Chapter 15 - Fate

Five days, five days you have been studying the arc reactor. Its an element that seems to have endless power and you're worried what would happens if it fell into the wrong hands.

As you make your way down to the lab where Jarvis greets you and opens the door. You step out again in a band t shirt and shorts sipping on your coffee. Tony was already in the lab when he turned around in his chair and looked at you.

You gave him a smile and sat on the counter next to him and watched him tinker with a new base for his chest reactor.

"Do you have any other clothes?"He didn't look at you. "Excuse me, I'm very comfortable." You took another sip of your coffee. "You look it." He responded as you crossed your legs and stared off in the corner. A blueprint caught your eye. You haven't noticed it before and  jumped down from the counter  and walked toward it.

Tony ignored you until you pulled it open. Your jaw dropped, it was the iron man design but better. You rolled it out in front of you and analyzed the detail, there was various weapons, strength that cannot be defined by physics, and at the core was the reactor. Tony walked behind you and placed his hand behind your back on the counter. It was subtle but you quickly took note of the closeness between you.

"Can you really do this?!" You stared into his eyes but he broke eye contact and moved his hands into his pocket. He walked around the table opposite of you. "Do you find any flaws?"

You reanalyzed everything but with the power you discovered on the reactor couldn't find anything. "No," you said hesitantly.

"That's where you are wrong." He walked up to you your chest almost touching his and he looked down at you. He looked you up and down and then went back to the draft.

"Check again", you looked at where his finger was pointing. It was the dimensions and it instantly hit you. "You'd make it too small for you?"

"Correct," he looked at you and grinned, "It wasn't made for a man it was made for a woman."

You were speechless "You designed it and I took it. You want it back so I'm going to give it to you but better." He continued talking.

"You don't have to do that." You didn't take well to this type of kindness, especially not Tony Stark.

"You can't tell me what to do." Tony rolled the design up. "Plus I'm a logical man and I would say on a surface level I've gotten to know you very well. You care Y/N. Not selfishly, you care about everyone around you. That's why it's important to be built for someone like you."

He tucked the design back and walked in front of you and leaned on the table crossing his arms.

" Thank you Tony but really what would I do with it?"

"Oh I don't know. Just off the top of my head.. fly across the world placing your water conservator in record time. Help build homes with the strength. Get rid of threats.. make the world a better place. That's what you want right?"

"Tony my design was just a design. I wanted it back because I felt you've taken everything from me. I never imagined this." You looked around the lab. You began to cry.

"I'm sorry." He looked at you confused.

"Tony, did I ever tell you that I graduated college at 17? I was advanced in all my courses but the day of my graduation my father wasn't there. I was so mad, he was all I had and he didn't show. I was furious and went home ready to scream. Instead I found him passed out on the bathroom floor."

Tony listened, "That's the day I learned he had cancer and it was terminal. He didn't say anything that day except an apology for missing my graduation. He just found out he had terminal cancer Tony..." you wiped your tears. "For the next 3 years I was his care taker. He kept telling me to go out and save the world to make a difference but I couldn't leave his side. After he passed," you let out a deep sigh, talking about it still stung. "I was cleaning out his room and do you know what I found? My graduation card and in it was an application to Stark industries. On a complete whim I went to New York and I applied for every opening. I started as an engineer and worked my way up. Quitting that day was one of the hardest things I did because I felt I let may have let my dad down but Now I'm here and you're offering me this." You gestured to the blueprint, "and I can't help but to think this was his plan all along."

You wiped your tears, " Sorry. Whew." You tried to smile but your voice was still shaking. "You didn't need to hear that." You started walking away and he grabbed your arm. "Wait!" He pulled you into him and wiped last tear from your cheek. "You leaving that day would have made him proud.  You leaving that day lead us here."

You shifted a little bit because of the comfortability in his touch. "No I can't fall for him." You flashed him a smile and nodded. "Thank you."

You walked out of the lab leaving Tony alone.