Rolling Stone

5. Guilt all on Her Grin

Monday Morning

You walked into Tony's office, balancing two cups of coffee and already mentally preparing yourself for whatever attitude he might throw your way. It had been a long weekend, and you weren't sure what kind of Tony you were walking into today.

The tension between you two was still heavy from last week's blow-up, and honestly, you expected things to be the same: sarcastic comments, annoyed looks, and subtle jabs. But after Friday, when you finally called him out, things felt... different. You hadn't quite processed it yet.

"Good morning, Mr. Stark," you said, setting his coffee on the desk, your voice professional, even though you could feel your pulse quicken.

Tony looked up from his work, his brown eyes locking with yours, but there was something softer there today. He smiled, actually smiled, and it wasn't his usual sarcastic smirk. It threw you off balance.

"Morning, Y/N," he said, his voice casual and — dare you say it — polite? "Thanks for the coffee." You blinked, unsure of what to say. This was new. Where was the snarky comment? Where was the subtle jab at you? "You're... welcome?"

Tony leaned back in his chair, his eyes trailing over you for just a second too long, making your skin tingle under the intensity of his gaze. "You're surprised I can be nice?" he asked, clearly amused by your reaction.

You huffed, crossing your arms over your chest. "Well, considering you've been an ass for over a week, yeah, it's a bit shocking."

Tony laughed almost, the sound low and smooth. "You checked me last week. And I didn't fire you, so, I figured it was time to stop being such an ass."

You raised an eyebrow, still wary of this new Tony. "So, just like that? We're good?"

He shrugged, his smirk returning. "Let's not get carried away. I didn't say we're good... I just said I'd stop being a complete asshole."

You couldn't help but roll your eyes, but deep down, you felt something warm settle in your chest. This was progress. Tony took a sip of his coffee, his eyes locked on to you anyway. "Look, about last Friday..." He set the cup down, leaning forward, elbows on his desk. "I shouldn't have said that. That was... messed up."

You blinked, surprised by the sincerity in his voice. Tony Stark was apologizing. "You think?"

He laughed softly, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, well, what can I say? I'm an idiot sometimes. But I don't want things to be awkward between us."

You nodded slowly, not sure how to feel. The air between you two still felt charged, but now there was something else — an understanding. "It's still fucked up," you muttered under your breath, making Tony raise an eyebrow.

"Trust me, I know," he said, his voice quieter, almost contemplative.

Before you could say anything else, Tony's phone buzzed on the desk, and he glanced at it briefly before looking back at you. "I need to ask you something," he said, his tone shifting into something more serious, more... Tony Stark CEO.

"What's up?" you asked, your curiosity raised.

"Can I trust you with something big? Something outside your pay grade?" His eyes were serious now, but there was still that glimmer of something more, something deeper between you two.

You raised an eyebrow. "Uh, I think so? What kind of 'big' are we talking about here?"

Tony leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "The Chicago Energy Project. I want you to oversee it for the next few weeks. I've got... some other stuff I need to handle."

You raised both eyebrows this time. "Wait, you're trusting me with that?"

He smirked. "Don't act so surprised. You're smart. You know this city better than anyone I've got on the team, and I need someone who can handle it while I'm... gone."

You frowned, confused by his vague wording. "Gone?"

Tony sighed, glancing down at his watch like he was checking the time, but you knew better. He was deflecting. "I've got some Avengers stuff to handle." It took you a second to process, and when it hit, you tried not to let your surprise show.

Right. Duh. You're Iron Man.

You nodded nonchalantly, trying to play it cool. "Right, yeah. Well you don't always scream superhero when you're in the office wearing Givenchy suits."

"Well, I'm not wearing Givenchy now," he pointed out, gesturing to his more casual fit — a fitted t-shirt that showed off the arc reactor glowing faintly beneath it. You rolled your eyes, trying to ignore the fact that he looked ridiculously good dressed down. It wasn't a GQ fit but he was fine. "Okay, so while you're off saving the world, I'm in charge of this project?"

"Exactly. You think you can handle it?"

You shrugged, trying to stay cool even though you were waiting for something that could l you prove yourself, or distract you from him staring at you and the prior intensity. "Yeah, I got this. I'll take care of it." Tony nodded, his expression softening for a second. "I trust you, Y/N. Don't let me down." You swallowed, feeling the weight of his words settle on you. "Trust me, I got it"

For a second, the air between you two felt... still. Like neither of you wanted to break the moment. It was different from before — no sarcastic quips, no flirty banter — just... trust. And it threw you off. He broke the silence first, standing up and grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair. "I've got a meeting. You're coming, right?"

You blinked, coming out of the moment. "Uh, yeah. Of course."

As you followed him out of the office, you couldn't help but feel the shift in your relationship with Tony. Things were still tense, still complicated, but for the first time, you felt like you were on the same page. He wasn't just the asshole CEO or the superhero everyone else saw. He was Tony. And for some reason, that scared you more than anything else.

You weren't used to this side of him — this more open, less guarded version of Tony Stark. It made the tension between you two feel... different.

As you walked side by side toward the meeting room, you felt his eyes flick toward you, and when you glanced up, he was watching you again. Like he always did.

"You look good today," he said casually, like it wasn't a loaded comment. You rolled your eyes. "Still playing that card, huh?"

His smirk widened. "Just calling it like I see it."

You scoffed, trying to ignore the warmth creeping up your neck. "Don't you have a meeting to focus on?"

"Maybe," he said, shrugging. "But I've got my best intern handling everything else, so I can afford to relax a little."

You shot him a look. "You mean the intern you were just being an ass to last week?"

Tony chuckled, shaking his head. "Hey, I'm working on it. Can't a guy improve?"

You smirked. "We'll see, Stark."

As you entered the meeting room, he gave you one last look, and for a brief moment, the smirk faded into something genuine.

"Thanks... for everything," he murmured.

Still off guard, you blinked. "Uh... no problem."