Marvel One Shots (X Reader) REQUESTS ARE OPEN!

A Damaged Reactor pt 1 | Tony Stark

Pairing: Tony Stark x reader
Warnings: Tony's dark thoughts
Requested by: BuckyGoddesswolf
Pronouns: They/Them
Authors note: Didn't turn out quite as expected but oh well

A damaged arc reactor is never good news. It would have been split in half if his suit wasn't so strong. Blue light continued to radiate from his chest, now flickering regularly. Anytime between an hour and a week it could stop working for good.

Luckily, Tony had a spare in his lab for times like this. A few adjustment were needed, but it would be ready for use in no time. If only he could find his tools. He knew he shouldn't complain, but he does. Since they came he doesn't constantly trip over whatever he left on the floor, but he can never find what he's looking for. When he finally gets up to look for it, it'll be in the tool draw. If he wasn't so stubborn he would have found it right away, but Tony being Tony thinks his system is best. It's not.

As he held the device in his hand, his mind wandered. It often did when he was alone and sleep deprived. During the day he had his assistant, who he adored. They were the shining light fighting away his darkness. He felt so much for them, but how could he be sure they reciprocated? Tony was always so sure about people; he had been wrong before though. His own friends had turned against him. Y/N could do the same.They could find a job with someone better, leaving him all alone again. Deeper and darker his thoughts went, drowning him in despair.

At first his hands shook, then his entire body was overtaken by trembles. His chest felt like it would cave in at any moment and he suddenly found it hard to breath. Tightening his grip on the screwdriver, he tried to focus on the task at hand. Not that it worked. His hand must have slipped, or it was just the shakes, because he felt a shock and retracted his arm. Dropping the arc reactor. The moment it fell to the floor it would be damaged, maybe even smash in its unfinished state.

A hand appeared and caught the reactor before it could fall to the ground. Of course it was Y/N, they were always there in his time of need.

"Mr Stark- Tony," Good, he hated that name. His father was Mr Stark, not him. "Are you alright?" Crouching to his height, they placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You uh- you put my tools in the wrong place again."

"I put them in the draw labeled tools." They scoffed, ignoring the tremble in his speech so he wouldn't be embarrassed. In just a few months, Y/N had spent so much time around him that they could recognise his panic attacks before he even felt them. They found it was often best to take his mind off it until he was ready to talk. Even if that meant pretending he was right when he definitely wasn't. He was so stubborn they could argue all day over where the tools went. "I'm sorry I put your tools away to prevent any more accidents."

"I'll forgive you if you make the coffee I like." There he was, already feeling better.

"I'll consider it." He grinned at them in his usual cheeky way, except his eyes were softer as he watched them walk away.