By Design - Stony AU

Chapter 1

Tony Stark had given up on Romantic Soulmates when he was 30. He had amazing Platonic Soulmates in Rhodey and Pepper, and a few good friendships in the workplace. Sure, 85% of the world usually find their Platonic Soulmates, and Tony had found two, so why the hell would he think he'd even have a Romantic Soulmate? Answer: he didn't. That's why when he turned 30, he started partying more. True, he'd slept with a couple people prior to that, men and women, but he started to just live at 30. Playboy Billionaire Inventor, that's what they called him now.

Now at 39, he was just fine. Going from one amicable hook-up to the next, no muss no fuss, had started to get a little lonely, but he didn't mind. This was his life, and he accepted it. And his love right now was his brand new car. It was a BMW 3 Series in jet black, only driven off the lot to Stark Tower where it was in his garage/workshop. However, it seemed a bit bland. He needed a good design for it, and he didn't have an artistic bone in his body.

He bolted down the newly refitted housing onto his precision welding robot, hopeful that the change would cut down on vibrations, and that the work would give him some design ideas. Something dynamic, but with heart, to break up the blank canvas of his newest toy.

"Ms. Barnes entering the Workshop, Sir." Jarvis announced.

And on cue, in walked Natasha Barnes, his new PA. Natasha enjoyed her job since it took her far away from the battlefield and close to home, but there were some habits that drove her up the wall. Including right now where Tony skipped out on his 1:30 meeting to work on a robot. She had a look of murder on her face as she walked in.

"Agent Orange," He hailed her cheekily. "To what do I owe?"

"You missed your meeting with the Board of Directors about the expansion." She answered. "And you were supposed to advise if the tech company they were investing in was worth $1.8 million."

"Well, in the first place, I wouldn't characterize my absence as missing anything, I felt no sort of sentimental longing for it at all, and really," He shrugged, stubbing his thumb with the screwdriver and sucking the tip briefly before continuing his ramble. "I looked at the numbers and realized that the real difference in whether that company would be worth 1.8 is whether or not we decided to invest in it so, they didn't need me there anyway." He backpedaled away from the robot as Nat kept advancing on him.

She just cocked an eyebrow at him, clearly not buying his bullshit.

"You ran the numbers, or Jarvis?" She asked.

"I built Jarvis. So... " He retreated to the soda fountain at the corner of the workshop and opened the beer fridge. "You want one?"

"I don't drink on the job." And obviously eyed the still blank car. "You haven't decided on a design yet?"

He put the beer away unopened. "No I haven't decided on a design yet."

Tony leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed. It was really getting under his skin more than he'd realized. He actually hated the idea of that empty black expanse on the precision luxury car he was looking forward to driving and working on for the next fistful of decades. It had seemed like exactly what he wanted when he received it as a gift and yet looking into the pristine black panels was like staring into his own mortality. He hated that kind of heavy crap, and it annoyed him that it was coming from his own head for once.

"You know, I know a shop that could do a good design."

Tony made a face. "I don't know. All the places in Manhattan are so overdone, you know?"

"Then I guess it's a good thing that it's in Brooklyn." She said with a smirk.

He opened his mouth and closed it again, for once unable to argue.