Everlasting • Tony Stark✔️

13 | the suit

TONY had been spending a lot of time in his lab recently, hardly going anywhere. When Lyra would go down to help him—with whatever it was he was doing—he tried to make it seem as if he wanted to be alone. She had caught Jarvis asking him why not include Lyra, but Tony said he needed time to make sure what he was doing would work. She saw a lot of machines creating something. What? She was not sure as of yet.

Whenever Pepper or Happy came over with things for him to do, it usually fell into Lyra's hands. She was not against helping him out, but she wanted to know exactly what he was doing. Until he trusted her, she would try to do everything she could to get Pepper and Happy off of his back.

When Pepper walked in that day with a scowl as Obadiah followed, Lyra stood up from her notes on an assignment Tony had given her—once again, for what? She was not sure. It was almost as if he was creating a metal suit, but what for? She had no idea.

Pepper was about to go downstairs, so Lyra walked over to the counter that held a present she had made for Tony along with a cup of coffe. "Here, Pep."

Pepper grabbed the coffee with a nod before glancing at the box. "What is that?"

"A gift for him," she said with a grin, tapping the sticky note that had her name on it. "Bring it down for me?"

Pepper nodded with a smile before grabbing it to go. Lyra saw Obadiah place a box of pizza down and move to the piano.

"So... are you and Tony back together?" Obadiah spoke softly over the piano.

Lyra jumped at the question as she wrangled her notes together to keep from prying eyes. "Uh—N-No. He's been busy. We... I don't think it'll happen."

"Ah, never say never. He was always fond of you," Obadiah said.

Pepper returned with a worried expression as she sat on the couch and opened her laptop to do some work. Lyra walked to the bar to grab a cup of whiskey as Tony walked from his lab with a grimace. "How'd it go? It went that bad, huh?"

Obadiah laughed. "Just because I brought pizza back from New York doesn't mean it went bad." He continued to play the piano.

"Sure doesn't. Oh, boy," he said as Lyra handed him her glass when he waved his arm for it. She sneered his way before making her own cup.

"It would have gone better if you were there."

Tony gulped the drink in one sip. "Uh-huh. You told me to lay low. That's what I've been doing. I lay low, and you take care of all—"

"Hey, come on. In public. The press," he paused and moved to sit next to Tony. "This was a board of directors meeting."

Tony furrowed his brows. "This was a board of directors meeting?"

Obadiah glanced at Lyra's eyes on him before nodding. "The board is claiming you have post-traumatic stress. They're filing an injunction."

"A what?"

"They want to lock you out."

Tony scoffed. "Why, 'cause the stocks dipped 40 points? We knew that was gonna happen."

Pepper coughed from her spot behind the computer. "Fifty-six and a half."

Tony waved her off as he stood. "It doesn't matter. We own the controlling interest in the company."

"Tony, the board has rights, too. They're making the case that you and your new direction isn't in the company's best interest," Obadiah tried to make Tony see reason.

Tony was having none of it. "I'm being responsible! That's a new direction for me, for the company. I mean, me on the company's behalf being responsible for the way that—This is great." Tony stood up, taking the pizza box with him. Obadiah followed, watching him take a few steps away.

"Oh, come on. Tony. Tony," Obadiah tried to get Tony to stop walking.

"I'll be in the shop."

Obadiah growled, "Hey, hey! Hey, Tony. Listen. I'm trying to turn this thing around, but you gotta give me something. Something to pitch them. Let me have the engineers analyze that. You know, draw up some specs." He pointed to the arc reactor on his chest.

"No. No, absolutely not."

Obadiah groaned. "It'll give me a bone to throw the boys in New York!"

Tony's eyes glanced at Lyra's worried ones. He winked. "This one stays with me. That's it, Obie. Forget it."

Obadiah took the pizza box from Tony. "All right, well, this stays with me, then." He opened it once he saw the pout on Tony's face. "Go on, here, you can have a piece. Take two."

Tony grinned. "Thank you."

Obadiah motioned to the lab. "You mind if I come down there and see what you're doing?"

Tony shook his head. "Good night, Obie. Come, Little Lyra. I need your assistance." She sent an apologetic look to Obadiah before following Tony's brisk pace to the lab. She grabbed her notes as she passed.

Once they were alone, she quirked a brow. "Do I finally get to see what the hell it is you've been doing?"

"I need to trust you," Tony said with a nod. "Jarvis has been up my ass about telling you. Can I?"

"Of course, Tone," Lyra said softly before Jarvis began to pull all of the work he has done up. She glanced around with wide eyes as she took in the suit he was trying to make. "Is this why you needed the capabilities of flight thrusters and other works? What are you up to?"

Tony grinned, taking her notes from her hands and opening them. He laughed. "You are smarter than me by a tenfold, Ly. Jarvis scan these notes, apply to Marks 2 project."

"Yes, sir."

Tony grinned, drumming his hands on the counter. "Ready to change the world, Ly?"