ANGRBODA ※ Tony Stark [1]

22 - THE JOY AND THE MISERY

She didn't move, still facing the wall, but her heart fluttered inexplicably, feeling the weight on the bed shift as Tony settled on her side.

They stayed like that for a while, sharing nothing but silence. Angrboda felt at peace for the first time in a long time and it was hard not to hope for this borrowed moment to never end.

⁂

"I'M GOING TO leave S.H.I.E.L.D." she whispered, reluctantly breaking the silence.

"What?!"

She felt his body shift to her side, trying to meet her gaze but she still wouldn't turn. She didn't have the heart to face him; not yet at least.

"Is this about what happened earlier?" he wondered, seemingly agitated "What the hell did Fury say to you?!"

"Nothing I didn't already know," she muttered, curling up into herself a little more.

After all, it was the truth. Right from the start, S.H.I.E.L.D. had proven time and time again that transparency and courtesies were not their priority. She couldn't say she was surprised to hear that Fury had no remorse committing atrocities if it was for the good of Earth and the organisation.

"Angie..." he trailed off dejectedly "You know I'm not crazy about S.H.I.E.L.D either but working as a team is our best chance to defeat the Chitauri."

"And you can still do that! But I just... I've never worked well with others," she admitted reluctantly "Maybe I'm not meant for this."

"Are you kidding me... you're the one holding the team together!"

The irony in his statement made her chuckle sadly "That's nice... but you don't have to lie, you know."

"You think I'm lying? Angie, think about it: if it weren't for you, Rogers and I would still be ripping each other to shreds; Natasha would've gotten trampled on by Banner, which means Barton would've never trusted any of us and Thor would be completely alienated."

She stayed silent, feeling increasingly uneasy. What he said made sense, she guessed he might have a perspective, but she definitely wasn't convinced "I wish Fury saw it that way," she mumbled.

"To hell with Fury. We're not marching to his fife!"

"I couldn't agree more..." she sighed wistfully "But I was thinking, maybe it's best if I take on Loki alone, find a way to surprise him and—"

"Are you insane?!" he dropped firmly "I'd never let you do that."

"Tony... I'm not asking."

"Then I'll go with you," he shrugged resolutely.

"No!" another wave of guilt spiked in her gut "Did you forget what happened to Phil?!"

Tony cracked a small smile although she couldn't see it "Then I guess you understand why I can't let you do this either."

She didn't answer. There was something in his tone that made her want to turn around badly, it made her crave the familiar warmth of his gaze on her. The proximity of their bodies was unnerving and thrilling at the same time.

Tony, on the other hand, felt like a stack of rocks were weighing him down. He was ridiculously aware of everything: the way her hair sprawled on the mattress like a pitch black storm, the way her arm rested on the curve of her waist, the soft sound of her breathing, the hint of her scent...

They stayed motionless for a long moment until finally, his arm snaked its way around her, sending a shiver down her spine. She leaned back against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat like a hypnotizing harmony as their hands finally met, fingers intertwining slowly.