Iron and Magic

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Page count: 19

They were due to leave soon and Tony knew they both had a couple of items that needed to be packed away before they left for the airport, but he couldn't bring himself to disturb her. Not when she was clearly comfortable being where she was, not when she looked so peaceful and young, not when he didn't want to let her go, always enjoying it when she snuggled against him.

After the arrival of room service, they'd both taken a seat at the dining table and ate the ordered food, something that may have not been on the menu but Tony wished to see if they'd make it anyway, and of course, still wishing to get on his good side, they had without complaint.

Once they'd finished with their lunch they'd moved to the couch, Tony switching on the TV and searching the channels available, settling on a random TV programme he'd never heard of or seen before. He'd only turned the TV on to offer a distraction, a little background noise. Within half an hour, Hermione was curled into his side, her feet tucked beneath her, her arms folded around her torso and her cheek pressed against his chest, her eyes closed as soft breaths left her slightly parted lips.

He didn't blame her for having fallen asleep. For one, daytime TV was completely boring and two, she'd been emotionally drained in as little as thirty minutes with the incident of her ex-boyfriend and so-called best friend showing up unannounced.

Tony had been completely serious about dropping Potter from the rooftop and he absolutely wouldn't have minded chasing after the red-head and blasting him with his repulsor until he'd gone through a window or collided with a wall. They were both assholes, one more than the other, but part of him was curious to see how Potter would gain Hermione's trust once more after his favouring of someone else for over a decade.

Part of him wanted Potter to fail, too. Irrationally, and if he was honest with himself, part of him was a little worried that should the raven-haired man succeed, Hermione would no longer consider him her best friend and that she'd be easily convinced to move back to London. He didn't want to lose her or her friendship. She was important to him, incredibly so. In such a short amount of time, she'd burrowed her way into his life. Well, it was partially his fault, he conceded. He'd gotten his hands on her personnel file and been too curious and stubborn to let it go and he'd made it a point to get her under his employment, regardless of the fact he didn't have the foggiest what it was that she did for SHIELD. Being brought into his life was his doing, but he hadn't expected her to entwine herself so effortlessly into his private, persona life.

He hadn't expected her to show up with cheeseburgers, board games, (and he was positive she always cheated at poker, how else did she beat him at almost every hand?) her home-cooked meals and baking filling his stomach until he was certain he was going to burst, and her damn cat, too. The same damn cat that had wormed her way into his heart and refused to release her hold on him. The same damn cat he was certain wasn't actually a cat at all. He hated cats, always had, and he willingly let the little white fluff-ball bully him for the food on his plate or in his hand, wander the Tower sporting a bandana that bore his name, and sleep wherever she wished, even if it was on his highly expensive, custom made, one of a kind couch.

Hermione, despite having mysterious secrets he was dying for her to hurry up and share with him, was like an open book. He'd gotten to know her so well, being in such close quarters both with work and living arrangements, that with a single glance in her direction he knew her mood. When entering her lab to check up on her or bring her food, (if she'd forgotten to eat that day and it was his turn to remind them both) he'd always take a moment to observe her closely before he made his presence known, identifying her mood so he knew how best to behave, and how he might improve her day should she be upset or be having a bad day.