HOMELESS ~•Tony Stark X Reader•~

Part 8

Tony wrapped his coat firmly around his body attempting to fight off the cold. You linked your arms together as you walked down the road.

"first stop, barbers."

You opened the door to the local barbers shop, and Tony sat down and had his hair cut (similar to how t normally is) and he had his beard trimmed and tidied. You couldn't lie, he looked great.

You walked out of the shop 30 minutes later admiring his new look. "wow, you're looking so much better already."

"thanks..... I think."

you laughed and he smiled at your happiness. His thoughts rarely went to Steve or the avengers anymore, in stead he focused on you. He could fell himself falling for you.

Next you took him to the clothes shop. He was fitted and got a suit and nice tie to match. It cost ou a fortune but it was worth it. If tony could get a job, he would be able to pay you back anyway.

You walked out of the shop, with multiple bags in each hand. Tony was carrying more, but he was insisting that he took them all, " (y/n) if you're going to be nice enough to buy these for m, the least I could do is carry the bags."

"No Howard, you cant everything." you said.

"ill pay you back." he said softly. You smiled, " Howard, I know, call this an investment. When you're a hot shot engineer, I bump up the interest. Oh and rent too." you smiled and he laughed at you.

"well, I suppose that's fair. ... But I will pay you back." he promised.

You got back quickly, and you unlocked the door and put all the bags back down on the table.

"well, the only thing left to do is get you a job."

"oh, easy." He said sarcastically.

"well there's a garage a few roads down, you can go there after lunch if you want."

"oh cool. What for lunch." he said Peering over he sofa.

"erm, I don't know?" you opened a few cupboards, to find them all mostly empty.

"what about hamburgers, I love hamburger ... haven't had one in a while." he muttered the last part, and you made up your mind.

"hamburgers it is."

You picked up your bag once again, with your purse in it, getting a lot lighter as he day went on.

"come on, Howard?" you asked and saw him sitting on the sofa, deep in thought.

-- -- -- --

Tony stepped out of the plane, Rhodney holding his good arm to keep him upright. He saw pepper ... pepper. She had been crying, it was obvious, her eyes were stained red. He wasn't good with emotions, and always tried to make the situation better with sarcasm.

"tears for your long lost boss."

"ha, you wish, I just hate job hunting."

He smiled, and was soon pulled aside by pepper to get in the car. She spoke to him about the company, other things too, but he wasn't taking much notice, he was hungry.

"happy, take us to the nearest burger place, I want a hamburger." pepper gave him a look, " oh and pepper can you set up a meeting, I have an announcement."

-- -- -- --

He remembered sitting in his office chair, he was turning aimlessly in it, thinking. His brain never stopped, he was constantly doing something, and now he was thinking about his future, his dreams of spending the rest of his life with pepper. He would do what Clint don, build a little cottage in the middle of now where.

He was so deep in that thought, he didn't even see pepper walk in and stand intimatingly in front of his desk.

"ony.... Mr Stark."

he was forced out of the day dream to see his girlfriend standing there, tears in her arms. Had see jut called him 'Mr Stark'?

H wasn't sure f he heard it right or not, but it hurt.

"yes pep." he asked, hiding his emotions well.

"I i'm sorry Tony. I don't think I can do this anymore. Your too distant ... I understand that with ironman and the company things are hard but ... " he could hear her anymore. She was breaking up with him. The first real relationship he had had, and it was over ... because he was busy tying to save people? He tensed up , didn't hear anything else she said, and she walked out, leaving her ring on his desk. Her engagement ring was still in his back pocket, he hadn't given it to her yet.

He was heart broken.

-- -- -- --

Pepper's departure was still heavy on Tony shoulder's when he was cornered by a woman after one of his presentations. She blamed HIM for the death of her son.

The memory was fresh in his mind when ross introduced the accords. So of course he would agree to them. He was just blamed personally for the death of a young man, with a whole future ahead of him, but was cut short because of his mistake. He wold have to live with that, but he couldn't tell anyone.

Then Steve and most of his team turned on him, he was a villain.

He thought Steve was his friend, that Nat, Clint, Wanda, Vision and even Scott were his friends. He thought for what he believed In. The accords could have been adjused, he knew he would be able to have that influence, but no one cared. They sided against him. Steve refused to talk to him about it, because he had tried to keep Wanda safe. What else was he going to do, if he hadn't have done anything, he would be blamed for that as well.

So as he laid in the cave, he didn't move. Steve took Bucky away. Just walked away from him, a whole in his heart- literally. He left him there to die. The press weren't interested in what actually happened- only Tony Stark had been killed. Oh well. One less murderer.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"Howard?" you asked "are you okay?"

He looked up at you, seeming to be grieving ...

"Always."