"You're insane, I hope you understand that,"
The heels that Audelia Motter wore clicked on the flooring of the Stark Industries warehouse as she paced back and forth in front of Tony Stark. He was leaning against the railing that kept everyone at a safe distance from the large arc reactor in the middle of the room, watching his best friend with a raised eyebrow.
"You've been telling me that since we were kids. Wait- aren't you the woman who has been telling me since I took over and brought you in that we shouldn't be making weapons-"
"Yes, but Tony we are a weapons manufacturer," Deli emphasized, finally stopping in front of her best friend. "Is part of me happy that you don't want to use our minds to make weapons anymore? Oh god yes. But logistically, you are putting everything on the line. Your company, my livelihood, everything that your father built and left behind for you-"
"And have you stopped to think that maybe that's the point?" Tony cut in, raising an eyebrow at her. Deli stopped as she watched Tony sigh, turning around to stare up at the arc reactor behind him. "I watched people die, Dell. You don't get that because you didn't come with me, and god am I glad you didn't. But you have to understand that when everyone around you is dead and there's a missile sitting five feet away, fired by terrorists, and your name is plastered on the side, it's going to make you rethink everything!"
The pair stood in silence. Deli staring at her best friend's back as he leaned over the railing of the warehouse. She wasn't there, that much was true. She was supposed to be there...and that scared her more than anything. She was spared from the horrors of whatever had happened the last three months, but her best friend wasn't.
Tony lifted his head at the familiar feeling of Deli's hand on his shoulder, looking up into her blue eyes. She gave him the smallest of smiles, her hand leaving his shoulder and tapping on his chest, knuckle clinking against the arc reactor.
"You know, when Pepper debriefed me on the way and told me about that thing in your chest, the thing that your dad and my mom created, I almost lost it. Then, I realized that it's the thing keeping you alive," she pulled away, looking up at the large scale reactor before her. "I don't know what you went through, and knowing you and your inability to speak your feelings, you'll probably never fully tell me. Tony the idea of changing the entirety of Stark Industries scares me but...I've got your back."
"Like in '86 when I made Dum-E and almost blew up my dad's lab?"
Deli let out a laugh, smiling fondly at the memory as she looked over at her best friend, who smiled back at her.
"Yes, exactly like then. This all scares me, but I'm going to be there with you every step of the way,"
The sound of the glass doors behind them opening up drew both Tony and Deli's attention. A sigh escaped the girl at the sight of Obadiah Stan's face, turning her back on his and taking a step away from Tony as he entered the warehouse.
"Well...that went well,"
"Guessing I just painted a giant target on the back of my head?" Tony questioned as he turned, standing side by side with Deli. Obadiah scoffed, stalking toward them as he stood in front of them.
"Your back? Try mine," Obadiah turned to Deli. "What do you think the over-under on the stock drop is gonna be tomorrow?"
"If you're optimistic, about forty points at the minimum," she only shrugged. "Then again, maybe that's the price we have to pay to move the company in a better direction-"
"Oh, don't tell me Tony's got you roped into this horse shit of a plan now, too,"
"Dell is perfectly capable of making her own choices," Tony told his father's long time friend. "At least she's supporting me on this, like you should be."
A smirk crossed the woman's lips as she looked between Tony and Obadiah, taking a few steps away.
"On that note, I'm going to leave the two of you to chat. Seems you have a lot to talk about," approaching the doors, Deli sent a look back at Tony. "Play nice!"
"I never do!"
◼ ◼ ◼
Tossing her keys on the entryway table, Audelia let out a sigh as Jarvis closed the front door behind her. Shrugging her jacket from her shoulders and tossing it onto the coat rack, she was excited to be home and be able to relax for about point two seconds. With the weight of being interim CEO off her shoulders, all Deli wanted to do was relax and revel in the fact that her best friend was home and safe.
The sound of the TV in the living room echoed through the house, making the woman pause. She hadn't left it on.
Quickly reaching under the entryway table, Deli grabbed hold of the gun stored underneath and cocked it, carefully maneuvering her way down the hallway and into the living room.
Nathan Porter didn't even bat an eyelash at the sight of his fiance out of the corner of his eye, along taking another sip of his beer.
"You know, you could have just asked Jarvis who was in here,"
With a sigh, Deli placed the gun carefully down on the side table of the living room, standing behind her fiance on the couch.
"Slipped my mind. What are you doing home so early?"
"Heard there was some interesting news on today, thought I'd come home and watch it,"
Eyes trailing up to the TV screen, another sigh escaped the woman as she saw the program that was currently on.
"...all I'm saying is that Tony Stark was kidnapped for three months by a terrorist organization. He should NOT be able to make decisions that effect his company like this! He should be evaluated by a psychologist first and foremost. And what about his must trusted liaison, tech freelancer Audelia Motter? She works exclusively with Stark Industries in designing weapons, why wouldn't she step in and stop her supposed best friend from making such a horrible mistake when he livelihood is on the-"
Quickly hitting the mute button on the remote that sat on the back of the couch, Deli folded her arms as her fiance stood from the couch, carrying his drink into the kitchen to toss away and grab another one.
"So, what? Are you mad over this?" Deli questioned incredulously, following after him into the kitchen.
"Do you support Anthony's decision?" Nathan asked her, getting silence as an answer. "Then yes, I am mad. You shouldn't be supporting him."
"And I'm sorry, but I don't think you get a say in whether or not I support my best friend," Nathan moved from the kitchen, Deli hot on his heels. "You have no idea the things he saw over there-"
"Neither do you-"
"Stark Industries is his company. Whatever decision he makes I will be right behind him, supporting him," Deli's eyes narrowed her her fiance. "I'm a thirty-seven year old woman, I'm perfectly capable of making my own choices, Nathan."
Placing his beer down on the coffee table, Nate ran a hand down his face, leaning against the back of the couch as he looked up at his soon to be wife.
"Deli...I'm just looking out for us. Anthony is putting-"
"You call him Tony," Deli cut in, gaining another sigh from Nathan.
"Tony is putting everything on the line. Not just his company and his reputation, but your reputation and your life as well. I'm just trying to look out for us. If Tony is going to do this, then maybe you should look into selling your tech and idea elsewhere-"
"I'm going to stop you right there," with a hand raised in the air, Deli narrowed her eyes at the man she loved. "If you think, for even a second, that I'm going to abandon Tony just because this decision is risky, then you're absurd. If you think I'm going to go behind his back and sell my tech elsewhere, then you obviously don't know me at all."
"Audelia-" the woman ripped her hand away from Nathan's.
"I'm not speaking to you at the moment. One you calm down and realize you were in the wrong to ask me to do such a thing, then we'll talk," turning away and walking toward the stairs that led to her bedroom and office area, Deli took one last look back at Nathan. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to call Pepper and get the paperwork in order to support Tony, because that's what best friends do."
◼ ◼ ◼
Ugh I love Deli already so much. As you can tell, her and Tony have really grown up together their whole lives so she's very protective of him, she'll follow him and help him with anything and everything.
Also, Nathan is going to be very interesting I'll say that. I haven't fully developed his character yet so I'm excited to see where he goes. Truthfully, he has a right to be slightly concerned over what's happening.