Marvel Imagines

Tony Stark - Birds of a Feather

Another night, awake in the lab. Another day of drinking.
It's almost as though I can't function without this unhealthy, sadistic routine.
It only gets worse when she's away. I don't have her to keep my mind straight.
Four months she's been gone. That's how long this mission has taken to complete, they all should be home in the next few weeks, as much as I love them all, there's one member of the team I most looking forward to seeing above all of them. She's not only my best friend but she's been part of my family for decades; for the worse and best parts of my life.
People have said it's wrong to rely on someone so heavily, but she been with me since we were kids, only a select few have ever seen the true me and she's one of them. We met one summer day when my mum took me to the beach and we walked into each other both holding ice creams, getting them down ourselves, we laughed at each other, must have been about 7 at the time and ever since that day we've been inseparable.

"Boss?", I hear faintly, too caught up in my work to give a response.
"Boss!", I hear louder this time.
"Yes F.R.I.D.A.Y?", I huff.
"News from Captain Rogers", she informs me.
My heart leaps into my throat - as I sit upright after having been hunched over the desk for countless hours, an audible groan comes out of my mouth at the shift in position and leads me to stretch out my other aching muscles - The mission was a strict 'no communications' allowed until it was done and if I remember correctly, they still have about two weeks left to go.
"Patch him through", I say.
"Tony", my name comes crackling through the speakers, as a broken up, pixilated image of THE Captain America appears on one of my many monitors.
"Damn the receptions bad out there, how have you coped?", I tease.
"I don't think I have much time, before this thing", he waves at the computer, "stops working for good, so listen up there's been a snag in the plan", he says frowning, "it might take a little longer than expected".
I look at his tired face; cut up and bruised, "Steve was going on?", I question worry flowing through my mind.
"It's nothing Tony, you don't need to concern yourself with it, but just don't expect us home on time", he sighs looking down at the floor.
"Cap", I growl grabbing his attention, "tell me what the fuck is going on now, is it Y/N, put her on, I want to speak to her", I demand as my hands start to shake with anxiety.
No not now.
"I can't do that Tony", he starts.
"And why the fuck not, Steve", I growl again.
"Like I said don't expect us home on time", he evades, reaching towards the camera to hang up the call.
"Don't you fucking dare hang up on me", that stops him in his tracks again he looks to the floor and sighs.
"You can't come here Tony. You'll risk compromising the mission.", he breathes.
"Steve I swear to go..".
"She's missing Tony", he utters, even with the poor reception I can see that tears that fill his eyes as he finally looks up at the camera.
I feel the colour drain from my face at the words that I never wanted to hear. If I hadn't already been sat down, I'd have needed to. I slam the tools down, my hands still shaking, my mind begins to cloud with the most vicious of thoughts.
"Tony!", I hear, but it sounds too far away, I go to stand, but end up crumbling to the floor.
"F.R.I....", I stutter, "F.R.I.D....".
"Boss?", the panicked voice of my A.I calls out.
"Cu.... Cut... the ....."
Instantly Steve's yells are cut off and the room falls silent. I lay there on the floor willing the fear to disappear, to no avail.

It's a little over an hour later when I feel 'myself' enough to stand and my heart rate has retuned to normal. I play the words back in my head 'Y/N' and 'missing'. My breathing starts picking up again, until the door to the lab beeps open.
"Tones?", I hear and all too familiar voice call.
"R.. Rhodes", I mumble clearing my throat, not looking in his direction.
"Ok what's gone on?", he asks in a jovial tone, "did Clint take the last of your leftovers again? Point me in the right direction", he says chuckling.
When he looks over at me and see that my body language hasn't changed or lightened, he makes his way over to me and gently places his hand on my shoulder, to turn me to look at him. I take a deep breath and look him in the face. I instantly regret it as now I feel my face wet with tears, I didn't know I had cried. His face creases with worry.
"Tony what's...", he asks, I cut him off by clearing my throat again and asking F.R.I.D.A.Y to play the video of Steve's news.
Keeping his hand on my shoulder, he turns his attention to the monitor. I feel his hand tense has he listened to it. Not only is Y/N my friend, my family, but that extends to Rhodey. They act more like brother and sister than friends. This will affect him just as much as it will do me.
"Shit", he mumbles and looks down as the message stops playing. "I don't want to say it Tones but you know I need to", he exhales and looks up at me. "do not go out there".
I've seen Rhodey happy, focused and angry, but I've never seen such raw emotion from him as I do right now. The pain in his eyes from not only being told his friend is missing but having to be the level headed one, it's killing him and I know he's right. But it doesn't half piss me off.
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!!", I yell throwing my arms in the air.
I see him wince but right now I don't care. "RHODEY SHE'S OUT THERE IN GOD KNOWS WHERE! I NEED TO GO OUT THERE ARE JOIN THE SEARCH! I NEED .." I stop myself trying the find the words, "I need to bring her home", I whisper the end bit.
"Tony I know.. ", he reaches his hand out to me, making me see red all over again
"NO CLEARLY YOU DON'T!", I yell and storm out of the lab, I make my way towards my room, on my way past I go to the kitchen grabbing a bottle. When I finally make it to my room, I hear my name called out, I know its Rhodey but I ignore him and step over the threshold. I snap to F.R.I.D.A.Y that I don't want to be disturbed.

It's almost three days later and still no word from the team on the whereabouts of Y/N, these last three days have mostly been spent in a drunk haze, I only leave the room to grab another bottle then end up back on the floor leaning against the window looking outside, I've barely even noticed whether or not it has turned from day to night and visa versa.
As the last drops of this golden liquor slid down my throat, I finally notice the stars. My tears well in my eyes and my throat clenches as I'm taken back to one of my favourite memories with Y/N.
It wasn't long after my parents' death, I'd wanted some alone time so I took myself out for a drive to a flower-filled field just outside the city, somewhere I could be see the stars, my mother used to bring me here for picnics sometimes when I was a lot younger. Some of my happiest moments.
I get out of the car and hop up onto the hood, and lean back against the windshield getting a good view of the sky. I get so lost in my thoughts I hardly even register that a car pulls up along side mine, its only when the voice of the driver resonates through my ears, is when I look over.
"Whatcha doing out here T?", I glance over seeing a small smile on her face.
"What are you doing here", I snap looking away and back up to the stars.
"Well I'm here to keep you company", she informs me as she closes her car door and makes her way around the front of mine. She hops up on the hood next to me and positions herself so she, to is looking up to the stars.
"What if I wanted to be alone?", I huff angrily, trying to scare her away.
"That whole attitude thing won't work on me Tony, so stop it and you may not want to talk, but I know you too well for you to want to be alone, especially at a time like this", she starts off confident, then fades away towards the end. She shifts so she facing me, "look", she catches my attention, so I look her in the face, worry etched into her features. "I know you don't want to talk so I'm not going to force you. I'm sure you'll talk plenty when you want to", she jokes making me roll my eyes and look away, "but I'm not leaving you alone," she says so softly my heart beats faster and I look back at her, "so you'll have to get used to me being here", she mutters and lays back down facing the sky.
"So, nerd what am I looking at?", she asks.
"Stars", I tell her sarcastically.
"Wow and here I was thinking you were a genius", she mocks, "which constellations am I looking at", she waves to the sky and I just roll my eyes, before walking her through the various clusters of stars.

That's the night that I knew that I not only didn't have to be alone, but that I had found a partner in crime for life and I wanted that in any and every way possible.

But here I am back in my oversized bedroom, leaning against a cold, floor to ceiling window, staring at the sky secretly wishing I wasn't alone, as I toss another bottle across the plush carpet, I close my eyes for a brief moment willing the sting away, not realising how tired my body and mind was, until I was already deep in sleep.

I woke the next morning feeling groggy, yet warm and comfortable. My brows furrow in confusion as my hand glides against soft cotton sheets? I don't remember going to bed last night? I hear the curtain rail being pulled and my eyes flutter at the sound and shine of light entering the room, I groan as it reaches my eyes.
"Morning Sleeping Beauty".
My eyes fly open at the sound of that voice. "Y/N", I groan as I push myself up and get out of bed, adrenaline leading me.
"Hey Tones", she smiles from the foot of my bed. I grab her by the forearm and pull her onto a hug.
"Woah, hey, easy T. Still a little sore", she laughs into my chest.
I pull back from her and keep a firm grip on her shoulders, "sorry. I just ... missed you", I say quietly looking down. My heart was doing summersaults in my chest. Why did she have the ability to make me act like a shy school boy?
"Hey", she says putting her delicate, cut up hand, under my chin and lifting my face so her eyes could look into mine.
I almost don't want to look, seeing her face covered in bruises and cuts, it both pains and angers me thinking of how she got them and why someone would want to hurt her and it particularly infuriated me knowing I wasn't there to protect her.
She clearly sees my face distort with guilt. "first of all this...", she motions to her face, "...isn't your fault, second you should see the other guy and thirdly, I missed you too", she smiles, trying to ease my guilt. She gently sits herself down on the side of the bed, a frown graces her face at my lack of acceptance of blame placing, "c'mon T you know I can handle myself and seriously you should see the other guy", she stares off into the distant briefly, "it was not pretty", she mumbles, almost as though ashamed of herself for whatever it was that she had to do.
She looks back to me with a bright smile plastered on again, I smile with her to ease some of her tension and she pulls me into and hug again, "There he is. My Tiny Tony", she chuckles. As my chin stretches to rest on her head, "I'm about two inches taller than you", I mumble.
"That's not much though", she grumbles into my chest.
"I still won't let you forget it", I mock.
She puffs out some air and steps back folding her arms over her chest, pouting.
"God you're so cute", I laugh, for the first time in days.
Her face changes to looking very smug in a matter of seconds, I catch a glimpse of it and stop laughing slowly, suddenly realising what I said.
"Is that so?", she questions.
"I .. um ... meant", I stutter not meeting her gaze.
"Stuttering Tony? Really? You?".
I back away, "I'm just going to.."
"To what Tony? Explain the longing stares I catch you in? The smirk I know, oh so well, when you're thinking of something dirty, when you look at me?", she interrogates.
I clear my throat and rub the back of my neck still not meeting her gaze, "I... ermm.. can explain".
"Tony look at me", she asks, leaning forward, crowding my space again.
I get a sudden burst of confidence causing me to look up, but it all fades as I look into her eyes and see genuine emotion.
"Tell me Tony, what do you really feel?", she whispers so quietly I wouldn't have heard it, unless she was so close to me.
I open my mouth to speak but no words come out, impulse suddenly takes over and my hands are on the side of her face pulling her closer until our lips collide. At first, I thought she'd be scared at the sudden action but I soon realise that she's kissing me back, my heart flips in my chest and a smile makes it was onto my face, I pull back, trying to gage her true reaction.
"Fucking finally", she breathes.
I smirk and pull her back in for another one.