They Didn't Notice, Nobody Ever Did. The Stark Truth. Tony leaned against his work desk, his head spinning.
It had been days since he had eaten and it was starting to take its toll. His hands shook slightly as he took a sip from his cup of coffee, his fingers clenching the paper cup as he brought it up to his lips. The (not so) subtle shaking caused him to spill the scalding hot liquid onto his hand. Thinking. Only Moreso (Series) Depression. Unlike Father, Like Son Series (Child Abuse) It's All in the Mind Series (Child Abuse) Not Strong Enough. His phone started ringing while he was sitting across from Pepper in her office.
Glancing at the caller I.D., he saw that it was Steve. Why was he calling? He never called when he knew Tony was supposed to be in a meeting. “It’s Steve.” “Go ahead.” Swiping his thumb against the touch screen, he raised the phone to his ear, “Steve, what-“ “What the hell Tony?!” He pulled the phone away from his ear to stare at it in disbelief. He shot Pepper a confused glance, noting that she looked equally confused. “Steve, what are you going on about? “Remember that woman you ‘helped’ get to her apartment last month?” “Yeah. “Well, she apparently did an interview and is saying you did a little more than walk her to her door, Tony. Age of Darkness. Malibu doesn’t feel like home anymore.
Tony has never been a sentimental man, not the kind to sigh and use big words while talking about sweet lost years of his childhood; on the contrary, he’s been the one to embrace change and newness and excitement and to always want to be somewhere else. At least all that is still a thing, even if the weights have shifted.
Malibu feels alien even after two months; Tony can’t get used to the constant murmur of the sea down the cliff, the rock vibrating under the mansion’s foundations. The light and the space surprise him every morning when he wakes up, as long as it isn’t with the nightmares in front of his eyes. Fingerprints of Blood on gold (Sequal) ‘Wow, you are looking better, Tony,’ Pepper tells him when she visits on November 30th, two days after Tony’s come home from the clinic.
‘I mean, you still look like shit, but you look more… alive. She must be a good influence on you.’ ‘You’re the one with the best compliments,’ Tony teases. ‘I’ve had a… relaxing two weeks.’ At least that isn’t a lie, even if the bed rest had nothing to do with a girl – unless you count Roxanne in – and was rather forced. ‘I’ve got news for you,’ Tony says, and in exactly the same moment Pepper speaks up, too. ‘I must tell you something.’ They exchange a look. Blue As True As Blue Can Be (Child Abuse) Star-Spangled Pillboxes (Suicide Attempt)
It happens as a sort of flashback, flashforward.
Howard throwing the wine glass. The Seat of Memory (Mentions of Child Abuse) It's not about the chair, Tony thinks as he stares at the broken remains.
It's about so much more than the stupid chair. The chair had been Howard's from the mansion on 5th Avenue. It was a dark, rich piece of furniture, with smooth crimson leather, overstuffed with plush that still held the faint scent of cigar smoke even all these years later. Rabbits Aren't Pets (Child Abuse/Bunny Abuse) And the Sky is Grey. Chapter Text Steve watches Tony swan out of the meeting room, poking at a tablet with gloved hands.
He's dressed in a custom-tailored suit that probably costs more than Steve can rationally think about – it would have to be custom; the jacket is far thicker than any other suit jacket Steve's ever seen, and he finds himself envious of how warm it looks even as he's irritated by that exact same fact. Iron Man Yes, Tony Stark...Not Recommended. Chapter Text Iron Man Yes, Tony Stark...Not Recommended Them moving in is actually more than a little awkward.
It’s not like Tony hadn’t already been planning on it, the single A left perfectly at the top of the tower, none of the other letters of his name surrounding it, is as close to an omen as he’s ever likely to see. When he remodelled and redecorated he created space for all of them. He was however, waiting for Bruce to calm down enough to come back from whichever part of India he’s holed himself up in. All of which is why it’s so awkward when, at one of the post clean-up debriefings Fury makes them go to after making them help with rubble removal in their full gear so the press can identify them doing it, the man barks, “Stark. A.I.s and Lullabies (Child Abuse) Apropos of Nothing (Self-Esteem, Kidnapping)
Chapter Text “Hello,” a blonde man smiled down at a very tiny Tony Stark.
