Innocent Bystander | T. Stark ✔️

thirteen ▼ a rush

The suit landed in the drive way of the mansion. When it opened, Juliet stumbled out onto the ground, gasping for fresh air. She'd felt as if she were suffocating inside of it, unable to do anything to help Tony and the hundreds of people inside the building. Gravel dug into the tender skin of her palms and knees, but her thoughts were on a different pain, one swelling deep in her chest.

Something sped past her, barely missing her shoulder. She looked up to see the pieces of the Mark 42 suit flying in the direction of the rapidly climbing plume of smoke behind her.

Her body began to shake as she watched the sky anxiously, praying with all her heart that she would catch a glimpse of Tony coming back to her. She could feel the spikes of fear piercing her conscious, forcing her to acknowledge all of the horrible possibilities. As she waited, unwilling to move , the sky began to darken. The air became cooler and her mind became weary from the insatiable worry that plagued her.

It was the last ray of sun that drew her eye to the approaching suit above. Juliet scrambled to her to her feet, anxiety spiking inside her.

Tony landed ten yards in front of her, close enough that she could make out the damage to the suit from where she stood. There were gashes where the red paint had been forced away, dents and the occasional missing plates. The mask of the suit opened to reveal his face. Her heart dropped at the emotions written across it; fear, exhaustion and worry seemed to fight for dominance in his features.

He stepped out of the suit, approaching her as tears welled in her eyes. Tony stopped in front of her and she reached out numbly, balling the fabric of his shirt front in her hand. She didn't know why, she just knew she needed to feel close to him.

"You shouldn't have done that, Tony." Her voice was quiet. She didn't meet his eyes as she spoke.

"What?"

"You can't just send me away like that. I didn't want to leave you, I didn't know what was happening." Tears clouded her vision.

A sigh breezed past his lips. "So I should've let you stay in a building that was falling in on itself?" He asked, pursing his lips. "I had to get everyone out of there and I couldn't have done that if I was worrying about whether or not you were safe."

"And the bracelet?"

"You've been affiliated with me long enough that people could try to use you as leverage against me. I couldn't take the risk. Jarvis can monitor your location through it and deploy the Rescue suit if you're anywhere near a dangerous situation."

"You should have just told me, Tony." She could feel her rush of emotions threatening to overwhelm her.

"I think my past should be a pretty solid indicator that I'm not the best at doing things the way I should," he said, the corner of his lips quirking into a quick grin. "I do what it takes to keep the people I care about safe. The rest...well, the rest comes up when said people scold me afterwards."

As he spoke Juliet felt herself relaxing, as if it had taken her mind time to register that he was actually safe and standing in front of her. Her breath caught in her throat as her gaze seemed to collide with his.

A shaky laugh left her shaking body. "You're a mess, Tony Stark." She grinned, relaxing her grip on his shirt but leaving her hand in his chest.

"Jules-" his brow creased as he seemed to search for the words he wanted to say. After a moment he huffed. "Ah, screw it," he mumbled.

She felt his hands find her, one cupping her face and one at the small of her back pulling her body to his. A rush of euphoria spread through her body like wildfire when his lips met hers. It was as if every nerve in her was alight with a pure and true joy. His lips moved against hers in a way that made her want more- need more. She could taste the salt of sweat on his skin. Tony's hands traced her back and wound their way into her hair.

When he pulled away, she felt like she had plummeted back to earth before she was ready and she only wanted to feel his lips on hers again.

Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and took her hand. He smiled at her and joy swelled inside of her.

▼

Sleep did not find Juliet easily that night.

She stared at the ceiling for hours, unable to quell the torrent of thoughts that washed over her in unrelenting waves. She longed to be in Tony's arms again, but something kept her rooted to her place. It was all so new, so foreign and terrifying and exciting. So, instead of confronting her feelings, she remained under her covers and willed sleep to take her away.

Though she couldn't be certain of the time, it wasn't until near three in the morning that her eyes finally drifted closed. Exhaustion took over and her thoughts finally stilled enough that she found rest.

Something stirred in her room, loud enough to wake her, though her eyes remained closed. Her mind distinguished the noise as footsteps approaching her just as she felt a weight on the mattress behind her. Juliet felt a strong arm wrap around her and the familiar smell of Tony met her nose. He gently pulled her closer to him.

She twisted to look up at him. His face was washed with the shadows of the dark room. He kissed her tenderly before laying his head on the pillow. Tangling her legs with his, she fell asleep in the comfort of his arms.