In the elevator, Tony turns to Brie, who looked warily tense beside him. "You okay?" he asks, nudging her shoulder.
"Mhm," she lets out. He nods doubtfully.
"You're scared," he notes. She turns to him.
"I'm not scared," she insists.
"Hey, I'm not judging. It's okay," he assures softly. Her mask falls and she grows grim, looking away. She chuckles harshly.
"It's ridiculous. I can take a bullet, but this," she draws.
"This is different. It's okay to be scared. But hey," he stands in front of her, pulling her chin up to meet her eyes. "We're gonna be right there with you…You're not going through this alone…I promise," he tells firmly.

Her heart clenches in admiration, fear, and gratitude all at once, too many combined emotions, she tears up, smiling at him lovingly. He smiled back, even though it killed him, seeing her this way.

Now he was scared.

The elevator beeps and stops.

It was time.

XXXXX

From the outer side of the glass, stood Trice and Tony, while, inside, the nurses strapped Brie in, and prepared the room.

Tony balances himself from leg to leg impatiently. He turns to Trice, who was pulling stressfully at her lip. "This is gonna work, right?" he asks worriedly. It takes her a moment to acknowledge his question, she then nods ethically.
"Of course, yeah," she tells. Tony nods semi-contently.
"And…how is she gonna be…when it's over?"
"She'll be…a little worn down…but she's tough. Always has been," Trice smiles in reminisce.
"Oh?"

Trice turns to him, mulling over telling him.

Why the heck not?

"She's the one who managed to kick our drunk-ass father out of the house," Trice tells bitterly. Tony widens his eyes in shock. "She was the only one who ever stood against him. No matter…how bad he'd get," she draws, looking away as she attempted to shake off her haunting past.

Tony listens intently. "I was seventeen. I was unemployed. Mom never had a job, so Brie left to find one…a month later she started sending over money," Trice notes proudly.

Tony's thoughts falter for a moment. It seemed Trice was unaware of her sibling's criminal record.

But in that moment it mattered little to him too. Somehow he'd never expected this would be how she'd started out. And yet, it only succeeded in drawing him closer to her than he'd thought possible.

"She kept the house up for years, till I got a job, and we shared the burden," Trice resumes. "So, yeah. She'll pull through, without a doubt," she finishes, smiling confidently now, and even Tony was further assured.

She was so strong…and smart…and gorgeous.

But, so? There were plenty of women with those same qualities, even Snow.

But…Brie was different. How? He wasn't sure,

she just was.

Not Pepper, nor Snow, no one ever had made him feel what he was feeling just then, even if he couldn't explain it.

And then it hit him.

He'd be leaving. He had to, but…

he wouldn't see her again…

Could he?

Panic rises in his chest.

He really wouldn't see her again.

I mean, he would, but it wouldn't be the same…

He just found her…

He couldn't just walk away…

He couldn't.

XXXXX

Two hours later, it was over. And for those two hours, the Stark had worked madly to find a solution. He made a whole goddamn plan, and he would tell her, wishing heartedly that she would agree.

But he wouldn't push.

She was inside, lying on the bed, resting after the procedure, which was thankfully successful. He waltzed in, take-out bag in hand.

The Smith immediately smiles upon seeing him. "Hey," he greets.
"Hey," she calls happily. He pulls over a wheeled chair and sits over next to her.
"I got you…a cheeseburger," he smiles, handing her the bag. She smirks.
"You know the way to my heart, Tony," she says, taking it. He smirks at that, overly taking it to heart.

He starts.

"So, uh. There's this…garage I own, that could really use a manager," he says weirdly. She turns to him in slight confusion as she took a bite out of the sandwich.
"And?"
"And, I figured, you'd be perfect for the part."
"…In…New York?"
"Yeah."
"…W…What brought this up?...What's going on?" she asks, still confused. He clearly didn't think this well through. He'd have to wing it.
"Well, I know you've been having trouble with your landlord," she widens her eyes, "and that the garage hasn't been paying well."

He looked her up?!

Wait…

Her face mirrors sudden realization.

She discards the burger. "What is this really about, Tony?" she asks seriously.

Busted.

'Oh, screw it!' he thought. "Okay, look," he starts, taking her hand in his. She eyes him intently, heart speeding evidently at his touch and the way he spoke.

Tony could not believe how difficult it was to organize his thoughts, his words, in that moment, but he spoke, blandly honest.

"…You're…

amazing,"

Brie widens her eyes at him. The way he was looking at her was driving her crazy. "There's something here, and I know you feel it too…I don't wanna walk away from that…

Come with me…"

Brie is at loose for words. A long moment of silence passed.

"You…kind of have to say something," Tony says sheepishly, causing her to chuckle as he smirked nervously, disbelieving how beautiful she was when she smiled.

Brie brushes her free hand through her hair, exhaling sharply. "I don't know, Tony," she tells honestly.

It was so hard to process what he'd so suddenly suggested, along with accepting his confession.

She knew, she felt the same way. It was crazy, and it happened all too fast. And now, to think of running away with him. She felt so conflicted, unable to acknowledge the possible risks, or benefits. Moreover, the actual fact of his departure was freaking her out.

"Okay. Tell me what's bothering you, and we'll deal with it. Off the top of your head. What?" he tells.
"…Well…Where would I stay?"
"Well, you can move into the tower," she was about to protest against that. "Or I could find you an apartment," he tells instead.
"And you'd pay the rent," she notes irritably, clearly against that as well.
"You could pay your own rent, if you take the job," he tells.

She was coming around.

"And, you know. You could come over. We could build stuff. You could meet Loki. Maybe make friends with Snow. You look like you could use a friend," he tells. She cocks an eyebrow at that. "You know what I mean!...Besides. We'd have so much fun if you moved in with me. It'd be easier too. That way, you wouldn't have to drive over. You'd just walk down, and oh! There's the lab! And there's handsome, charming Tony…shirtless," he grins, causing her to laugh out.

Their laughter falters, and they simply observe one another, as if they were all they could see.

A worker comes in and informs Tony that he was needed. He nods. Tony releases her hand and rises. That lone release only helped in confirming the alternative possibility of her refusal.

"I have to go. There's a car outside for when you're ready to go…I'm leaving after tomorrow. Call me if you change your mind," he tells, then leaves.

She watches him vanish across a corner, and falls into thought.

For hours, she thought, while she was getting dressed, in the car, when she got home with her sister. She actually told her, cause she herself couldn't think straight.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Trice asks her, sitting on the adjacent couch.
"I don't know!" Brie whines, falling back on the couch. "I mean, on one hand…I like being independent, even if it's not so great right now, you know, but, relying on someone else…irritates me," she explains. Trice nods in complete understanding. "…But…on the other hand…Oh my god, I think I love him!" she exclaims tiredly.
"You do?!"
"I don't know!"
"Okay! Okay! I see the problem…Look, you want my opinion?"
"Nooo. I just wanted you to sit there and watch me!"
"Sarcasm won't solve it!" Brie rolls her eyes. "Okay…I think you should go…"
"…You do?"
"Yeah."
"…Why?" Brie asks suspiciously.
"Well, because. I think it's a good opportunity. And-"
"And you hate the garage."
"I don't hate it!"
"You always have."
"That's not true. I just thought you were better off doing something…bigger!"
"Bigger?"
"Yeah! Brie, you're really smart. You've got a strong personality. You could do so much better than this! The way I see it, you'd be working, getting paid, and living in your own place. I don't see how Tony's related to any of that," Trice tells.

Brie takes a moment to think it over.

Trice wasn't wrong.

"What about…moving in with him?" Brie asks. Trice furrows her eyebrows at her.
"What about it?"
"…I don't know…"
"…Brie…Do you want to move in with him?"
"…Well…he's…getting the whole team to move in anyways. And he was really persistent."
"And you want to."
"…Yeah. I do. Okay! I want to!"
"Okay! Relax!...What about the whole independent thing?!"
"I can move out whenever I want to."
"And if things go bad between the two of you?"
"…They wouldn't."
"If they did?!"
"Then I'd move out!"
"So you wouldn't fly all the way back here?"
"Why would I do that?!"
"So you'd manage to live in New York with him around?!"
"Hey, the man is always around! On tv. In the news. On the web. He's always around! Being in New York doesn't mean I have to see him. Unless I go to a party, which is, thankfully, something I highly despise…people…" she grimaces.
"Well, looks like you've got it all sorted out."
"…Yeah…I do…"
"So, you'll call him?"
"…Yeah…I will."

XXXXXXXXXX