Unfiltered

Part Three

It had been to weeks since you quit your job and fled New York. Two weeks since you left your boss, Tony Stark, in the JFK airport on the verge of tears. Two weeks since you had broken your own heart.

"Honey?" Your mom called from your doorway, "Are you going to get up today?"

You shook your head, refusing to face her, mumbling into your pillow. Your "foolproof" plan when running away was to fly to your parent's home and resettle there. What you hadn't expected, coincidentally, was that you had no interest in working a nine-to-five when your boss wasn't Tony Stark.

"How's the job search going?" Your mom tried again, "I think Darlene's daughter just got hired at the hardware store down the road from-"

You ignored her babbling, praying she would take the hint and leave you be... but fate wasn't on your side today- or any day, in fact, in this rundown community your parents call home- because you heard your dad's approaching footsteps. Double interrogation.

"Hey kiddo." He said gently, likely standing beside your mother with a hand on her shoulder like always. "How are you feeling today?"

You grunted in response, opting to stare out the window than face your overly-concerned parents.

"Have you called Annie?" Your mom spoke up again, "She would be able to-"

"Mom, please. Just leave me alone, okay?"

You could practically feel their disappointment ebbing to you as they turned away and went downstairs.

You sighed in relief that they at least had the courtesy to shut your door, sitting up and opening your laptop. You pulled up Indeed, searching through the endless amount of boring jobs in the area. How could you find anything of interest when your last employment had been your dream job? You knew deep down that nothing could compare.

You were becoming more and more drowsy by the scroll, the illuminated words becoming blurrier by the second. You shut your laptop angrily, placing it down on your nightstand.

You laid back with a huff, staring at your ceiling and wondering where it all went wrong.

"I love you, (Y/N)." He had whispered to you on a broken-down elevator. You reminisced on the memory, holding it dear and close. It was the last one you would ever have of him and your favorite of all of them. The way your lips twitched upward as you remembered the kiss you'd shared, so much like fireworks despite the cliché. You knew that when you had kissed him, you would never be able to kiss or hold or love anyone like Tony. You were doomed to be forever alone.

Your thoughts were interrupted by a ping from your phone. You turned over and reached for it, groaning at the adjustment to the light.

Annie: I think you should see this

It was followed by a Twitter link, and with your luck you probably knew who it was. You clicked on the link, watching the screen load before it showed up...

T.S.
@youknowwhoiam

Come home, baby 💔
1.1M Likes, 25.9K Retweets

"Crap, crap, crap!" You whined, putting your head in your hands. Making it at least semi-public was the worst thing that he had tried to do so far, beyond all the calls and texts and emails. You knew what he was doing. He was trying to make you come back whether you liked it or not.

You couldn't take the stress, the exhaustion, so you put your phone back down and closed your eyes.

☽

You were woken by the ring of the doorbell.

"Coming, coming!" You heard your mother's voice call and the door open, "Hi there! How can I help you?"