Torture.
That was the only word that could be used to describe living with Tony Stark.
Don't get me wrong, he was a very close friend of yours - but that was the problem, he was just a friend.
You had liked him for several months now but hated the thought of loosing his friendship, so you knew you couldn't tell him. Furthermore, Tony was quite the womaniser and had a different girl staying over every weekend.
Seeing as you were an Avenger, there were other Avengers living in Stark Towers so at least you weren't the only one who had to put up with him.
Rolling out of bed, you grab a t-shirt out of your cupboard to throw on since you only sleep in your underwear. You notice it is one of Tony's old Black Sabbath shirts you had claimed months ago after he let you borrow it.
Your bare feet padded into the kitchen to be greeted by Steve and Bucky chatting and eating breakfast.
You pour yourself some coffee before sitting next to Bucky at the breakfast bar. You lift your mug to your lips and almost choke on the hot liquid when a practically fully naked lady walks in.
She is wearing nothing more than matching red lace underwear with one of Tony's unbuttoned shirts hanging open down her sides.
You hear Steve also choke on his food and Bucky averts his eyes, suddenly becoming very interested in his fork lying on the counter. You stare at her awkwardly, her slightly messy long blonde hair hanging down her back. She doesn't seemed phased by the three of you and struts over to get herself a cup of coffee. When she passes by, you smell the faintest hint of Tony's cologne, and the familiar feel of jealously burns deep within you. You were used to this almost every weekend, yet it never fails to stab at your emotions.
You suddenly feel very self conscious looking at her curves. How can someone be so confident to walk around like that when there's people she doesn't know in the tower.
You pull your tshirt down further over your pink boxer-style briefs. Sure, you walked around in only a t-shirt, but it was long enough to cover your modesty.
Once she has helped herself to a mug of hot coffee, she even sits opposite the three of you to drink it.
She looks over the two boys appraisingly and simply glares over you.
"So, it must be nice sharing such close living quarters with such hot guys." She smirks at you and you scoff in return.
The two boys shift awkwardly at her words.
"When you have to put up with them every day you learn their bad habits and realise they're not that attractive." You joke.
Steve and Bucky look slightly betrayed then laugh upon realising you were joking.
"Sometimes it's good to be bad." She bites her bottom lip, focusing intently on Bucky.
Before she can make another lewd comment to the two disinterested boys, Tony strolls through the kitchen door. He's dressed in his usual casual wear: an AC/DC shirt and washed out denim jeans. He stalled slightly upon seeing the girl at the counter, but composed himself before also heading for a coffee.
"Hey, Tony!" She chimes, jumping off her seat and running to him. She wraps her arms around his waist.
"Oh, heyyy.." He replied, clearly not impressed. He turned, removing himself from her claws, balancing his coffee mug in his hand. He moves away from her, heading out of the room. On his way past your seat he grabs your forearm.
"(Y/n), can I speak to you please?" He whispers harshly.
He pulls you off your chair and drags you a safe enough distance from the kitchen to talk in private. He puts down his mug and turns to you, a desperate look in his eye.
"Get rid of her!" He pleads, grasping your shoulders.
"Why should I have to?" You hiss.
"Because you're a girl, you know how best to deal with this situation."
"I'm sorry, but I don't know how to deal with this situation. If you haven't noticed I don't tend to sleep around with random guys."
"You'll be able to break it to her calmly so she doesn't break something." He seems genuinely concerned, but only for his possessions.
You sigh at him.
"Fine Tony! What's her name?"
"Uhhhh.. Miranda." He states, absentmindedly, his attention already falling to his coffee. "You're the best." He adds, dropping a kiss on your cheek and making a swift exit.
You stroll back into the kitchen to see Miranda leaning across the counter toward Bucky, pushing her breasts up on the marble.
You pick up your mug and place a hand on your hip.
"Miranda, I'm afraid you're going to have to leave." You state, trying to seem authoritative.
She completely ignores you, moving a hand to run a finger along Bucky's metal arm. He swiftly pulls it back and she giggles.
"It's so cold." She squeals.
"Miranda." You speak louder.
She looks up to you and frowns.
"Are you talking to me?" She asks, her sickly sweet voice reverberating off the walls.
"Yeah."
"My name is Melodie." She snickers, turning her attention to Steve.
"So, Captain, was everything enhanced with that serum?" She raises her eyebrows suggestively, making her fingers walk across the counter toward him.
Steve begins to fumble and you've had enough.
"Melodie, then. You need to leave."
She sighs, retreating from her advances on the boys.
"And why would that be? I have a feeling Tony wants to keep me around a little longer. I satisfy his needs."
"I'm sure you do," you grit your teeth as you say this, "but Tony has other priorities. In fact, we all do. Official Avengers business." You confirm.
"I don't mind." She shakes her head, taking a sip from her mug.
"I'm sorry but quite frankly, we can't trust you. You could be undercover for all we know."
'I highly doubt it' you think to yourself, but you have to make it sound like you have a reason she needs to leave.
"Oh. Okay, I'll get my stuff." She gets up and heads back to Tony's room.
You sigh and sit back down.
"What's our mission?" Bucky asks.
"No real mission, but getting rid of her is turning out to be one!"
"Oh, thank god!" Steve interrupts. "Girls like that are so unappealing..they scare me."
You chuckle at Steve's pure innocence and comfortably finish your breakfast with the boys.
About 15 minutes later Melodie returns to the kitchen wearing a skimpy black dress and sky-high heels, clearly the outfit from last night. She's taking the walk of shame, yet she seems anything but ashamed.
"Well, good luck with your mission." She sneers, then leans toward Bucky.
"Call me if you want a bit of fun sometime." She flutters her eyelashes at him.
"I'm good, thanks. I don't want anyone's sloppy seconds, especially not Tony's." He replies bluntly.
She falters for a second before straightening herself up.
"Your loss." She shrugs.
She begins to walk from the kitchen and you walk her to the front door.
In the elevator she turns to you.
"So, you like Tony don't you?" She grins.
You look at her both shocked and concerned.
"What do you mean?" You act calm, as to not let her know you're freaking out inside.
"No one tenses up like that when another girl has her arms around a man unless they like him, and you clearly don't like me. You're obviously jealous." She flicks her hair off her shoulder.
You begin to defend yourself but her annoying voice cuts you off.
"He's really good in bed, just to let you know. You know, in case you'll never get there. He's very attentive to a woman's needs." She sneers and you have to restrain yourself from attacking her right there and then. "You'll have to learn to like me, I think I'll be around a lot more often." She continues. "Tony's great."
You begin to lose your temper at her.
"Look, Melonie- Melodie, whatever the hell your name is, this morning Tony told me your name was Miranda, so excuse me for being confused, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. Tony has a different self-centred stuck up bitch every weekend and none of them have ever shown up here again because you are nothing but a casual fuck, and that's all you'll ever be."
A sly smile tugs at her lips.
"But at least I had that. At least he loved me for a night. What about you? You can't say that."
"Oh, please, he used you for your body." Your temper was rising by the second and if this elevator didn't stop soon you'd probably kill her.
"But, that's what you want, isn't it? Face it, Tony likes me and you don't like it."
"Oh yeah? So where's Tony now? Hiding in his lab whilst I get rid of you because he doesn't even want to face you. Yeah, it must be true love." You reply sarcastically.
She doesn't even seem phased, but she stops talking so that must count for something. The elevator finally stops and the doors open. As she steps forward to exit, she turns to you.
"Maybe it's your fashion sense, you aren't exactly sexy." She mutters, looking you up and down.
"Sorry I'm not a slut." Your speak, your voice venomously sarcastic.
She chuckles and turns, eventually leaving you alone. You watch her exit the tower and click for the elevator to take you up to your floor.
You try to control your anger by punching the pillow on your bed. Yes, a trained Avenger still punches her pillow when she's angry.
Eventually you begin to feel more normal and walk back into the main room. You busy yourself by flicking through a magazine and begin to hum, nonchalantly.
After a few minutes Tony walks into the room smirking.
"Calling for me?" He asks.
You don't quite register what he's asking then you realise the tune you had been humming was 'Iron Man' by Black Sabbath.
"Oh," you laugh. "No, the shirt just got that song stuck in my head." You gestured toward the Black Sabbath shirt that once belonged to Tony himself.
"Ah, the kidnap victim." He chuckles. "I used to like that shirt." He pauses for a moment, seemingly appraising you, before speaking once again. "Actually, I think I prefer it on you."
You blush slightly at him, but he carries on into the kitchen.
You follow him, dropping the magazine on the sofa.
"Is Miranda gone?" Tony asks, pouring some orange juice into a glass.
"Her name was Melodie." You state, starting to feel agitated at just the mention of her.
"My bad." He mumbles. "Is Melodie gone?"
"Yeah, I took out the trash for you again." You roll your eyes. "Why do you even give girls like that your attention?"
"They're easy." He states simply.
"They're bitchy." You correct.
"Am I sensing jealousy, (y/l/n)?"
"No, I'm just sick of having to get rid of them."
"Did she give you trouble?" He seems more concerned now, sitting down on the bench and peering at you.
"She was this close to being a slutty pancake on the floor." You joke, holding your fingers up in a pinching-like motion.
"Wow, what was she saying?" Tony asks, intrigued.
"Just how she's your new girlfriend and that I have to get used to her being around. You know the usual delusional bullshit they tend to spurt." You can feel your anger rising just reliving the moment and you take a deep breath to calm yourself.
"Oh, jeez. I'm sorry." Tony mumbles.
"Then she had the cheek to say I was jealous of her! Jealous of that? Yeah, right!" You add sarcastically. "Just because she got to sleep with you and I never will!" You mimic her annoying voice and Tony seems taken-aback.
"She said that to you?" Disbelief coating his words.
You nod back at him, trying to contain a rant outburst.
"That's not true, I'd totally sleep with you." Tony smirks.
"You wish, Stark. I'm no casual hook-up."
"I know, you're much too classy for that." He laughs at you and you punch him playfully.
A silence fills the room and Tony speaks seriously this time.
"No, you deserve someone who treats you right, someone to wine and dine you and care for you."
You simply sigh, wishing he would be that someone.
"I though you wined and dined girls?" You ask.
"Not properly."
"Have you ever tried to just settle down?"
"Not properly."
You laugh at him.
"Don't you want to settle down?"
He pauses, scratching his head as he thinks deeply.
"Yes, but only with the right person."
Your heart drops at this.
"Who would be the right person?" You manage to ask, but you're wary of the answer.
"Someone classy." He winks.
You blush.
"Why Tony, are you saying you want to settle down with me?" You laugh, thinking how absurd that would be.
"Actually, yes." He grins at your shocked expression.
You laugh awkwardly and then notice the serious look on his face.
"Are you serious?"
"I'm always serious."
"Now I know you're lying!" You giggle.
"Okay fine, but I'm just saying it would be easy to stay a one-girl guy if you were my one girl."
"What are you saying, Tony?"
There's a pause before he looks at you, timidly.
"That I want you to be my girlfriend?"
He seemed to ask it rather than state it and it was clear he was more nervous than he was letting on.
"Is this a promotion? I'm going from getting rid of the girls to being the girl?" You joke but he replies with a serious look.
"You're not like those girls, they don't mean anything to me at all. I've liked you for a while, I just didn't know how to cope with it so I tried to distract myself with other girls. After all, no one ties Iron Man down." He smirks.
"What makes me any different then?" You ask, trying to cover up the butterflies that consumed you at him admitting he liked you.
"I actually like you."
"Tony.." You begin to protest but he swiftly pushes his lips against yours. You push him away slightly, trying to make sense of the situation.
"Don't deny me." He mumbles against your lips and you lose it. You fall back into him and your lips move in sync with his. After a few moments you separate, breathless and unsure.
"Please just give me a chance." He sighs. "I really like you, I have for months, let me prove to you I can love you and only you."
You wrap your arms around his waist and sigh into his chest.
"I thought you'd never ask, Stark." You laugh.