The Angel and The Billionaire

Forty One

Tony

It's been about 3 hours since Grace left for her mission with Carter and Legolas and I can't shake the bad feeling in my chest. As much as I don't like to admit it, Katniss and Sharon have more than enough resources and abilities to help my girlfriend if things go south, not to mention Grace can hold her own just fine. Still, as I walk through the compound I can't help but feel a bad vibe in the air. I could swear every SHIELD agent and employee that I pass through is giving me pitiful looks. No reason to be alarmed, as my shrink would say I tend to project my feelings onto others. I'm probably scared about Grace being on the field. She'll be fine. She's strong in more ways than one.

When I enter the lab, I notice Bruce and Rhodey are looking at something on one of the many computers. Whatever it is, they're not happy about it.

- We need to tell him! - Bruce angrily whispers, obviously not noticing me standing a few feet away from them. My curiosity is peaked and I take a step closer as silently as possible.

- I know that! - Rhodey replies, just as aggressively. - But it has to be the right way. You know how Tony can be.

The mention of my name makes me take yet another step closer. They're looking at something on YouTube. It appears to be a video from Loki's attack in New York, but it's hard to tell from just a frozen frame.

- How come FRIDAY didn't warn him? - Bruce chugs down half a mug of coffee at once. He does that when he's nervous.

- I deleted the alert of his name in the press after the Accords. - Rhodey sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. Bastard. I knew someone had done that, the tabloids leaving me alone all of a sudden would be too good to be true, but I didn't know it was him. - He was a mess, kept beating himself up for the way everything went down. It was like Ultron all over again.

- So we just don't show him? He'll see it eventually. Maybe he should hear it from us.

- Hear what? - I announce my presence, making both of them visibly flinch. Rhodey quickly shuts the computer.

- Jesus Christ. - Bruce holds his chest like he's about to go into cardiac arrest.

- No, I'm just Tony. - When the suit is off, sarcasm and intelligence are my only defenses. - What's going on?

None of them says anything for a long time. Bruce has gotten a little pale. I walk to one of the other computers and search for my own name on Google. The first thing to pop up is a YouTube video, less than a minute long, posted an hour ago on the same channel that exposed Natasha yesterday. It has over 40 million views.

- Tony, don't. - Rhodes advises. - It's bad.

Ignoring him almost completely, I click on the video. A well-known television anchor whose name I've forgotten appears. He's not in the studio they film the news. I think it's his home, there's a bookshelf behind him with picture frames I can't see properly.

- Iron Man is a hero. - As he speaks, videos of me rescuing people in NY pass through the screen, ending dramatically with me throwing that nuke through a wormhole. I still hate that video, now even more after seeing the look on Grace's face when she saw it. - But Tony Stark ... Well, not so much.

The next images are from victims of Sokovia and our fight in the airport, showing only the parts where I attacked someone I shouldn't have. Shame and guilt wash over me even though I know there's more to it. I broke an arm, that's not in there. Neither is the moment Wanda drowned me with cars. Fuck, I have no idea how this man got access to this or that someone was filming.