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Chapter Thirteen.

"I regret agreeing to do this," Stark said to Allie after a moment of silence, causing the younger woman to draw her eyes over to his slumped figure, taking in the sight of his slouched posutre as he slipped further and further down in the seat, glaring out into the world with his eyes just about peaking over the edge of the car door. Allie dropped her hands that held her phone, nearly tutting with disapporoval at his behaviour, wanting nothing more than to roll her eyes at him but refraining from doing so.

She had finally managed to lure him outside once more, the task becoming less stressful and harder to do each time; maybe it was because he was becoming more inclined to listen to what she said, or maybe it was because she was learning what to say in order to convince him to actually leave the Compound. For all the fuss Stark tried to put up, Allie couldn't actually tell if it bothered him or not as he didn't really seem all that annoyed in all honesty; she supposed that he was going it to maybe guilt her into being more sympathetic and to stop forcing him outside to get air every once in a while. Allie didn't like to think she was an important part in his life, but she half wondered if he would still lock himself away if she wasn't here, but pushed the thought from her mind to instead stretch her leg out to tap her high heeled foot against the side of Stark's shoe, pulling his attention to her as she tried not to smile at the sight of a ghost of a pout lingering on the corner of his mouth.

"Oh, don't be like that," she chided him, shaking her head and ignoring the way her hair tickled the back of her neck, the long, loose waves holding more of a shape with the extra care she had given to them that morning, taking the time to make her hair seem less like a rat's nest and something more... presentable, at least. She was dressed nicer, too, opting for a more professional look consisting of a navy blouse and pencil skirt with the heels on her feet threatening to become something difficult to withstand later in the day. Allie knew that wearing heels would be a pain in the ass but such is the price of beauty – and she had spent a lot of money on them, more than she cared to think about but she couldn't help it; they had been so pretty and she had finally felt brave enough to dip into her bank account to splurge a little, knowing that it was just a couple of dollars – or ninety.

With a grunt, Stark reluctantly pulled himself up to sit properly, shoulders low and mouth pursed into a straight line, displeased with either the situation or her words – or both. Allie still tried despertely to not tease him for holding a pout as his mouth deepened further into a frown, narrowing his eyes at her in an attempt to appear more serious. "Like what?"

"Like..." Allie began, pausing slightly and letting her eyes wash over him, taking in the sight of his three piece suit, the way his hair was perfectly styled and how he seemed more put together, less a mess of ratty shirts and tangled hair. "That."

Her answer did little to loosen him up, eyes sharper and almost distrusting. "I'm being myself."

Allie gave a hum, dropping her eyes down to her phone screen again and taking on a teasing tone towards him. "Right..."

"You're cranky this morning," he commented with a low whistle but not longer slouching in his chair, pulling himself up properly and unwinding his shoulders to rid them of the tension that seemed to always plague him. There was a quirk at the corner of his mouth lingering, ghosting at the edges and he rested his elbow against the handle of the door, fingers curled around the raised corner of his mouth as if to hide the amusment that was embedded there. "Did you have your daily dose of being nice to Tony tea?"

"I can't," Allie sighed dramatically, pocketing her phone into the frustratingly small pouch at the front of her skirt, barely able to secure it in place with the tiny amount of space given to hold the device. "I think I'm allergic to it."

"What about being not mean to Tony tea?" he offered and she clicked her tongue, shaking her head but playing along nonetheless, no longer able to contain the breathy laugh that bubbled at the back of her throat; she much preferred him when he was in a lighter mood and less bogged down by his worries.

"I'll get some on the way back," she told him playfully.

Stark gave a hum, pulling himself upright so that his back was straight, spine like steel as he tugged at his collar, fixing it from where it lay around his neck as his hands fiddles with his tie, pulling it loose before tightening it once more, unsure of which way he liked it most before settling for the latter, moving instead to button up the jacket of his suit; Allie's eyes were unable to look away as they slid down to watch him slip a button through one of the small gaps along the opening, before doing the same with the remaining two and she looked away, feeling far too red and warm in the face, taking to reclaiming her phone and pretending to preoccupied with it as she stole small glances at him from the side, ignoring the annoying tickling of her hair on her cheek before he turned to face her, unaware that she had already been staring. "Alright, well, how do I look?"

Allie stared, wide eyed and wodnering if he was being serious with having her reply but as the silence dragged on, she knew that she would have to answer eventually, giving a small cough as she shifted in her seat, forcing herself to give him a once over glance for dramatic purposes before giving a half shrug, as if unbothered. "You look... nice."

He seemed somewhat offended by her reply, reeling back and blinking in shock. The reaction made the corner of Allie's lips turn upwards, the heat in her face oozing away. "'Nice'? Just 'nice'?"

Allie sighed, rolling her eyes but turning to him, nonetheless, placing her phone into her lap and placing a look of suprise on her face. "Mr. Stark, you look absolutely ravishing and gorgeous today. Did you do something different with your hair? You outshine all of the stars, you could be a model."

He scoffed at the praise but seemed pleased with it all the same. "I am a model."

"But you don't walk a runway or anything of the sort," she told him.

"Allison, the world is my runway."

"Well, you definitely have the ego of a model," Allie mumured with a snort beneath her breath, taking her phone once more in her hand and seeing Stark narrow his eyes towards her after her small mutter.

"What was that?" he asked, pulling Allie's wide, innocent eyes to him as she threw him a fake, sweet smile.

"I said you look very handsome today," she sang, batting her eyelashes and he nodded to her words, chest slightly puffed.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," Stark said, a sigh lingering on the end of his words, giving a small sniff. "It's always nice to hear these things from people."

"If you have any suggestion, I'll make sure to work it in my daily ass kissing," she snorted.

"I'll make a suggestion list, stick on the fridge next to our banned phrases list."

"Moist isn't that bad of a word," she whined, remembering the day he had added it to their growing list which had started out as a joke but was turning into one of the most serious aspects of their relationship; even now, she couldn't help but suppress a laugh while watching as his face scrunched up slightly at her saying so.

"Neither is pus."

Allie blanched instantly, ignoring the need to recoil and gag at the sound of it before turning to glare at him with a fire in her eyes. "That's a banned word! You're not allowed to say it!"

"You said your one first!" he shot back with an accusing tone, waggling his finger at her and Allie huffed, relenting.

"Touché," she said, defeated before reaching up to scratch an itch from a stray stand that was tickling her, getting more annoyed at the long and loose tresses, a curtain on eac side that were being confined behind either ear. Allie then remembered the hair tie she had slipped onto her wrist that very morning, just in case, and was glad that she had done so, not being to withstand having her hair down no matter the occasion. "Anyways, we should go over a few things before we go in."

"Do we have to?" he complained, once more slumping in his seat as if remembering the reason they were here, reverting back to his previous, unhappy self that he been moments before hand.

"I don't want you nudging me every ten minutes asking me when we have to leave," she chimed in and his eyes snapped her instantly.

"So long as you don't keep pestering me to see everything inside," was his sharp and Allie frowned, placing her phone in her lap with the screen facing towards her, the text large enough for her to read without needing her glasses as she pulled the thin black band around her wrist free, twisting and twirling it in her fingers.

"I don't do that," she doubted and he raised an eyebrow at her in disbelief. She really didn't do that... did she?

"And I don't nudge you every ten minutes." Ah, maybe she did.

Giving him an unamused look, Allie paused in her fidgeting with the hair tie to gesutre to her phone. "May I, Mr. Stark?"

"Yes, dear," he sighed, the world slipping out and stilling Allie for a brief moment, unsure of what to say or how to respond back before her voice spilled forth without her consent.

"Well, sweetheart – "

Laughter left his lips instantly, a hand reaching up to press his lips against his mouth in order to stop the sudden tide leaving him, eyes bright and thoroughly impressed by her inability to back down and to remain unperturbed by his words. Allie felt a surge of pried fill her, at being quick to think or maybe the fact she had actually made him laugh so suddenly, so freely as she had then rather than hearing a sour and cynical bark that he might be inclined to give every once in a while. "Oh, you are quick, Allison."

Allie swallowed, trying not to give away her compusure as she gave a sly smile, letting it curl onto her lips slowly while her fingers resumed the fidgeting with her hair tie to stem the sudden burst in her chest, rushing through her veins and making them buzz beneath her skin. "I have a feeling I'd have to be around you, Mr. Stark."

"I have a feeling you already are when you aren't around me, Allison."

Allie could feel her breath halt in her throat, stilling as her heart did as a bout of unsure laughter left her, hand reaching up to sweep away a few stray strands back behind her ear as she slipped a curtain of hair back over her shoulder. "True, very true."

"Continue on," Stark indicating, leaning back into his seat once more and adopting a relaxed stance, fingers pressed to his mouth and eyes on her as she ignored the dryness in her mouth. Her heart jumped, moving from not beating at all to becoming too much for her to bear. Her hands were slick and she couldn't think properly, taking to staying down at the screen of her phone as she tried to move past the moment; she could barely even classify it as being a moment but that did not mean her heart could be shaken as if it were. Allie cleared her throat and began to ramble, hands reaching up to grab her hair to tie it off on the nape of her neck.

"Anyways, as I was saying, so we're actually already a few minutes late but it's not a big problem," she told him, taking the black hair tie off of were it rested around her fingers to tie it around her hair, finally free of the niggling and whispering strands that tickled her cheeks. "You actually don't have anything else planned for the day because of how long this thing goes on for – which will be for very long, until half five in the evening, I think; and it's, what, half ten now? Of course we don't have to stay if you don't want to, and I'm always near in case you want to leave – "

His voice was sudden, cutting her off mid-sentence and pulling her gaze back towards him. "Why do you do that?"

Allie stared, unsure and confused as her face pinched together, trying to make sense of what he was saying and trying to recall if she had done something strange, but falling short of any possibility of doing so. "Uh... do what, exactly?"

"That," he told her, still unclear in what he was trying to ask before he gestured to her head, hand waving about and looking truly confused, as if she had done some great feat that no mortal could ever accomplish. Allie continued to look at him, befuddled and with puzzlement in her eyes before he said the words with a strained voice, as if it pained him to actually say what he wanted to ask her. "You always tie your hair up even if you wear it down."

"Oh," was all Allie could say; that was... not what she was expecting, not what she thought he was ever going to say to her. It sent Allie stumbling for words, stuttering for a moment because he can't be serious, can he? Oh, but he looked it, looked ready for her answer and for an explanation that Allie couldn't believe she was giving. Her mouth opened once, twice, three times before her voice croaked out, higher than she had anticipated or wanted. "Well... it gets annoying and I always feel like it gets greasy if I keep pawing at it. Plus, it's a habit I picked up from my last job."

Allie was unsure if he was pleased with the answer, remain calm and collected, face cool and not giving away anything that might be running through his mind before he gave a sharp, curt nod and hummed. "Right."

"Why are you asking?" Allie asked, curious yet mistrusting, as if he was going to say something strange to throw her off. For a moment he stared, a heart beat's pause as he said nothing, eyes glued to hers before he cleared his throat, shifting in his seat and fiddling with the cuffs of his shirt.

"Oh, no reason, I was just curious," he told her as Allie stared, confused and mouth opened to further inquire before he cut her off before she could have the chance to do so. "Your hair looks nice down."

Oh.

Oh.

Allie's mouth might have dropped open if she was a weaker woman, but neither was she a strong one a sharp breath cut through her, rushing down her throat before stilling, leaving her unable to breath as her ears rang with the echo of his words, doubtful of her own ability to hear and sceptic of her mind and that it might be playing games on her.

Yet, Allie watched as his lips formed those words, leaving his mouth to reach her ears for her brain to process but she still remained astonished, trying to say something, anything to him but not finding it within her to do so. It wasn't until she saw him squirm, looking away from Allie that she realised she had not yet answered and the prolonged silence was weighing on them, more so him than her as he seemed just as shocked – maybe even more so – as Allie that he had said that, had actually told her that she looked nice with her hair down. And it was such a small, insignificant compliment! Allie couldn't believe she was getting worked up over it but even the smallest pebble can cause the biggest fall. Allie turned away, stringing together a sentence as best as she could on her scrambled mind before turning back to him, a forced grin on her face and her voice pulling his eyes back to her. "Thank you."

"No need to be so shocked, I am able to give out compliments, you know," Stark teased, but his voice was awkward, unsure and leaving Allie still being unable to form a long and proper response, still reeling from his previous words and finding her mind short circuiting, sparks catching onto words she might have said instead before they were turned to ash in her mouth. Stark gave a weak smile, and Allie was half positive that the flush on his cheeks were a trick of the eyes, a misjudgement due to the fact she was without her glasses. "I'm not so in love with myself as people say."

Allie was still staring, mouth gaping wide as a half strangled gasp found its way to her lungs, easing the burn that was buried there as she untangled her tongue, trying to remember that she had a voice and she could use to to say things. But she didn't know how to speak, what to say in response to that because that was the last thing she was every expecting him to say, the last thing she thought possible to fall from his lips. "Well... thank you nonetheless, Mr. Stark."

"Carry on there, Ms. Lawrence, though start at the beginning – I wasn't paying attention, to be honest with you," Stark said to her, clearing his throat and a hand went to his tie, tugging at it and slipping it back up into place as Allie continued to stare, still somewhat in half disbelief at his words, at the fact he had given her a compliment. She knew that if Lisa had been beside her, or if she had even told her friend, then she might have told Allie that being paid compliments by your boss was not something to feel grateful for.

But it wasn't as if Allie had never paid him a compliment before – granted, she might have done so after teasing or done so in a sarcastic manner, but she had still meant it even if he didn't know that. Her words became clogged at the back of her throat, staring at Stark and ignoring how flushed her face felt, glad that he had taken to staring out the window again so that he would not have to see how red she was at that moment; Allie couldn't help but glance down, looking to her phone once more and gave a small cough to unloosen all the clumped words that were lumped together in the back of her throat and to free the way for her voice. Her stomach felt tight, knotting into tangles that scrambled her ability to think and form proper sentences and Allie's tongue darted out to run over her bottom lip, sucking in a sharp and deep breath in through her parted mouth in order to steel herself. It was just a compliment, she had been complimented before, had been flirted with before – no, it was hardly a flirt. Allie had been flirted with before and that wasn't a flirt; he had simply told her that her hair was nice down! Hardly something that could be seen as a flirt.

She peeked at him through her eyelashes, barely catching a glimpse before she looked down again, giving a stronger cough as she recollected herself; slowly, her hand began to snake its way back up to where she had tied her hair, index finger slipping in beneath the hairtie to tug it down and let loose her wavy tresses, nearly wincing at the feeling of one particular strand becoming caught before she pulled it free. Slipping the small band around her wrist once more, Allie hooked her fringe behind her ear and began once more from the top, though her voice was as unsteady as her heart.


The sun was falling lower in the sky, dripping orange and red as Allie tried not to wince with each step she took. Rather than going home, she elected to return with Stark to the Compound, mainly because she wanted to finish a few things had meant to finish the evening before hand but found little energy to do so. Her shoes pinched her toes, biting and gnawing at her feet with each step and each movement she made, face screwed up and hopping from leg to leg to relieve herself of the niggling annoyance that were her heels. They had left early, partly at his insistance and partly because Allie felt that at any given moment, her legs were going to collapse under her if she stayed standing for any longer.

By the time she had gotten to the elevator with him, her face pinched with every step, mouth pursed into a straight line as she tried to convince herself that every step she made was a step closer to sitting down and no longer having to wear these beautiful mosntrosities any longer. Stark was having too much enjoyment out of watching Allie suffer and she glared at him whenever he would glance back to see her struggling, snorting at the sight but refraining from making a comment. Allie leant against the side of the elevator, trying desperately to lift some of the weight from her feet but achieving very little success at doing so, gritting her teeth and trying to tell herself pain is beauty. No amount of beauty was worth the pain in the ass these shoes were and Allie was never more glad to return to her place of work as when the sound of a sharp ding! Echoed through the small space, maw opening wide as a breath of relief left Allie. Pushing herself to sstand straight once more, Allie winced as she took a few steps out, following Stark before it became next to unbearable.

"Ow, ow, ow. Hold on a moment," Allie hissed, wobbling back and forth as he paused to look back at her, eyebrow raised as Allie attempted to slip the shoes from her feet, shaking unsteadily on one foot as she did so and nearly falling before he stepped back towards her, extending an arm to Allie to help her keep her balance; Allie gratefully grasped his arm, regaining her balance as she did so and slipped off one heel before ripping its twin from the other foot, the cool ground soothing her aches instantly as a large smile graced her lips, once more at her usual height before taking her hand back once more from Stark's arm. "Ah, much better. I can actually walk again."

"Why wear them if they're only going to hurt?"

"Because I paid a lot of money for them," Allie explained, grateful for the coldness of the floor beneath her as she hooked her fingers in her shoes, letting them swing at her side as Stark reached up to loosen his tie, pulling it from its tight position around his neck and shrugging his jacket off from his shoulders, draping it over the back of a chair. Allie's toes wriggled on the ground, enjoying the frigidness of it as it seeped into her sore and aching feet. "And I like to feel tall for a while."

He paused in his actions before nodding approvingly at her explanation and he sat down into the chair holding his jacket. "Now that is something I can relate to."

Allie flashed him a grin before stooping to kick her shoes in underneath her desk, grabbing the back of her chair and wheeling it out before plopping herself down, the chair gliding slowly on the ground as she curled her toes inwards, stretching them as her arms spread out before a chill rushed over her, making Allie pull herself tighter together as she sat opposite from Stark, the older man watching her as did so. "Sweet relief! I'm never getting up from this chair ever again."

"That's just being lazy," he tutted, shaking his head at her words and Allie's grin dropped, untrusting of his words as she set a hand on her hip, a finger pointed towards Stark as she frowned. He seemed positively far too entertained by her posture and actions for her liking.

"I'll have you know it takes a lot of work to remain seated for as long as possible," Allie sniffed, leaning back into her chair once more and draping her arms across her chest, slumping slightly so that the balls of her feet were pressed to the ground, one leg over the other as she swung back and forth slightly, casting him a sharp look. "You wouldn't even be able to win against me."

Stark gave a snort, rolling his eyes at Allie and her veiled threat, matching her stance by crossing his arms over his chest and staring right back at her with narrowed and pick like eyes, trying to see if she'll break away from the stare first but Allie remains where she is, eyes glued to Stark's with a spine made of steel and smirking before he flickered his gaze back up to the ceiling with another scoff, half shaking his head and looking as if he wanted to laugh.

"Really? Win against you in a battle of sitting, of all things? Don't be childish," he responded before a pause rang through between his words, eyes drifting back to Allie's with a new seriousness lingering at the edges of his gaze, a dip in his cheek as if he was chewing on it from the inside. "How long are we talking?"

Allie barely manages to contain a sharp, bouncy laugh, quashing it before it can leave her mouth as a grin takes its place, all straight and white teeth beaming as her hands clap together, feeling overtly happy that he was deciding to get in on her, as he had called it, childishness. "As long as possible."

He ponders for a moment, a look of worry on his face. "What if I need to go to the bathroom?"

"Then be creative," she advised, much to his distaste.

There's another pregnant pause, a beat of silence as Allie's hands remain clasped together, leg jumping slightly as they hold eye contact, his gaze sharpened and thinking as Allie's is awaiting his response, much rather preferring the stupidy of the situation to sitting down at her desk and having to work; at least this way, she might be mildly entertained rather than overtly annoyed. Then, Stark gives a huff, giving a lift of his shoulders as if to show he was relenting. "Alright, what's the wager?"

"We're actually doing this?" Allie laughed. "I don't know whether to feel excited or sad."

"Oh, it's sad, definitely sad there's no doubt about that, but we're definitely doing this," he agreed, nodding along before using his feet to glide along the floor, moving his chair to beside Allies as she spun to face him head on, hands still wrapped around each other as she uncrossed her legs, the tips of her toes pressed against the cool ground as she pushed herself upright into her chair. "I'm never one to back down from a good honest wager."

It was stupid, absolutely ridiculous and Allie was having a hard time believing that they were supposed to be two adults with the way they were going on; she supposed everyone needed a small bit of innocent fun in their life and she began to swing back and forth on her chair, pressing a finger to her chin and tapping it, feigning deep thought as she chewed her bottom lip.

"How about..." she began, words drifting off as her eyes found their way up towards the ceiling, squinting slightly out of habit from not wearing her glasses before her fingers snapped together, a sharp click echoing throughout as she turned her gaze back to Stark's, the shit eating grin on her face beaming. "If I win, I get any day that I ever ask for off – "

"Unable to stand my company?"

"Can't get enough of it, Mr. Stark," Allie sighed dramatically, moving to place her hands on her heart and she fluttered her eyelashes at him, laying the sweetness of her appearance on thickly before he gave a bark of laughter, shaking his head as he did so before settling down once more, a gleam lingering in the browns and golds of his eyes.

"And if I win?" he asked and Allie's smile fell, stumped as she gave a shrug of her shoulders, dropping her hands down into her lap once more.

"Well... I don't know," she told him, a teasing twinkle in her eyes. "Haven't thought of that possibility yet."

"You underestimate my abilites, Allison," he gasped and Allie's face screwed up in confusion.

"Your abilities..." Allie began, drifting off and making sure she had heard him right. "To sit?"

"Exactly," he nodded in agreement. "I'll probably think of something during the time this goes on. Be prepared, Allison."

"Oh, I'm always prepared, darling," Allie smirked, tacking on the term of endearment that wasn't really one for good measure, an echo of his words earlier that only seemed to spur Stark on into becoming more invested in their innocent wager; Allie reached her hand out towards Stark initiate a small handshake, and he glanced down at it for a brief moment before a playful sneer found its way onto his mouth, his own hand reaching out to clasp hers in his, palm rough and calloused against Allie's own with the paleness of her skin appearing even more so as it stood out against the golden tan of his hand. They gave a firm, brief shake of their entwined hands, gripping the other and appearing as if they had agreed to a serious manner rather than butting heads in a game of innocent fun.

"May the best person win, dear," he teased, giving her hand a squeeze that Allie returned with a sharp and sly smile.

"Oh, I will."


It was maybe two and a half, maybe three hours later when the boredom got to Allie. She sat slumped in her chair so that the balls of her bare feet were just about touching the ground, allowing her to continue her spinning slowly in circles with her head fallen on the back of the chair, hair falling loose and free over it. Her eyes had long since adjusted to the brightness of the lights on the ceiling and the sun had set properly moments ago, the hazy orange barely bleeding through the window and staining the room with a golden hue with yellow fingers catching on dust moats that glittered in the light.

Stark was not too far away from her, mimicking her position and she found that the longer they stayed, the more couragous she felt in wanting to poke and prod away at him in order find out more about him. Allie's back felt stiff as she pulled herself into a proper position, wincing at her sore muscles and her cold feet that were now only throbbing with a dull, bearable ache as she resed them on the plastic legs of her chair, leaning forward to place her elbows on her knees to cup her chin on her palms, watching Stark as he was unaware of her stare as he lay back, eyes closed and looking peaceful.

For a moment, Allie thought he might be asleep but he shifted in his chair, trying to find a comfortable spot and gave a sigh, hands reaching up to rub whatever tiredness that might have seeped into his eyes away, seemingly annoyed at his inability to sleep. Allie continued to watch him, staring at his previous perfectly pressed and clean attire that was now rumpled, sleeves rolled up to the crook of his elbow and revealing more of his tanned skin, of small scars and muscles. His hair was messier now, too, as if he had run his hands through it a million and one times when she wasn't looking, which she knew might be very plausible. Around his neck, his tie hung loose and a top button lay unopened, allowing Allie to catch a glimpse of just that bit more, letting her see more of him than she normally have. And, for a tiny moment, Allie had half a mind and even more courage to tell him that she had meant what she said in the car, meant that he was handsome but he must have felt her eyes trained on her because he turned his gaze to meet Allie's and that courage withered away to nothing, dust in her mouth.

They held the tired stare for a moment, as if unsure which one was going to speak forst before Allie bit the bullet. "Since we're going to be here a while, mind if I ask you something?"

He raised a brow at her, remaining his awkward and slumped position for a moment longer before reluctantly sitting up, hand reaching to his back and to ease his stiff and sore muscles, taking his time to reply.

"Why bother asking that? We both know you're going to ask me regardless," he said to Allie, not sounding as defensive as he had during their last round of questioning; still, Allie waited for a confirmation or a refusal, hanging onto her tongue and her silence made Stark look to her again, giving a roll of the eyes and a deep exhale that might have been a chuckle if he had the energy, giving a wave of his free hand before crossing it over his chest over the other one. "But yes, if you must, then do so."

She let her silence drag on, wondering if she should really ask this question or not but curiosity got the better of her and she wanted to fill the tired silence with something instead risk falling asleep; she didn't want Tony Stark to catch her drooling in her sleep, she might die of the shame.

"Why become a superhero?" Allie asked, not bothering to dodge around the question or ease into it as she had neither the energy or patience to do it; yet, as the words left her mouth, she almost wished she had as, at an instant, Stark's face screwed up, crinkles appearing along his nose and eyes at her question and Allie frowned. "What's with the face?"

"That word – superhero," he all but spat, disliking the taste it left in his mouth and his face scrunched up even further, as if it was sour and too bitter for his liking. Allie stared in confusion at him, and he gave an exasperated sigh, a wave of his hand. "Sounds like something from a comic book."

Allie raised her eyebrows at him, straightening her back in her chair and letting the frown deepen where it sat on her face. "Usually, superheroes are only in comic books."

"Well, this isn't a comic book," he snorted and Allie could sense the bitterness that lingered in his voice, or maybe she imagined it, she was tired and exhauted enough to do so. Her eyes spied the way his arms across his chest tightened, hands appearing to scrunch the material of his dress shirt in his palm without caring if it left creases or not. "And I'm not a superhero."

Allie chewed on her words before speaking, voice hushed and soft at the edges. He couldn't possibly see himself as not being a hero, right? After all he had done, after all the people he saved and continues to save, to say he was a superhero was a word Allie felt fitted him aptly. "Could have fooled me."

"I'm not that great of an actor," he snorted but there was a wispiness to his voice, an underlining gentleness Allie had never hear or never thought possible and she gazed at him for a moment, biting her lip and trying to recollect her mind and thoughts in order to try and make him see.

She moved her chair closer to him, as if to add weight to her words, but remained some bit away to allow some space between them, to give him the breathing room she thought he might want rather than pushing herself into his personal bubble to get her words across to him. "I'm just saying, a lot of the stuff you do could be categorised as being stuff superheroes do."

He seemed unbothered by her closing the distance and Allie edged herself closer to him, hands gripping the sides of her chair as he looked at her with genuine curiosity. "What stuff?"

Allie felt the need to ask him if he was being serious but stopped herself from doing so before she could as a small, gentle smile nestled itself onto her mouth, hands unwinding from the sides of her chair as she began to tick off her small list with each finger. "Helping people, saving lives, protecting New York and the rest of the world."

Stark gave a small chuckle of disbelief, shaking his head at her explanation and she dropped her hands into her lap, pouting at having her reasoning for him being a superhero brushed aside by his sudden inability to take a compliment. "The same thing doctors and nurses and firemen and police do."

"Not on the scale you do," she reaffirmed, stubborn in her stance and refusing to relent to him.

"Saving the world doesn't make a person a superhero. Sometimes saving one life can make a person just that."

"And you've saved millions, me included," Allie replied tenderly, and his eyes drew to her, uncertainity in his eyes and looking as if he wanted to believe what she was saying but fought against it.

"I don't see myself as... as being a superhero," he told her quietly, a soft murmur that would never leave this room, that would never leave her mouth for another human being to hear. He heaved a sigh, looking down. "If anything, I think I'm just the opposite."

Allie shook her head, her gaze growing softer by the second at seeing him let out a sliver of vulnerability, of allowing her to witness just that bit more of him than she thought would be possible. To her, he was the epitome of a good man and a good hero, for sacrifcing himself time and time again and never asking for anything in return. Allie could even feel a small lump form in the back of her throat but managed to speak through it, hoping he wouldn't catch on. "Well, I don't."

"Thanks for the compliment," Stark said but as he continued on, Allie couldn't help but pick up on the cynicism lingering in his tone, dripping off of the tip of his tongue and too bitter to taste. "But I don't think men like me would make very good superheroes."

"Men like you?" Allie repeated and watched as he stiffened, as if he had not intended to say that.

And he didn't say anything for a second, jaw clenched and gritting his teeth before he choked out what he intended to say. "Men who aren't like Captain America."

His reply floored Allie for a moment, as she hadn't expected to hear his response said in such a... sullen tone filled with what she thought to be animosity. She wanted to prod further on this sudden revelation but decided not to, in fear of upsetting him or ripping open a wound that she had no idea even existed. "Then why decide to help people?"

"Because it was the right thing to do," Stark said, but he sounded weary, tired, worn at the edges from having exhaustion always eat away at him. "Because I could do something."

"It must be hard," Allie stated sadly, watching as he took to staring at his hands instead. "Willingly putting your life on the line and not having people acknowledge it always."

He shook his head at her words, not yet meeting her eyes, more so speaking to himself rather than as a reply intended for her. "I don't do it for gratitude."

"Well, thank you, nonetheless," Allie said suddenly, voice tender but making Stark snap his eyes to her in disbelief, shock, looking as if he felt she was mocking him. Did he truly not think he was, as she had insisted, a superhero? There was a twinge in her heart, a cord around it tightening ever so slightly as he continued to stare at her, a mixture of emotions in his eyes as she continued to speak. For doing what you do. And for being a superhero."

He didn't say anything for a moment, as if waiting fo rher to retract her words but when she remained silent, Stark gave a cough and looked away. "Can I ask you something?"

"Always, Mr. Stark," Allie reassured him, ignoring the way her hands returned to gripping the sides of the chair once more, nails nearly breaking underneath the pressure she was placing on them.

"Why accept this job?"

Allie leaned back into her chair, suprised by the question but not against answering it. "Pardon?"

"You were right in not wanting to accept," he told her, eyebrows knitting together more and more as he spoke, as if he became more convinced by what he was saying. "You had no training, no experience. You had no idea what this job would be about and yet... you accepted. Why?"

The last word echoed with Stark turning to meet her gaze with puzzlement and a need for an answer lingering in them. Allie floundered for a brief second, unsure of what to say; it wasn't hard to answer, per say, but she knew the answer she would give would be one that was not wholly the truth and Allie found herself being unable to lie to him, being unable to say what she should say because he had been so honest with her about everything she asked and how could she do that to him? Treat him thus after he had been nothing but kind and truthful?

Tongue tied, Allie gave a wry smile and attempted to dodge the question, knowing that she would not succeed even if she tried. "I could ask why you offered me the job in the first place if you knew I had no training or experience."

"Call it curiosity."

"Curiosity?" Allie repeated, mystified.

"A young woman manages to bypass my server while drunk," he said casually, recounting it as if it were a tale and not an embarrassing way of meeting. Already, Allie could feel her cheeks heating up as he spoke. "One doesn't come across that kind of talent every day."

"Well then," Allie sighed, a sly grin curving its way onto her face. "I guess you could say it was curiosity for me, too. That and money."

"And not my amazing and dashing looks?" he offered and a chortle left her.

"Ha, ha," she snorted but did not deny nor agree that had been the case. Of course she didn't take a job because she thought him to be handsome, but she supposed it would be funny to watch him suffer and languish over the possibility that it might be. Already, his brow darted up and he looked ready to expand on it before Allie turned away, wheeling herself towards the kitchen and letting her back face him, thinking about the challenge she was to face in order to remove herself from the conversation. "Want a drink? I feel like a hot drink right about now."

Instead of trying to coax her back into the conversation, he let it drop and gave a shout of hisd reply. "I would love some of that weird tea you always make."

"It's not weird," Allie snapped, whizzing her chair to glared at him, only to catch him not feeling quite intimidated by her. "It's the right way of drinking tea. It's about time you were cultured properly."


Tony watched her go, feeling thoroughly entertained as she scooted herself away to make herself and him a drink. Part of him felt lighter, felt less bogged down by the thoughts that weighed like steel in his mind and dragged him down to dark places after managing to choke out lead like words to Allie, half surprised that he had done so in the first place.

It seemed that the world was turning in his favour that day as he heard a ding behind him, spinning on his chair to catch sight of none other than his one and only friend making his way through the opening doors; well, he wouldn't say that he wasn't glad to see Rhodey and a grin split across his face at the sight of his friend, feeling that it had been far too long since he had heard from or spoken to him.

"Rhodey!" Tony exclaimed. "What, what are you doing here?"

"No hello? No 'how are you, Rhodey?'" Rhodey laughed, reaching down to clap his hand on Tony's shoulder. "You need to work on your manners."

"My manners are excellent, for your information," Tony retorted, almost going to stand before he remembered his reason for sitting and hoped that his friend wouldn't pick up on it for as long as he was here – or for as long as possible. "It's just usually when you're here without any word before hand it's either the world is ending or that it's about to end."

"It isn't always like that," Rhodey shrugged but a smirk lingered at the corner of his mouth as he stuffed his hands into the pocket of his pants. "Sometimes I visit when only a small portion of the world is ending."

Tony chuckled at his friends words, peering up at him before he leant back in his chair, though feeling he was glad his friend was here, he was suspicious of the visit, knowing that either it was just a friendly visit – or something was wanted of him. At least Rhodey did give friendly visits and didn't just pester Tony for the latter. "So, what can I do for you? Is Rogers in desperate need of something and sent you down here to mediate?"

Rhodey shook his head at Tony, clicking his tongue. "I'm not acting as a messenger between you two."

"Right," Tony agreed and taking a moment of silence before clicking his fingers. "If he really wanted something, he would send Natasha down instead."

"The team is actually on a mission now, investigating weapon shipments," Rhodey explained to him before giving Tony that look, the one that made Tony feel as if he was seventeen all over again, a messy teen who did shit he most certainly should not have with his mother echoing I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed. Tony still marvelled at how well Rhodey was able to replicate that very same look Maria Stark once used to give him. "Something you would know if you actually felt the need to leave and talk to them every once in a while."

"And why would I do that? I keep up with what the team does perfectly fine down here; and, for your information, I do leave. I left today to attend something."

"I noticed," Rhodey said, gesturing to Tony's dressed up attire, even if it was a little rumpled in comparison to what it was a few hours ago. "What was it? A date?"

"Some event for, and I might be wrong on this," Tony explained, clearing his throat and reciting the title exactly as Allie had drilled into his head much to his chargin. "The protection of animals directly affected by the Attack. Don't look at me like that, I didn't even want to go."

The look of amusement was wiped from Rhodey's face as he gave a cough, moving from foot to foot and not looking completely sympathetic for Tony. "Then why did you?"

Before Tony could reply, a voice from the kitchen shouted out, followed by the scraping of wheels against the ground and both of the men turned to see Allie wheel herself out towards them, being mindful of the two hot drinks she had clutched in her hands and her feet barely being able to touch the ground to move her forward. "Hot liquid incoming! Oh, Colonel Rhodes! I didn't... see you there."

She had finally looked up to see Rhodey, screeching to a halt and nearly spilling everything, turning red from her behaviour and from having not noticed Rhodey earlier; Tony stifled a laugh and turned towards his friend, seeing that his face was much warmer than it had been the first time the two met and a sense of relief that he didn't understand flooded through him as Rhodey reassured Allie. "It's quite alright."

"Sorry," Allie blushed, inching forward so that her chair was side by side with Tony's as an awkward laugh left her. "That seems to be a habit of mine."

Rhodey's eyes dropped to the chair Allie was in, taking note of how she scooted along with it and Tony cursed at his friend inwardly, knowing that time was up. "What's with the sitting?"

"Hm?" Tony asked, feigning innocence but Rhodey didn't buy it for a second and neither did Tony expect him.

"What are you doing?"

"Absolutely nothing, Rhodey," Tony reassured with wide innocent eyes that Allie reflected, succeeding the most out of the two but Rhodey knew better than to believe the two of them, let alone Tony alone. "We are just two normal people who just happen to like sitting after a long day of walking and standing. Poor Allison had to do so in heels."

"It was very painful and not something I recommend to anyone," Allie agreed sadly with a small nod of her head but the two were self admitted bad actors and were doing little to hide their grins.

"How long ago was that?" Rhodey asked, appearing more and more like a parent who had caught both his children with their hands in the cookie far.

"Well, we slipped away early at around... what time was it?" Tony asked, turning to face Allie who screwed her face up to think on it for a moment before facing him.

"I think it was quarter to five," Allie said, before her face dropped. "I remember because all the cheese crackers I liked were gone by half four."

Before Tony could have the chance to divert the conversation to that, Rhodey piped up once more. "So... you've been like this... for three hours?"

"Wow, three hours already?" Allie whistled, giving an impressed small nod of her head.

"Time flies when you're having fun," Tony sang and Allie rolled her eyes, turning to face him with a teasing tone in her voice.

"Oh, I was thinking it was more like thirteen hours."

"And here I thought we were bonding and everything."

Rhodey's voice snapped, bringing the two back to face him rather than leaning into each other and never had Tony ever seen his friend look so done before. "Tony, get up."

Tony didn't speak for a moment and he wanted nothing more to tell Allie to get rid of the grin on her face as he spied it growing wider and wider from the corner of his eyes.

"I can't," he croaked out and Rhodey raised his brow.

"What do you mean you can't?"

"I mean I can't. Don't do this, Rhodey," Tony's voice was a whisper, begging his friend as Allie did a terrible job of keeping the smile off of her face, grinning on as Tony stared up at his unmerciful friend.

"Up," Rhodey commanded, voice too much like Colonel Rhodes and not his friend; Tony thought to not listen but he knew that if he didn't, Rhodey would pull him to his feet himself. Tony turned to glance at Allie, hoping for some back up but she continued to let a grin split across her face, not bothering to even pity Tony as he gave a curse and a groan, standing to his feet as slowly as he could. The second he was visibly off the chair, still with bent knees and hunched over, Allie jumped to her feet, victorious.

"Yes! I win!" Allie exclaimed with a large smile, the drinks sloshing in the cups and Rhodey stared on, confused by Allie's outburst as Tony remained indignant, standing to his full height with a displeased look on his face while turning to Rhodey, his friend continuing to appear absolutely and completely befuddled by the whole ordeal, from Allie's sudden ecstatic fuelled shout of victory to Tony's peeved expression.

"Great, thanks, now you made me lose."

"I was just about to give up and everything because I need to go to the bathroom super badly," Allie announced before the two men looked to her, her mouth snapped shut as she winced at the realisation at what she said, lifting her arms up sharply and causing the tea to futher slosh about. "I regret sharing that now."

"Try not to spill the tea, dear," Tony warned, the word slipping out before he could stop himself and he froze, feeling Rhodey turn his eyes to rest solely on Tony as Allie remained oblivious – either of her own choice or because she hadn't realised the words slipping from his mouth either.

"I won't, darling," Allie shot back, not aware of the burning stare Rhodey had on the two as her face scrunched up, standing awkwardly as she held the two cups out for Tony to take, her hand slipping out from under his as she began squirming back and forth on the spot. "Here, take it from me, I need to go, now."

With that, Allie turned on her heel and rushed away, not caring to look back and leaving Tony alone to suffer Rhodey's stare, feeling as if a fire might start at the back of his head. He took his time, placing the drinks down on over onto the table and placing some space between him and his friend before Tony sucked in a large breath, turning to face Rhodey head on and seeing exactly what he dreaded on his friend's face.

"You're doing it again," Tony chimed, watching as Rhodey's face fell, void of any emotion.

"I know I am."

"I don't like it when you get all disapproving with me," Tony pouted but his mind screamed at him to stop, to at least try and keep the situation in hand, but when had he ever listened to the small, sensible part of his mind? "You're not as fun."

"Is this a joke to you?" Rhodey snapped, growing more and more irritated by Tony.

"Do you see me laughing?" Tony retorted but Rhodey's face did not lighten up or unwind; if anything, he grew more impatient and serious with Tony, bringing his hands together and pressing his fingers to his mouth, as if trying to control the urge he had to smack Tony around the back of the head before he gestured his clasped hands towards his friend, desperately trying to maintain civility and niceness.

"I'm trying... I'm trying to be as nice as I possibly can, Tony – " Rhodey began before Tony cut him off, not liking where this conversation was going, already being able to imagine where it might lead to in his head and wanting very much to divert that course as best as he could, still failing all the same when he tried.

"Every time you say that, you usually aren't."

That seemed to be the last straw in Rhodey managing to keep his temper underwraps as he threw his hands up in the air, one hand going to place itself on his hip as the other pinched the bridge of his nose, no longer bothering to keep his voice cool and collected. "Oh, for God's sake, Tony, for once can you just listen to what I'm trying to say?"

"Why, so you can make something that isn't even happen seem like it's happening?" Tony snapped back, equally unpleased with his friend as he was with Tony and Rhodey looked to him, the other hand going to match its twin on the opposite him, a brow raised towards Tony for an answer.

"Well, is it happening?"

Tony screwed his face up, muttering beneath his breath as he shook his head, arms going over his chest as he took to looking at the ground, half wishing Allie would show up and yet feeling glad that she wasn't here so that she would not have to fall victim of hearing such a conversation. "If I wanted another lecture, I would have called up Rogers."

"I'm trying to be your friend, but you're acting like a child," Rhodey snapped, pulling Tony's back towards him as his hansds gripped the material of his dress shirt, scrunching it in his palm in order to quell the flare of anger he felt; Tony despised how quick his temper was, was always afraid that if someone stoked the fire well enough, he would see an echo of his father in the mirror, the reflection all too much like the man that continued to haunt the worst of his nightmares. The flames burned Tony's throat as he clenched his jaw.

"I'm trying to tell you that nothing is happening, but you keep thinking that there is!" Tony spat.

"If you saw it from my perspective, you would think the same!"

"Christ, Rhodes," Tony said in disbelief, dropping his arms to his sides. "How many times do I have to say it?"

"Once would be nice."

"There's..." Tony began before his voice felt as if it was strangling him, eyes flickering to the ceiling and giving an annoyed huff. He was wishing so desperately now that he had told F.R.I.D.A.Y to keep all visitors away from the workshop. "God, I can't believe I have to spell it out. There's nothing between me and her. It's just joking around."

"You did a lot of joking around when you were younger, too."

"I'm not younger."

"You're right, you're not," Rhodey agreed, voice snapping as his arms crossed over his chest, claiming a stance that Tony had often seen on his father, one that left him burning with shame and eyes tingling with tears and he looked away, not believing the very fact his friend could even consider – ! It made Tony's stomach tie itself in knots, making him feel as if he nothing more than some disgusting lecher. "But she is. She's young and you're twice her age."

"And that's why there's nothing happening!" Tony hissed, nearly throwing his hands up but refraining from doing so, trying to keep everything under wraps so as to not have Allie overhear. That was the last thing he wanted right now, right next to this conversation. "She's twenty five, Rhodes. She's my assistant."

Rhodey's eyes narrowed at how Tony used his last name rather than the nickname that stuck with him all these years, picking up on how serious his friend was in this discussion before he spoke once more, chilling Tony's blood. "So was Pepper."

Tony's heart slams to a stop, closing his eyes and heaving a breath. Pepper... Pepper was Pepper and the anger he felt at having her brought into this was inconceivable, the pain that followed an onslaught that ripped in apart from the inside out. It wasn't the same, it isn't the same. Allison wasn't Pepper, and Pepper wasn't Allison and the fact that Rhodey had even thought to lump them into the same category as last time? Shoving down the lump in his throat, Tony opened his eyes once more and his voice cracked as he spoke, either from feeling overtly emotional or because he was straining to keep back the sheer anger he felt. "Don't... Don't bring her into this. It isn't the same."

"How so?" Rhodey pushed and Tony felt himself break beneath the pressure.

"It – it just isn't!" Tony explained in a raspy whisper, not wanting Allie to overhear, feeling that he might become consumed with the shame if she had due to the fact she was the topic of conversation and not in the way she would have liked at all. Rhodey stared at Tony and the latter stumbled, trying to find something to direct the conversation away because he didn't want those thoughts in his head, the ones that Rhodey oh so loved to shove in there. "God, what more do you want me to say? You think that – that I would do that to Pepper?"

Rhodey shook his head, appearing as if he regretted saying the words. "No, Tony, I – "

"I... I love her, alright?" Tony chokes out, becoming too undone and feeling to vulnerable, voice cracking as he swallowed, trying to force down the emotions that threatened to drag him under. He couldn't even remember the last time he heard Pepper's voice, couldn't remember the last time she had said his name or said 'I love you.' It had been months ago, before Ultron, when he had heard the latter and he may have been a mechanic, but he couldn't fix everything. His entire life was made up of broken things and he couldn't even stick himself back together after every break down. Part of him wanted to believe that it had been that one incident that had led to them... taking a break, but Tony knew that path had been paved long before that moment. He couldn't give her what she deserved, couldn't be the man he knew she wanted because he couldn't even sleep. And he's bitter for it, angry at himself and Tony takes to digging his nails into the back of his hands, trying to ground himself before he could be at risk of becoming washed away in the anger he felt – towards him, his actions, all that he was and all he would never be. "But we're going through a rough patch and she hasn't talked to me properly in months. God forbid that I actually want to not think about her all the time and try to talk with people outside of our small band of heroes."

"I'm just saying..." Rhodey began slowly, stunned by Tony's small outburst but quickly tucking his surprise away. "Maybe the way you're acting... isn't the right way to go about it? People might get... the wrong idea."

"I know," Tony exhaled, reaching up to rub at his eyes with his hands, stars and galaxies bursting in the darkness as the whispers in the back of his mind grew louderly, less like wind and more like a raging storm. "I know, Rhodey."

"I understand... not wanting to think about Pepper and trying to distract yourself," Rhodey sighed, strained and moving closer to stand beside tony, trying to offer whatever comfort he could, even if Tony couldn't find it within himself to explain himself fully to his friend; more than once he had nearly lost Rhodey because of his stupidity, of his inability to keep his trap shut, but now he would never risk it ever again. "But I don't want to see you lose her."

"She's not mine to lose, Rhodey, not anymore," Tony replied solemnly, the anger and fire from before drifting away, barely embers that were being choked by ash. "Maybe I should just learn to live with that."

"You don't love her anymore?" Rhodey asked, shocked and in disbelief at Tony's words, though not as much as Tony was when they fell past his mouth. No, no, he did love Pepper, more than he had ever loved anyone and she put up with his shit when she didn't have to and she always helped him to feel like a man who was put together even when he was falling apart.

But he always seemed to drag her down, always seemed to make her worry and feel anxious and want to tear her hair out. She always hated the fact he would never join her for bed, had become less willing to shower her with the love he had an abundance to give early on in their relationship. He blamed it on being older and not having the energy. The voices in the back of his mind whispered that he was too afraid to do anything, that he was too afraid to take the love of his life to bed anymore.

"I do but..." Tony drifted off, looking to his wrung hands and seeing the half moons waxing and waning on the back of his hand from where his nails had managed to bite and gnaw their fangs into. There was a weight on his heart, matching the one on his shoulders and his tongue felt coated in lead, brows furrowed together as he tried to ignore the bitter and sour taste that flooded his mouth. Tony swallowed roughly, feeling so small, so weak as he had always been, had always tried to hide. Stark men are made of steel, his father used to roar into his ear whenever Tony would cry too much; he can still hear the echo now, remaining even so despite the years that he thought had healed the bruises and injuries given to him. He was a kid, and kids were always covered in bruises. But he never had been one to play outside and no one liked to ever ask what the great Howard Stark might be capable of. Taking another deep breath to wash away the heaviness of his heart, Tony shook his head and finished the thought that had been on his mind for some time now. "Maybe it's best if I don't."

"So you're saying you're ready to move on?" Rhodey asked gentle, no longer able to keep the fire of the argument going, and shocked at how quick Tony's temper cooled. It seemed all Tony ever managed to do with Rhodey nowadays was fight; if it wasn't because of Allie, it was because of his refusal to join the team, if not that then it was because of how kept himself locked away.

And Tony hated it, hated fighting with Rhodey because it was Rhodey, the one person in the entire world he would take a bullet for without a moment's hesitation. In the last few months of their relationship, it seemed all Pepper and Tony did was fight – about his sudden introverted behaviour, his inability to sleep, the anxiety attacks that would leave him locked in the bathroom for hours on end. And how he hated that she was always away, that she spent more time with potential clients that she did him and that she answered her phone during dinner because she was a CEO but it was his company and wasn't he her boyfriend?

Not that Tony would ever tell Rhodey about this, not that he would ever tell anyone because he loved Pepper and every relationship had their ups and downs – even if their downs were more often than their ups and they hadn't had sex for months before they broke up. He could imagine how much of a laughing stock he would become if he told anyone that he couldn't even find the energy to have sex with the woman he loved and he could imagine the whispers, of how old he was now. Maybe it was that, or maybe it was the fact he could never ignore the harsh hisses in the back of his mind for long enough.

Rhodey waited for Tony to reply but the truth was, Tony didn't know. He was long past thinking Pepper would ring him up and ask to call and it had been too long for him to find the courage to do that. Move on from Pepper? It seemed impossible because for so long, she was all he wanted in his life; how could someone move on from that? And even if he did, he couldn't imagine just... using someone to get the task done; it made his stomach recoil because he had been in love for so long, had spent the better part of nearly ten years in love with Pepper and it had taken him so long to realise his feelings for her. How would he be even better compared to the man he used to be if he just moved on? No, no, he thinks that there could hardly be anything in this world to make that happen.

"Sorry, Colonel Rhodes," it was Allie who spoke, moving into the room with a single white sheet of paper clutched in her hands and ignorant of all that transpired moments before but still able to pick up on the tension in the air, with the two men focusing in on her while her eyes moved from Rhodey and back to Tony and looking as if she wanted nothing more than to leave again, feeling far too awkward and as if she was intruding; instead of waving her away, Tony motioned her to continue and he took a breath, listening to her speak as he washed himself of all that brought him down before. "Is it alright if I have a word with Mr. Stark?"

"Sure, no problem," Rhodey replied instantly and Tony snapped his gaze to him. "I was... just getting ready to leave."

"Rhodey, you don't have to go."

"No, but I'm needed elsewhere," Rhodey sighed, tired and drained before giving him a small smile. "Do me a favour and take care of yourself, alright?"

"Always," Tony said, hoping to reassure his friend even if he didn't believe it himself.

Rhodey seemed unsure of whether he should believe Tony or not, but still elected to clap his friend on the shoulder, a small 'goodbye' towards Allie that was echoed back quietly; Rhodey gave Tony one last look, that look and gave a tight smile to the two of them before turning to go. Tony was still not convinced that his friend had come down here solely for a visit but part of him wished it were true, watching Rhodey as he entered the elevator once more, worry and concern lining his face but not saying anything before the doors snapped shut. Rhodey always worried too much about Tony, always making the latter feel too burdensome, too troublesome to be associated with.

Maybe Rhodey was right, he usually was as much as Tony didn't want to admit it. Rhodey was a soldier, he wasn't easily taken away by fantasises and his imagination and Tony knew that he was acting... not as one should. It was just out of habit, of being friendly to his employees but he was older now and it could be seen in the wrong way – the way that his friend had insisted. But it wasn't like that, it wasn't the same.

"Is... everything alright?" Allie asked him, voice low and Tony might have tricked himself into thinking that she appeared worried for him, brows furrowed together and a shallow crease forming, only digging itself deeper as they met gazes; Tony's tongue felt too big for his mouth, too dry and sticking to the roof of it and preventing him from replying as he tried to swallow to soothe the ache in his throat.

She was still barefoot, too, uncaring if the ground was cold or not and she didn't appear bothered by it, only grateful that she no longer had to walk in those death traps she called high heels. Her hair was rumpled, pulled over one shoulder and the curls and waves were more natural now, each side hooked behind either ear and leaving her face free to see. He could even smell her perfume and it stung his nose, his throat, everything on the inside of him and Tony couldn't bear to hold her gaze anymore, turning to look away and walking over to where he had placed the drinks on one of the tables, trying to find anything to escape. Behind him, he could hear her footsteps padding along. "Of course, always is."

He didn't bother to look back to see if she believed him – what did it matter if she did or she didn't? He felt those tangled knots in the back of his mind, silky threads to capture his thoughts in its sticky web, leaving him prey to the demons that might come later to devour him. He grapped his cup, not caring to grasp the handle and ignoring how it burned his fingertips, seeping in and searing the flesh but it was a pain that grounded him, something he knew would pass eventually and something that he could withstand. Tony felt his heart in his throat, whispering the words Rhodey had said before and he turned only to be accosted by Allie, who was frowning and didn't look to believe him at all. The smell of her perfume burned once more and his grip on the mug tightened.

"You look a little pale," she commented, looking at him and disapproving his rumpled state. He didn't blame her, he was pretty sure he always looked like shit nowadays and no amount of sleep could cure it. Tony didn't reply, didn't know how to reply and gave a hum in response, watching as Allie's eyes rushed over him; he wanted to ask if she liked what she saw but felt unable to when she brought her eyes back to his, that same old worry lingering in the blue of her eyes, storming and crackling. "You're not feeling sick, are you?"

He took a sip of his drink, not even tasting it properly as he shook his head, muttering around the lip of the cup and ignoring how it burned his throat. "No, I'm fine. Just feeling a little off."

"Are you running a fever?" she asked and Tony was too late to react before Allie's hand reached up and she pressed it against his forehead, slipping it beneath his fallen fringe and her hand was a different burn now, a cold one and she had rolled slightly onto the balls of her feet, closer to Tony and he was drowning in the smell of her perfume. "Let me check – "

She held her hand in place for a few seconds that felt like an eternity, only because Tony remained too shocked and unsure of what to do, rooted to the ground by the coldness of her hand pressed against his burning forehead, face becoming worm as a strangled breath forced its way down his throat, wide eyed and glued to the sight of a small splash of freckles on her nose, barely even there and unnoticable unless one stood as close to her as he did now. He reared his mind into place and Tony jerked away from Allie's hand, stumbling a step back and ignoring how the tea splashed over the side of the cup to lick his hand, cooling almost instantly but stinging nonetheless. Allie blinked, hand still its position as it had been when pressed against his forehead before she snapped it down, going to hold the other side of the page she held in one hand, as wide eyed as Tony and maybe even redder, red blooming gently on her cheeks.

"No, no, no! It's fine," Tony croaked out, mind yelling at him to get himself together, hand clutching his cup as if it were a lifeline, all that he had to stop himself from being whisked away. He thought of Pepper then, of the smell of her perfume, or the way she red lipstick stained, how she always had a smile on her lips when they kissed. It made his stomach knot and words clumped at the back of his throat before he pushed it down, trying to ignore the cord around his heart tightening and tightening. He had said he wanted to move on from Pepper, but how could he do that when she was all he had ever wanted for so many years? Allie still stood barely a few inches in front of him, unspeaking and Tony found his voice once more, glad it was not as unsteady as his heart. "Besides, if I am sick, I wouldn't want you to get sick and then pass it on to me again and then leave us in a never ending cycle of being sick."

"You better not," Allie laughed awkwardly, a breathlessness in her voice as she spoke, wispy and feathered at the edges and she gripped tightly to the page in her hand, nearly threatening to crumple it beneath her grip. "I don't need to become a mouth breather for the next few months."

They laughed in unison at her pale attempt at a joke, trying to lesson the tension as Tony placed his drink down beside him again, slyly wiping his hands on his pants and not caring if it stained. There was silence and Tony wrung his hands behind him before shoving them into his pockets, bunching them into fists and nearly tearing through the delicate material that lined the inside.

"You..." he coughed, looking to the ground for a moment before he forced himself to look to her. "You said you wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Oh!" Allie exclaimed, recollecting herself and sucking in a breath as a shaky smile lit up on her face once more. "Yes, I can't believe I forgot!"

It's not the same, it's not the same, echoed in Tony's mind while his heart whispered against the raging storm.

Why would I lie?


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


Lucy Strike's alter ego: first off: i absolutely LOVE reading your thoughts and your insight on the chapter and i never EVER tire of reading your reviews EVER! long reviews warm my heart and they make me want to gush because i just love reading people's thoughts on my story; and i hope youre ready for a very long slowburn so buckle in, this is going to tak time and a LOT of suffering - well, more suffering for tony than usual. and oh they were definitely flirting alright - but more so of "wait are we flirting because i dont want to flirt if it's not alright with u and i dont wanna make u uncomfortable" like these kids are so awkward and UNSURE. and it means so so so so much to me that YOU are reading MY story and giving me such amazing feedback ! (im so bad at reading fics nowadays and i always feel awkward if i leave a long review on ppls fics in case im totally wrong on what they wanted to imply or what they wanted interpreted). honestly whenever i feel like not writing the next chapter i remember all the support ive received and it always gives me the energy to continue on and it means so so much to me to know that you love this story and that you leave such kind hearted comments after each chapter. it makes me fit to CRY honestly ! and i hope that you continue to write your tony fic bc ! im dying to keep reading it and you're such an amazing writer and i hope that you are never discouraged in writing!

Krakengirl: ahhh thank you so so much for reading this fic and leaving behind a comment! ive always been hesitant about my tony since the beginning but in the latest chapters ive grown so much more confident in writing him after seeing so much positive feedback! and if im being honest, a lot of allie's viewpoints on dating and relationships are based on my own jdaskjfaklj i know i keep saying this isn't a SI but... by god does allie share a lot of traits with me. thank you so much for reading and supporting the fic and i hope you continue to do so!

trickstersink: afhdljafkfjakfa you don't know how much your comment made my day! im so glad that you've greatly enjoyed the way i've presented tony stark as i feel him to be as a character and that you've continued to enjoy and support this story even if you're not a fan of mcu!tony! (granted i dislike how joss whedon absolutely retconned his mental illness and did so many ooc things with him in AOU thank god hes no longer near tony stark or any of the other avengers). anyways thank you so so so much for choosing to read this story and to support it ! it really means a lot to me!

youngadelaide98: thank you so much! i guess i just wanted to write the story i wanted to read and im so glad to see people enjoying it! im very picky when it comes to fics that have tony in them because they can be... very off with his character, especially ones that are multicharacter ones (which i understand sometimes as it can be hard to tend to a lot of characters in one story but sometimes i get very annoyed when they portray him as being an ignorant rich guy who has no other personality trait than 'haha im witty'.) Anyways, thank you so much for reading this story and i honestly can't believe that they killed our dad in the latest chapter update of d&d and not one hint of mr sinclaire! better make up for it next week.

Safire96: thank you so much! i will admit there have been times i nearly died from how cute these two can be. i hope you continue to enjoy this fic as you have in the past!

Guest: and thank YOU for reading this fic and leaving a review as I always love reading the thoughts of my readers! thank you so much for reading and supporting this fic once more!

PrincessMagic: thank you! i didn't want to get into the deep stuff yet (there's some in here but it is NOTHING in comparison to angst i have planned ahead). all will soon be revealed! (disclaimer: soon means around chapter 45 or something). Thanks once more for leaving a review and for always supporting my fic!

eden: thank you so much! i felt bad about delaying the chapter update last week but now im on time! with a longer chapter AND tony pov! hopefully that makes up for the delayed wait hfsjksjfa thank you so much for reviewing my story and for supporting it as always! it warms my heart and gives me energy to write to see such dedicated readers!


oh? what's this? an update that is on update day? WOW.

anyways, this story is getting back on track as i promised last chapter here is some of the JUICY stuff that lay before us. only more drama and big sad stuff lie ahead for us now. so buckle in people, it's going to be a bumpy and emotionally wrecking ride!

also, any other b99 lovers? i stole an episode storyline for this chapter adlksajdkls

Thanks for reading!