging the word out and taking on a condescending tone that made Allie bristle, making her feel as if she was stupid for not seeing something.

"What?" Allie asked, trying to pick apart the strange expression on Lisa's face before the other woman tore her eyes away from Allie's own, shaking her head and giving a half shrug to brush away Allie's question but it only made Allie more suspicious

"Nothing, nothing," Lisa half sang but there was something in her voice, a pitch that made Allie feel like she was missing something that Lisa could see as the other woman began to drum her fingers on the table top, a steady and uniformed rhythm. "You going to go all fancy?"

"Oh God! What am I going to wear?! I have nothing!" Allie exclaimed, all but throwing herself onto the table, arms going to cushion her head as she wallowed in despair at the fact she had nothing fancy or presentable for attending an art show – with Tony Stark of all people. Allie cursed herself for being someone who picked comfort over aesthetic quality as a snort pulled her attention from such simple thoughts, sitting up as she caught sight of Lisa's face, her friend's eyes narrowed but a quirk in the corner of her lips, making Allie sharpen her gaze into tiny pinpricks, untrusting of whatever was running through Lisa's mind. "You're looking at me weird."

"I am not," Lisa insisted but her words did little to make Allie believe her due to the fact there was a tight smile around her friend's lips and she maintained that same look on her face.

"You are so!" Allie pouted but Lisa shook her head, the wisps of her tied back hair moving as she did so.

"Go finish your work," Lisa laughed but it seemed somewhat forced, the other woman standing to her feet and ignoring the screech of the legs of the chair against the ground, making Allie wince at the sound. "I'm going to watch a rerun of Friends."

Ignoring her mind telling her to join Lisa, Allie turned back to her work with a huff, exhaling deeply as she reached over to place her glasses back on the bridge of her nose again. It was late in the evening now, the palette of oranges, pink and red fading away to hues of cold blues and purples that seeped in through the window.

While part of Allie still felt remorse at what she had said to Stark earlier, it wasn't eating away at her as it did before. She had apologised and he had forgiven her – at least, she hoped her did. If not, she could always find a way to make it up to him, maybe by actually abiding by the rules and not bothering him anymore with anymore public appearances, though the thought of actually attending one with him didn't bother Allie as much as she thought it would; maybe it was the guilt of what she had said earlier, or maybe it was because she knew it was her job and that she would have to suck it up and stop being a Debbie Downer over the little things anymore. She supposed it would do both of them some good, more so him than anything.

Besides, now she had more important things to worry about; like what in God's name was she going to wear for this Friday?

A groan left Allie and she couldn't stop herself from placing her forehead on the cool table top; for every problem she sorted through, there always seemed to be another lingering in the corner of her mind.

Yet, a part of her, a small speck that could only grow, one that Allie didn't really want to acknowledge, was excited – excited for Friday, excited for what could happen and excited for the unknown, of where it might lead her.


Hello, hello! Just before I get into my A/N i'd like to answer a few of your reviews!


eden: ahhh thank you so much! i definitely wanted these guys to be friends and while it may have been a rocky beginning, things are only going to get better! the two of them are so used to being alone (or rather having very few close friends) so lumping them together will definitely help them both to say the least. by helping tony, allie is helping herself and vice versa; the two of them are similar in some respects but are vastly different in other areas and that's reason they compliment each other! or at least i hope they do. thank you so much for reading and reviewing and i hope you enjoy this chapter and future ones!

Rindo Seiren: thank you so much! im so glad people are enjoying allie because she is not meant to be a perfect person by any means! she never got to see tony for who he is like much of the general public and because of that she never really thought of him in the good way like many people but! this chapter and others before show that she's changing her mind and thinking "whoa he's a good dude maybe im a bad person for being like those people who think badly of him because he's made a few mistakes like every other human being on the planet." allie is over coming her prejudice towards tony and now that she's warming up to him it's all over for all those in universe tony stark antis ((that just might be a hint for the next chapter)). tony stark is earth's best defender, but allie is going to be tony stark's best defender.

imlovinfanfic: thank you! i cant tell you how happy it made me to see all your thoughts on my story so far and to know that you're enjoying the fic! allie is definitely a Debbie Downer and if only i could tell you why! but soon, soon all will be revealed ((when i say soon i probably mean like 30 chapters or more from now on))

pinkeye: thank you for the support! i was thinking back on all the times i had work and homework when i was at school while i was writing this chapter and boy am i glad to not be in allie's shoes anymore. now im free from all work for the next year or so and i'm going to make the most of it! thank you so much for reading and reviewing and supporting this fic!

PrincessMagic: thank you! i love writing the two of them bonding as much as you guys love reading it! truth be told i have a LOT more planned out for the two of them for the next 10 chapters or so and oh my god if it gave me cavities writing the chapter outlines, i can't imagine how much pain you guys will be in! thanks you so much for reviewing and supporting this fic! it means a lot to me!

spacevoyage: thank you! i do enjoy writing tony's character but for some reason whenever i picture him in my head all i can imagine is RDJ's sherlock holmes. i do have future chapters planned out with the majority being tony's pov so i hope to continue to do him justice! thank you so much for all your love and support!

Chancellor S: oh my goodness thank you! i think what prompted me to write this story is because of how little Tony and OC fics there were that were to my taste. I guess it's true what they say: if you want to read a certain fic, you're going to have to write it yourself. thank you so much for reading and supporting my fic!


i'm sure you guys can tell this is unedited - i'm so sorry! i'll go back over these past few chapters and try to correct all these typos and mistakes.

also, i started typing out chapter outlines for the next 10 chapters to help myself with a guideline and i can tell you that a LOT is coming all your way. like wow i can barely survive writing this, i can't imagine reading this and not knowing what's going to happen.

Thanks for reading!