"but hope was never the goal "

Chapter 14:

Are You Doing Fine?

The next day Annabeth went to Stark Industries early, took some documents that needed her immediate attention and went back to Tony's mansion.

When she arrived, JARVIS informed her that Tony was out to talk to Rhodey. She decided to start working in her room until Tony came back.

It was already afternoon when the billionaire came home.

 At the signs of his arrival, Annabeth went to talk to him. She found him sitting in front of his computers at the workshop looking down at something, looking as if he was in deep thought. She dialed her passcode and started talking.

"Tony... I need to— are you okay?" She ask after she saw the look in his eyes.

"Yeah" he answered avoiding her eyes, his own held hurt and disappointment.

He and Rhodey probably had a disagreement, she thought. 

Annabeth was aware that Rhodey, as good of a friend he was, still didn't fully support Tony and his new policy. Tony was, after all, the main weapons manufacture of the army. He insisted that Tony was suffering with PTSD and didn't fully comprehend the genius' motivations yet. Hell not even Annabeth or Pepper could say they understood. All Annabeth knew was that Tony needed support and didn't seem to be suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as everyone around them liked to claim.

"What do you need?" he asked before she had a chance to question further.

"Tony, don't you think you should be in the office?" she asked with caution. She didn't wanted to pressure him or anything, but at least if he was in the office, even doing nothing at all, they could have a better control of the situation.

"Things are a little unstable right now," He spoke softly.

"That's exactly my point," She told him getting closer. He looked at her for a moment.

"Obie agrees with me," he said calmly, "He is trying to bring the board members to my side. I talked to him about the new administration already."

"And don't you think you should help with that?"

"He told me to lay low, so I lay low..." he simply replied, trusting the words of his older friend and, why not say, father figure. They were in silence for a moment.

"Tony... are you sure about this?" Annabeth asked quietly and he smiled at her.

"Annie, I know it's scary, but believe me, I know what I'm doing... and I can't keep making weapons after what I saw."

 There it was, once again, that new honesty and vulnerability in his eyes that Annabeth had started to see so often. Let it be said, it was hard for Annabeth before to deny him anything, and with this new side of him, it was impossible.

"Okay... Whatever you decide," He smiled silently thanking her for her support, "Do you need me for something or—"

"Nah... that will be all Miss Carter, you can go relax for the day if you like."

"I still have some documents to look at, but after that..." he nodded in agreement, "I'll be upstairs if you need me, Mr. Stark".

"Okay," He murmured.

Annabeth took her time with those emails and documents. Normally she would to that in a fast and efficient way, but today she felt like she needed to be there, not just to support and take care of Tony but for her reassurance too. And working on those files and emails was the perfect excuse for her. Nobody will question why she was awake in his house so late with work still to be done.

As the days went by, she kept with this routine— working slow and easy to prolong her stay in the mansion even if she had to attend her classes

If Tony loved the workshop before, now he seemed to live in it. He would wake up early and go straight to his sanctuary; she even had to remind him to lunch. He would eat with her and occasionally Pepper, have a small talk and go back downstairs.

Annabeth would only see him late at night when both her and Pepper would call him for dinner. His only words about what he was doing there was "I'm working on something big,"  but he didn't gave her more details and would go running back to his workplace.

Annabeth realized that he also developed a new habit— He started to cut his shirts. Some very expensive shirts... with a hole that fit and let the Arc Reactor out.

"It needs to breathe, Annie," he told her when she questioned him about this, "Besides, it also works great as a nightlight." 

He had said this, keeping his illuminating hand near his chest to give her a better view of his reactor's light. Annabeth had to laugh at his last statement. It always amazed her how Tony manage to see the bright side at the most unusual things.

Maybe that was why she never seemed to fall out of love with him— he managed to see the bright side of her.

Rhodey also called her a few times in a day so she could make sure how Tony was doing.

"He is fine, Rhodey," she informed him.

"He is not... Believe me, he is traumatized," he always insisted over the phone.

"It was hard for him, alright but he is dealing with this well enough," Annabeth bit back every harsh comment that came in her mouth, "If I were you I would just be glad he is alive."

"His behavior is not normal, Anna, not for Tony—"

"I'm telling you James, he is eating well, sleeping well and is perfectly well. I have my eyes on him. I have known him my entire life and I know how he is dealing with all of this."

"Just... keep me posted, okay?"

But she wasn't lying to him— Annabeth did keep a close eye on Tony. She knew that some days he spent awake until very late at night, probably remembering the horrors he saw or trying to solve a problem at whatever it is that he was doing on the workshop. 

JARVIS was informing her everything about his sleeping habits. He had a couple of nightmares the first days that he came back, but he always managed to calm himself down.

Even so, for a person who was kidnapped and tortured, saw death and destruction, he was doing pretty well.

If it was with me, I will probably need therapy for the rest of my life, Annabeth thought looking at the phone where the colonel had just hung up, even though my fairly traumatized life already needs it.

 Annabeth found herself giving credit to Tony's sense of humor— it was probably what was keeping him from going crazy after all he been through.

Annabeth, against everything that always happened, against all logic that was thrown at her, just managed to have hope— especially when it came to Tony.