𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐒, 

𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒

ELEANOR

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It was more of autumn breeze rather than a winter chill when I exited onto the hangar. The water filtered out as the seal locked itself tight, disallowing any sort of material to seep through. The hangar was minimalistic, probably less than five hundred square feet, and disallowed any form of natural lights. A single vessel that was larger than a Quinjet and a few cars—hoverboards?—littered around the entrance of the laboratory. 

I kneaded my pained shoulder from the Iron Man armor panels which were practically dislodging my joints, a worried mask encroaching my face. I was elated to see that I was able to access the armour as itself, never thinking that Tony would've granted that much of a power to someone like me. Turning around, I called out to Rhodey when he exited his War Machine armour and clamouring to my side in an instant. 

'You're positive he's here?'

'Highly.'

My heart mounted a beat. I had forcefully ridden all the way down to the Pacific Ocean in the Iron Man armour and I really felt sick to the stomach. It was a straight five hours, non-stop through heavy skies and panels biting into my back. As for Rhodey, I had harangued him into making him cave and give me Tony's location. We wasted no time in hauling our asses into one of the suits—Rhodey got his own—until I realized this was the definition of impulse. 

All my concerns were forgotten when my thoughts focused on finding Tony. I paused in my footsteps when Rhodey walked forward steadfast, taking a few minutes to prepare. All this was done in such a spur-of-the-moment that I had omitted out our stance. He wouldn't want to see me, I thought. But what if he did?

'You coming?' 

Nodding frantically, I picked up my pace and joined Rhodey's side. I had rehearsed this conversation in my head a hundred times and every time I got to the end, my mouth ran dry. I took a shaky breath, ousting my worry as we reached to the first door on the left and keeping my eyes peeled open for any sign of distress. The door gave off an airtight seal opener screech when it slid to the left, allowing Rhodey and I to pass. 

Ahead of us, the room was a silent sanctuary. The only sounds supplementing the quiet was the soft beeping of a heart monitor and a quiet ticking which I couldn't place. A dark-skinned male stood near a window which overlooked the ocean-floor, the coral and turquoise-coloured waters casting murky reflections into the lab. The man—a doctor judging by the instruments around the lab—hovered to my side, stretching his daunting hand out a shake. I shook on it politely with a wavering smile of my own.

'Welcome, Miss Preece. Colonel,' he smiled at us, showing all his teeth. His face changed entirely with the expression, brown eyes glinting kindly. Suddenly, a buzz of electricity went up to my neck and making me wrench back my hand with a hiss. 

'And, that's uh,' he mumbled, his large hands manifesting into a deep electric blue and forming a globe of conduction around his fists. I glanced it with awe, fighting off the urge to poke a finger at it. It was growing in size when he tightened his fists, the ball of blue sizzling with bioluminescence.

'Anti-matter. I guess you're part electromagnet so we—connected.'

'Oh,' I breathed out, a small laugh pealing out of me at his antiques. 'Never again, then.'

'I'm Doctor Adam Brashear,' he introduced with a show of his hands. 'The one who owns this lab and helping out a world-class fugitive.'

'Tony?' I found myself musing along, looking up at him hopefully. The scientist's eyes crinkled, nodding in amusement. He looked no older than forty, his pale sweater encasing his built arms and shoulders. I figured he was a superhero, too and since a man with his size and powers just as exceptional, could not have missed by SHIELD.

'Yeah, hon?'

When I heard Tony's voice, the protrusive twinge had been extinguished. More than a week has passed between us and yet he was never the fleeting memory. Like an ingrained emotion in my head, he had stayed and stayed—somehow managing to put my distant sentiments on hyperdrive. In that fraction of a second, my face got wet with silent tears and the world between us fell into dust. Our dispute was long forgotten, my feet leading to his stance behind the doctor. 

At that moment, I revoked all the words that I had said to him, everything I did to hurt him and kenning those as a take on my foolish vulnerabilities. There was so much I wanted to say and I was afraid that I would sound hollow so I let the rage power me for the worse.

'You asshole,' I whispered out, anger subjugating most of my emotions, my face pulled into a contorted version of a teary sneer. Tony made a so-so face, unfazed by my comment and grappling the side of my arm tenderly. I tried to shove it off with a subjected sigh, but he made a noise under his breath to clasp my cheek.

'Do you know what you've done?' I breathed, dejected with hope. His elation of seeing me slipped into a mask of monotone, a scrunch coming to his nose when he heard my words. Afraid that I was going to leave if he didn't hold me, his other shot forward to grab my shoulder.

'I think I did okay,' he nodded righteously as if the worst was over. 'I'm right where I wanted to be.'

The nerve of this man, I thought as I gritted my teeth. I could feel something climb at the back of my head with the abrupt billow of emotion—a headache of some sort—and manifest over the crown with a deep, painful poke. My eyes felt the world sway for a moment, my hands lurching out to grab the nearest instrument and steady myself. Three pairs of hands were ready to catch me, but I raised a palm to stop them. 

'I'm fine,' I said in a small voice, tossing Rhodey a grateful look when he held my waist to let me settle myself once again. 'I just need a moment with him, please.'

The duo posthaste exited the room with a brief nod, Rhodey giving me the side-eyes as he followed Adam shortly. When the door banged shut, I turned to see the deep-set disappointment in Tony's usual woodsy eyes, a glare flaming his dry features. He merely shook his head at me.

'So goddamn headstrong,' he said. 'It's such a piss-off right now. How can you use my suit, Elle? Do you know how much danger you put yourself in?'

'A normal surge,' I tried to play it off as unimportant. 'It's an emotional countermeasure.'

'Yes, very moving.'

'Tony.'

'Don't you dare say anything, Elle,' he pointed a finger at me, his voice edging in on concern and frustration. 'I'm trying to stay mad at you.'

'At me?' I hissed in disbelief, the rage building up with the tension. 'I wasn't the one who downloaded a damned database into their subconscious.'

'It was necessary,' he stressed as my words spoke the reality. 'Osborn was so close getting his slimy hands over the registry and I didn't think twice when it hit me!'

'Because apparently, life-threatening decisions don't concern me anymore,' I spat out through clenched teeth, venom lacing my tone. He took a step forward, unbowing and shock swirling in his face.

'Rhodey caved.'

'After a verbal onslaught, yes he did,' I mentioned. 'But you had the audacity to hide this from me.'

'You think I wanted to?'

'If you ask me, I think you had one oar in the water all the while.'

'Oh, you care so much,' he scoffed at my remark towards his dishonoured devising abilities. 'Cumbayah to my nine lives!'

'Tony, your nose is so high in the air and I am sick of it,' I said in irritation, my steps closing in on his. 'You think whatever you do on impulse is reasonable. Well, think again.'

'Oh look, the scholarly gentlewoman has spoken,' he dryly stated, bowing as if to welcome me. At that moment, my resistance snapped and my wrath reeling back to momentously pounce at him. 'If only there were someone in this room who actually cared about the—'

He wouldn't shut up. This was probably the worst way to do it, using his disadvantage as my upper hand seemed unfair, but as soon as my mouth had covered his—I knew I had gotten myself in deep shit. A new set of shivers traversed down my spine, his warm lips moving with my in arrhythmic action. I couldn't swallow down my anger, fueling the kiss with my intentions and his hands seizing me closer while fastening his hands in my hair. The passion was both intoxicating and frightening - my breaths catching every time he pushed into me.

Neither of us had the heart to pull back, epiphany percolating my veins and my fingers digging deep into his skull. I fought for air, pulling back with a venomous glare. He matched mine with his own, inhaling fast.

'This is foul play,' he hissed. 'You can't sex me up to—'

'You drive me fucking insane,' I whispered against his skin. He swallowed tightly as if deciding something, his dark eyes boring into me.

'Ah screw it,' he murmured, laying his lips against mine once again and deepening the kiss this time. My body had rammed into the examination table - in a lab, seriously? - and his insistent lips parting my mouth. I fought off a moan as he lifted me over the elongated seats, digging his nails into the ridges of my spine. This kiss got deeper than the constellations, galaxies, and nebulae in the universe, realizing that no one had ever kissed me like this. And I weirdly wanted more.

'Wait,' I said mutedly, placing a hand over his chest to stop him how much ever I wanted to continue the kiss. I desperately glanced up at him. 'They're outside, love—'

'Well, you better keep it down then,' he smirked. His lips had begun to do the bidding against my neck, swimming my head in the newfound desire. I gulped down hard when he found my sweet spot, brushing my hair behind my shoulder to grant him more access and pressing his lean body against me in a discrete summoning. 

'I don't know, Tony...'

'Water under the bridge?' he proffered promptly, making let out a breath of relief and my decisions swayed. My eyes lit up, shaking my head.

'Oh, thank god,' I murmured, wringing him forward for another kiss and every last bit of resistance leaving my body, following where our kisses guide us. The world melted away and the heat wound us together, the instant a lost concept.

∞

'I should provoke you more often. And then have sex.'

I laughed at Tony's attempt to pillow-talk, digging my head deeper into the cushion while he blithely allowed his fingers to twine and entwine with mine, his breaths fanning my bare shoulders. My shirt - god bless button-downs - was still hanging haywire down my chest, undone until to my midsection and my bra clasp broken. My loosely sheathed legs were tangled between his and a lean arm drawing circles over my navel. My back was flush against his front, his facial hair skimming the nape of my neck gently.

'Than usual?' I asked after my subdued laughter, wanting to see the expression on his face. 

'You can't blame either of us,' he pointed out, knowing he was gracing the driest glare known to mankind. 'We're practically the same person.'

'How so?' I asked curiously, watching the clear, dark grey ceiling with an inquisitive glance. I was angled in such a way that he could see my reaction but I couldn't, which was an aggravating situation to be in. I wasn't a mindreader like him, so I had some tonal guessing to do.

'Besides the obvious sexual tension,' he mentioned, pulling another laugh out of me. He tugged on my fingers the way you crack your knuckles to let go off tension. 'You're a constant ego leveller. Not kidding when I say how strange it is to see more people attracted to you than me in a room. And the agreeableness between you and me is extraordinary. Oh and, your brazen self requires constant attention—'

'I do not!' I blew, upset, letting my hand drop over his face for a quick thwack. 'You're to talk.'

'I thought we were talking about similarities,' he rubbed a hand at the sore spot on his cheek. 'Almost forgot. The most turn-on factor— you're as stubborn as hell.'

I was piqued. 'It turns you on?' 

'Indefinitely,' he nodded. He thought about it for a second and shook his head. 'I think I prefer my women hot and furious.'

'How often do you use that on said women?'

'...much so.'

'It's not achieving its purpose.'

'Says the dame who lavishly, passionately and oh-so intensely courted me this eventide,' he said into my skin, in a mocking British accent, which started to gain heat with his words. I could almost hear the mischief in his voice as I placed my palms over my face.

'Oh my god,' I whispered into my hands, my face reddening with his words. His laughter was enthralling, increasing the fervour from head to toe. I pushed myself out of his arms to conceal my blushing myself from him, snapping back my jeans and rolling up the sleeves to my buttoned back shirt. I spun on my heels to face him with a stern visage and my hands on my hips. 

'That's enough canoodling for tonight,' I made be seen, tightening a knot at my waist with my shirt. 'We've got work to do.'

'I've got work to do,' he corrected me, straightening up with a rake of his hands past his crown. 'And I have sex hair.'

'I'm pretty sure they already know,' I rolled my eyes, unafraid of the attention that I was going to face. We had been in here for past an hour and anybody would've comprehended the inner situation. Also, I tried to reason, it was just Rhodey and a one, tall man I never knew. 

'Easy for you to say. You're the woman.'

'That's sexist on so many levels but I will forgive you,' I said in an undertone. 'What's your plan of attack in this situation?'

'Which is?'

'You've got the world's most sensitive database in your head, Tony,' I said, exasperated. 'I mean, did you learn by rote the statistics or something? Do you have to write it all down on a notebook or document—'

'That's cute. Cute as a button,' he laughed at my overthought theory. As if it were superficial to state it, he shook his head. 'I really want to get inside that head of yours.'

'I'm serious,' I dragged out as he continued to mock my thought process. 'What are you going to do?'

'I've got two options,' he laid out for me, easing back into his shirt. 'A, connect Starkdrive 000 to repulsor terminals and extract the information or B, fly you to Mykonos, get you a pregnancy test because you've been excessively horny—'

'Tony.'

'—and B is out. For now.'

'Forever. Explain the former.'

'It's a visually acclaimed shtick,' he explained, sliding off the examination table and grasping my shoulder. 'Meaning, I will have to show you to explain it.'

I cocked a brow. 'You know when I said apocalyptic...'

'Won't rock the world as such,' he nodded in all normalcy, easing me down a notch. 'Maybe yours.'

I smiled dryly. 'Thanks for the pep-talk.'

'Anything for the lover. Come along, now.'

∞

[ i dunno but this seems pretty legit. ooh, they back baby! let's get this mfing bitch on the road! what d'you think's gonna happen?]

[ update (21.01.2020) : edited! ]