Present of the Past || TONY STARK fanfiction

CHAPTER 12: ''Choices within four walls''

2012.

"Tony this place looks amazing!" I crossed my arm in his and we were walking around. 

"Thank you" Tony smiled. The two weeks we had passed so quickly. Tony and I stayed with Peggy figuring out my powers. Tony would drive up and down to New York checking up on the building and looking if everything was alright. 

"Let me show you something" We stopped at the elevator.
"You're going to love it" We got in and Tony pulled out a key. He pushed a button, leading us to an undisclosed floor. I looked at him with narrowed eyes. 

"Don't look at me like that" he laughed. 

"Like what?" I smirked. We arrived at the top floor of the building. We walked into a loft. As if I wasn't mesmerized by the building already, I was now. There it was. An entirely newly renovated loft. The smell of fresh paint entered my nose. The sun came through the windows casting a warm glow on the wooden floors. For the interior, they made a mixture of modern-day decorations, with some hints of the 1940s. In the middle of the room, there was a caramel-brown couch. Cushions were splashed all over it.

A kitchen island stood a few feet away from the couch. Behind the kitchen, there was space with a stove to cook on. Not far from it was a kitchen sink. To the right of it was a dishwasher. The rest of it was cabinets with pots, pans, and cutlery in them. As I turned to my left, there was a short staircase that went up to what is essentially the bedroom.

I walked to the middle of the room. Next to the fridge, there was a door. I figured it was the bathroom. I walked toward it and opened the door. On the left side of the room was the shower. A tall window separated the rest of the room. The room had black marble floors the pattern continued along the walls. This whole place is amazing, I couldn't stop smiling.

"What'd you think?" Tony asked.
"Tony, this place is gorgeous!" I said as I turned around. When I looked into his eyes, he seemed relieved.
"Oh, thank God" I turned my head to the side. "It's your place as long as you like it," I said to him. Tony shook his head. I frowned.
"It's not mine, it's yours" My mouth fell open. "What?" I asked as reassurance if I heard it right. "The place is yours if you want it," he said grabbing my hands.

I had the urge to pull away. I'm not sure if I wanted this or not. It was a really big gesture, I wasn't sure if I would take this. The idea was to go live in my old apartment. It had been empty ever since I moved to Malibu with Tony. I needed space from all of this. I wasn't sure if staying here was the best option.

"I-I-"  I muttered. "I can't possibly take this" My voice was so soft, I wasn't sure he heard me but I knew he did because his face dropped. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to get out of your hair" I said. He seemed hurt as I said it. 

"I'm sorry," I said again. He still didn't let go of my hands. "Just think about it. I'd love to have you here" I looked at my feet. 

"I will think about it," I said. Tony nodded. "Okay," he was disappointed. "I don't want to live off you for the rest of my life," I said.

"I can't keep doing that, you know" he knew I was right. What Maya said to me weeks ago, kept replaying in my head. I don't want to be the girl that lives with and of some men. I have always been able to take care of myself. Listening to someone else is what brought me into this mess in the first place. I could've had a nice quiet life and since I visited Peggy, I had been wondering what my life could've looked like if I hadn't stepped on that damn machine.

When Steve walked in my thoughts were interrupted. "There you are!" he walked up to me with a smile. He grabbed me in a tight hug. "I've been looking all over for you" I smiled. "Here I am" I kissed his cheek. "I will leave you some space," Tony said as he walked to the elevator. Guilt ate me up. Steve was holding me, trying to get my attention. I couldn't bring myself to focus.

"Tony wait" The doors to the elevator opened and he stepped in. He turned around. "We aren't done talking," I said. "Yeah, we are" he was mad. Tony ignoring me, annoyed the hell out of me. It even made me angry. I was about to say something but Steve caught on and stopped me. Tony nodded and left.

I sighed in frustration. "What happened?" Steve asked once Tony left. 

"He's mad because I won't take this place" Steve's eyes widened. 

"he offered this place?" he asked. "I thought we were going back to your apartment?" I bit the inside of my cheek. 

"We are" We decided to make our way back home. Steve grabbed my hand. I calmed down as soon as he did.

"How are we getting home?" I asked. "I don't have my car it's still in Arizona" I laughed. "Don't worry I have my motorcycle" I smiled and kissed him. "I adore you" I whispered. Steve smiled. Not even pulling away from me. As he'd often do when we were in public. "Ransom I love you" he whispered his face inches away from mine.

1945.

"I love you" I whispered. Jack was caressing my face. 

"I love you too honey" his eyes were shining. 

"I have missed you so much" The war had ended and he was finally back home. Back in my arms. I glanced down at the table looking at the newspaper. May 8th was a date the world would never forget. The headline read: "War in Europe has ended! Surrender unconditionally"

I couldn't help but notice the distraught look on his face. "Are you alright?" I asked. 

I knew that it was a stupid question. Jack looked down at me with sad eyes. All I could do was pull him closer to me. "I don't need pity" he whispered, his voice so soft. "I know" I sighed, placing a kiss on his cheek. 

"I love what you've done with my apartment," Jack said, changing the subject. I decided not to press it and smiled. 

"Thank you, I figured that you deserve to come home to a homely home," I  said, wrapping my arms around his waist. "I appreciate it" he grabbed my face and kissed me again.

His eyes glistened in the sunlight that was falling from the window. The slightest bit of sorrow and sadness seemed to disappear. "I missed those eyes and that smile" I sighed again. I couldn't seem to get enough of him. Jack blushed. "I don't know what happened over there but don't let it take your spirit. If you're ready to talk about it I will be here" I said.

It felt so insincere of me to say. I had no idea what he'd been through. This wasn't the man I said goodbye to 3 years ago. I knew war chances people but no one tells you how to grieve a person that's still here. "You're my spirit" he whispered so softly I almost didn't hear it.

2012.

We almost arrived home. We only stopped at some traffic lights. My head was leaning against Steve's back as my mind kept wandering. "Honey?" I hummed, my eyes closed.

"Please relax, your grip is a little tight" he laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry" I still haven't found the hang of my powers yet. These come with super strength. "It's fine" he seemed to enjoy it. We finally arrived at the apartment.

"You know, if you were to take the loft, I'd have a place to park my motorcycle," he said with a grin. I returned it with a death stare. It just made him laugh even more. When he noticed that I didn't share the joy in this conversation he immediately apologized. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that" I shook my head. "It's fine," I said. I dropped my stuff in a corner on the floor.

Steve looked at my scattered stuff for a second. I knew it annoyed the shit out of him. "Leave it," I said, laughing. "I'll clean it up later" Steve just nodded and sat down on the sofa as I grabbed a few drinks from the fridge. I sat down beside him and gave him a bottle. "Thanks" he popped the cap of the bottle and gulped it down.

My ears rang from the quiet in my small apartment. It wasn't something I was used to these days. I rested my head on Steve's shoulders. He wrapped his arm around me. "Want to watch a movie?" I asked. "Sure," he said with a smile. "Which one?" I asked. "Something comedic" I laughed. "Fine, as long as you don't shush me," I said making him laugh.