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Listen (Tony Stark/Iron Man x fem!reader)

You were zoning out again, your attention captured once more by Tony Stark's beautiful voice. It was different from yours. So eloquent and soothing most of the time while yours was a thick Southern drawl like just about everyone else from New Orleans. You came to New York to join the Avengers Initiative because you'd had powers from a young age and Nick Fury decided he wanted you to be on the team. Now, you wanted nothing more than to sit and listen to Tony talk.

"Y/N? Did I lose you?" Tony quipped, shaking you out of your reverie. "No, no. I'm good. Just listenin', I guess." Tony chuckled, another sound you loved hearing. "So are you coming with us tonight?" You nodded happily. "Of course. I neva miss a chance ta just enjoy the team's company." Tony tried to organize team-bonding events every month and this month's was karaoke. It was the first time you'd actually be going out with the team. Not that you'd sing, but you loved going and listening to everyone else while enjoying a drink. "Great! The limo leaves at seven."

You were waiting at the door just before seven when the rest of the team came down. "Y/N, you look great!" You smiled at Natasha. You were both wearing similar dresses but they were different colors. "Why, thank ya, darlin'. So do ya!" Everyone piled in the limo and you didn't even notice Tony's eyes on you the whole time. To him, you were positively stunning and he was determined to make his move tonight.

Tony knew you didn't think he'd noticed the way you hung onto his every word. The way you attention would be focused solely on him when he spoke. He had noticed but what you also didn't realize was that Tony was just as fond of listening to you speak. Like many people from New Orleans, you tended to slip a French word into conversation here and there. Tony loved it. He just wished you spoke directly to him more often.

Tony slid into the limo right after you and sat as close to you as possible without making you uncomfortable. Everyone on the team could see the two of you were smitten with each other so they just let you talk in peace. "Looking good, Y/N," he said to you softly and you smiled at him. "Thank ya, darlin'. Yer lookin' pretty handsome yerself. Ya eva think about modelin'?" you asked jokingly. Tony loved your sense of humor too. "Well, yes actually. I think gracing the magazines for my looks sounds like a great way to get paid." You giggled, making the smile on Tony's face widen.

When you got to the bar, you were immediately surrounded, or rather, Tony was. You gave him a sad smile. "I'm gonna go get a drink. Talk ta ya later, Cher," you told him and followed Natasha inside. "Y/N, you know you could have stayed with him. I think he wanted you to." You shrugged. "Why would he want that? He's Tony Stark and I'm just some nobody from New Orleans. He's got lotsa women all ova him. He doesn't need me ta be there when he takes some beautiful woman home with him tonight." Natasha merely rolled her eyes and lead you over to the bar. You didn't realize that Tony had broken away from his adoring fans and heard your conversation.

He watched as you walked away with Natasha to the bar. He only stood there, ignoring all the women that kept coming up to him as you laughed and joked with the rest of the team. Finally, Natasha and Clint got up to sing a duet, leaving an open seat across from you for Tony to slide into. The rest of the team slowly got up, leaving you and Tony alone. "Y/N, I need to talk to you." You cocked a brow and asked, "What is it, Tony? Did I do somethin' wrong?" He shook his head and opened his mouth to say something when the waitress came over.

"Can I get you a refill, Mr. Stark?" she asked. Her body language indicated that she was flirting. He barely looked at her. "Yeah. Thanks." She walked away with a little more swing in her hips than necessary but Tony still ignored her. "Ya were sayin'?" you prompted, just hoping to hear him speak to you again in that soft voice he used when the two of you were alone. "I was saying that I wanted to talk to you. You nodded, encouraging him to continue. "What makes you think you aren't a hundred times better than the women throwing themselves at me?"

You blanched. "Ya heard me?" He nodded and you sighed. "Well, I'm not important. Just a woman with a bit of Southern charm, an accent outta place in New York and powers that make me different. I'm not eloquent like ya. My voice doesn't make people listen. It makes most laugh at me. I wouldn't expect ya ta have a woman like me by yer side when ya could have so many othas."

Tony shook his head sadly. "Y/N, you are so much more than that. You are kind and compassionate. You are special and more important to me than any of them. I love listening to you, almost as much as you love listening to me." You felt your face heat up at that. "Tony-" you started by he interrupted. "I'm not finished. I don't want to be with any of those women. I want to be with you because you make me happy."

"Tony...I don't know what ta say." Tony chuckled and took your hand as the waitress returned. Sliding Tony his drink, she gave him a smile. You noticed the writing on the napkin that held Tony's drink and you took your hand away. Tony's brows furrowed and he looked down. Flashing you a smile, Tony crumpled the napkin and tossed it into the nearest trash can. You couldn't help but grin at that.

"Ya know what, Tony? I think I believe ya." He laughed and stretched his hand over the table. You took it in yours again. "I love that smile. Now, what do you say we get out of here and go somewhere quiet? Then we can really talk." You glanced over at the team. They were all watching you with identical knowing smiles. "Sure. I'd like that." You got up and followed Tony out of the bar. The two of you spent the rest of the night in each other's company, listening to each other's voices.

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