Vogue | Tony Stark

TWENTY EIGHT - REST

"You think this could really work? Be honest."

Tony looked at Rhodey with hopefully eyes, desperate for a seal of approval from his friend. They'd been working together in Tony's workshop all day after the intensity of a threat identified by Fury a handful of weeks prior had increased.

Tony had still decided to keep Esté out of the loop about what he was working on and why he was incredibly stressed out almost all of the time, not wanting to burden her with things she couldn't understand. He knew she'd want to help and would be frustrated that she couldn't, and so instead, Tony kept the truth to himself.

"What you just said to me kind of went in one ear and out of the other, pal. But I trust you, so yes. I think it'll work."

Tony stared at the hologram in front of them for a moment before nodding, letting out a heavy sigh and swiping the image away to the side and throwing himself down onto a desk chair.

"Alright, I think we're making progress."

"I think we are," Rhodey agreed, perching on the desk next to Tony while he started to sketch out something on a sheet of paper, "How's things with Estélla? You've not mentioned her much these past few days."

He paused for a moment before putting down his pencil and looking up at Rhodey, leaning back on the chair with his arms folded, "Things are good, she's super busy all the time. She has this Victoria's Secret show happening next month that's a huge deal for her so she's got all kinds of prep for that as well as all of her other work, too. She walked for Chanel a couple weeks ago and she's finally wrapped on that commercial for Armani, in fact, she's at the party for it tonight."

Rhodey watched as Tony raised his brows as he spoke, a flash of something that wasn't pride burning across his eyes for a split second at the end of his sentence. Since reconnecting with his best friend last Christmas, Tony had been subconsciously bringing her up in almost every conversation he had, though Rhodey had picked up on a lack of the topic of his relationship over the past week or so.

"Yeah? You don't sound too happy about that."

Tony tilted his head as he looked up at Rhodey, chewing on his lip in thought for a few long seconds, "Turns out I get incredibly jealous. I don't like seeing her with other guys, you know? I always just assume the worst and it's not healthy but...I don't know how to deal with it. I'm trying, because I know deep down there's nothing going on and it's just a job, but it's hard."

"Well I hope you don't mind me saying this but," Rhodey held up a hand in innocence, "Your girlfriend is quite possibly the hottest woman on earth, so I don't think it's crazy for you to feel jealous. But if you know she cares and you know she loves you, then I don't think you have anything to worry about. It's you she's coming home to, not a guy from a commercial or anybody else for that matter."

Tony knew Rhodey was right. In fact, he'd known his thought process and concerns were flawed from the get go, but that didn't make them any easier to accept. Having never had a girlfriend before, Tony had never had to worry about where someone was or what they were doing, if they were thinking about him as much as he was thinking about them, if they felt the same way inside as he did. And although Esté had never once given Tony any reason to doubt what they had together, he still worried that he wasn't enough, and that some swanky Hollywood star would come and sweep her off her feet in a way that he'd never be able to.

It wasn't the relationship that had pulled Tony's insecurities to the front of his mind, they'd been there ever since he'd crossed paths with Esté last Christmas at the Vogue party. He'd felt inferior to her level of fame and the admiration the most glamours people in the world had for her, and that hadn't faded now they'd gone from friends to lovers.