Obsessions ⇢ Tony Stark

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For a fleeting moment, Tony just stared, frozen. Eleanora was sitting on the floor, back up against the couch as she cried into her hands. His eyes darted around the mess that surrounded her - there was a dirty plate on the coffee table and various food packets and wrappers scattered the floor.

"Lenny..." he breathed again, shutting the door behind him and hurriedly kneeling down in front of her. Eleanora cried harder and when he tried to wrap his arms around her, she shook her head and shrunk into herself, but he determinedly pulled her into a hug and held on tight.

His heart was beating hard, both breaking at her distress and panicking at how to handle the situation.

"I need- I need to vomit," she croaked, trying to wriggle out of his grip.

Tony shook his own head, eyes burning with tears. "I'm not letting you do that, tesoro."

"N-no, I mean I'm- I'm actually going to be sick," she gasped urgently. "I need a- a bucket."

Tony hesitated for a moment, but when Eleanora held her hand up to her mouth, indeed looking like she was about to throw up, he helped her up and lead her to the toilet. He grimaced as she vomited, gripping the edges of the bowl tightly, but held her hair and rubbed her back as soothingly as he could manage.

After a few heaves, her left hand moved towards her mouth and he hastily grabbed her wrist and pushed it down. "Nope, none of that."

"Please let me," she cried brokenly. "I need to- I can't- I feel so gross- I need it out of me-"

"Lenny, you just got most of it out naturally. You're just freaking out a little and that's okay, but you've gotten rid of most of it."

"No, you don't understand, you don't get it- I have to-"

"You're right, I don't get it. But I know that whatever is left in your stomach, your body needs, okay? Your brain is telling you that you don't, but it's much better for your body to have that in there than to force it out, I promise you. Have I ever lied to you?" he added when she didn't seem convinced.

Eleanora shook her head slowly, a weak smirk pulling at her lips. "Not that I know of, anyway."

Tony rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "I haven't. And I'm not about to start now."

He moved to shift closer to her but she made a noise of protest and pushed him away. "Don't.... 'm gross."

"You're not gross," he said flatly, but she kept her arms up to keep him back.

"Just... leave me alone, please. Go home."

"I'm not doing that."

"I don't want you to see me like this," she insisted, eyes welling with tears again.

"I already have, at my birthday party, remember?"

"That was- that was different. That wasn't because of..."

"Look, Lenny, you can fight me all you want, but I'm not leaving you," he told her calmly, tearing off some toilet paper and gently wiping her chin with it before dropping in the bowl and flushing the toilet. "I'm gonna get you some water, okay?"

When he returned to the bathroom with a glass of water, Eleanora was wiping at her tear-streaked face with her sleeve. "I'm sorry," she mumbled hollowly. "I'm so sorry."

Tony almost went to say 'it's okay', but stopped himself because this situation was far from okay. Instead he just lightly squeezed her knee. "Is this about that hospital guy?"