Word count : 5202

Warnings : a little bit of angst, some curse words, BUT mostly fluffy Tony.

A/N : This imagine was requested by Poptart_Pikachu Thank you so much for requesting and I hope you enjoy it. ❤️

Summary : Y/N and Tony talk to each other on Tinder, but the reader doesn't know who she is actually talking to.

Y/F/N = your friend's name

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"Girl, it's been half a year since you've been using Tinder. You can't just expect to find the love of your life on that app." your best friend stated as she saw you checking your phone for the hundredth time that day. "For real now... Go out and socialise instead of praying for someone to actually message you."

"Y/F/N, you know how I get whenever I meet someone new." you sighed, moving your head so it was resting on the back of the couch. "I always make a fool out of myself and I'm tired of people pushing me away. I'm not saying you're wrong, but please understand that it is so much easier for me this way."

Your friend watched you, visibly confused, biting the inside of her cheek and trying her best to see your point.

"Why?" she frowned. "That's what I don't get about you, Y/N ... Why do you prefer talking to someone you don't even know through messages instead of actually having a face-to-face conversation? Because you have time to actually think of an answer or what?"

"Well, that too, but... I feel more comfortable talking and getting to know people online, because they can't really judge or see my reactions, you know?" you replied hesitantly, playing with your hands. "And of course, by the way they reply, I can always tell what kind of people they are and decide if I want to keep chatting with them or not... It's much easier to block someone or stop messaging them instead of actually making excuses as to why I don't like them. Does that make any sense?"

Y/F/N sighed, shaking her head, before standing up and placing one hand on your shoulder. "Look, Y/N... You know you're my best friend and I love you, but... I still don't see your point." she shrugged, looking at you apologetically. "An app is an app and you will never find someone you could date that way. How do you know those people won't lie to you? You can't tell if someone is actually being honest or not."

"I know, but-"

"But what?" she cut you off. "I understand you're afraid of rejection, but the only way you can get over it is by trying to fight it. How are you gonna fight it if you don't even have the balls to talk to someone?"

"It's easy for you to say that." you huffed. "You've never been hurt by someone before. I have. I've been bullied in middle school by my classmates since the very beginning, and when I first tried to confess my feelings to a guy, not only did he reject me, but also made fun of me in front of everyone..."

You paused, looking away and biting your lower lip in frustration. "So just... don't you dare call me weak or judge me for being afraid of talking to people when you know nothing about it at all."

Y/F/N took a step back, nodding slowly and staring back at you. "You're right. I'm sorry." she apologised. "I-uh... I have to go now. My cousin just messaged me saying that she wanted to hang out." she stated as she placed her bag on her shoulder, but you knew she was lying. "I won't ask if you wanna join cause I know you don't and I don't wanna force you either, so... Call me if something interesting happens, although I kinda doubt that."

"Yeah, ok." you smiled half-heartedly, giving her a hug. "Take care."

With a small nod, she turned around, exiting the house and leaving you alone once again. You just sighed, glancing at your phone one more time, before deciding to take a shower and clear your mind.

***

About half an hour later, given the fact that you haven't eaten anything that day, you left the bathroom and started heading towards the kitchen in order to prepare something for dinner.

Passing by the living room, your feet stopped moving for a split second as soon as the sound of a new notification broke the silence, but you decided to ignore it for now, thinking that it was either Y/F/N or someone from your family that wanted to contact you.

Since cooking has never been one of your strengths, you decided to eat some instant noodles, then made yourself a cup of hot chocolate and went back to the couch.

Taking your phone, you checked the time, which was almost 8PM, before glancing at the person who messaged you. To your surprise, however, it was neither Y/F/N, nor someone you knew, but actually a guy from Tinder.

"Troy Stank?" you frowned. "Who the fuck is that?"

You placed the cup of hot chocolate on the nearby table, just to make sure you wouldn't drop it, then took a look at the stranger's page. You couldn't tell what he looked like since his profile picture was one of a puppy, but according to his bio, he was from New York and pretty much older than you.

(His profile picture)

"Shit... I hope this is not another freak." you face palmed internally as you opened his message.

▶️ Hey there ;)

You rolled your eyes, aware of the smirk the guy probably had the moment he sent that.

Hi 🙄 ◀️

While waiting for his reply, you took a sip of your drink and almost choked when you realised how fast he saw your message.

▶️ Took you long enough :)

"The fuck?" you frowned. "This guy really has the nerve."

Well, sorry Mr. Stranger, but unlike you, I have a life, you know? I don't spend all my time on this app. ◀️

▶️ Hmm... Feisty. I like that 😏

"Who the fuck does he think he is?" you asked nobody in particular, shaking your head in frustration. The guy was already starting to piss you off and you didn't like that one bit.

Fuck you! 😌🖕🏼◀️

You smirked at your own response, feeling proud of yourself and thinking that it was going to shut his mouth. Let's just say that you were wrong.

▶️ You wish, darling ;)

This time you choked on your drink for real, making a mess on the floor and even a part of the couch. You were mad to say at least.

Look, old man, I don't know who you think you are, but if you keep acting like a jerk, you can just enjoy talking to yourself for the rest of your life :) ◀️

▶️ Aww... You're no fun. I was just joking, you know? And I'm not that old :)

Whatever, grandpa 🧓 ◀️

He saw the message, but didn't reply as quick nonetheless, fact that made you smirk, happy to realise that you left him speechless. The entire conversation was starting to amuse you, so why not have some fun after all?

However, when 10 minutes have passed and he still didn't add anything else, you thought that maybe you have overreacted as usual and pushed him away. You didn't mean to be rude or anything like that, but just wanted to play his own game.

▶️ I guess I deserved that :)
Sorry for the late reply, btw, somebody called me.

You sighed in relief as soon as you noticed the new message, feeling yourself calm down for some reason.

▶️ Anyway, I just wanted to say that I would like to get to know you. You're very beautiful and you seem pretty funny to be around too, so why not? :) But ofc, if you don't wanna talk to an old man like me, I'll understand.

The moment you finished reading the new message, you blushed, getting shy all of a sudden.

'For fuck's sake, Y/N, he's just a stranger! Don't get fooled!' you tried to convince yourself as you struggled to type an answer.

Thanks, I guess. And it's fine. I don't really mind the fact that you're older :) ◀️

'Shit, that didn't sound right... Shit, shit, shit. What if I scared him away, I-'

▶️ Cool :)
So tell me, Y/N... Do you have any hobbies?

***

It's been weeks since you and Troy started chatting. To your surprise, he was much nicer than you thought initially. According to what he said, he hadn't had a relationship for a very long time. He would occasionally have one night stands, but nothing more than that, because he didn't meet anyone he actually really loved and cared about.

Although you weren't the type to support the idea of a guy sleeping with so many women, you appreciated the fact that he was being honest and tried to understand him. As for the "falling in love" part, you knew how difficult it must be for him since you were in the same situation.

At some point, the two of you even thought about meeting each other one day, but you knew that wasn't going to happen so soon.

You also decided to talk to your friend about him, to ask for an advice, but just as expected, she wasn't very supportive. She thought he was too old for you and called you crazy for trusting him, especially since he didn't even have a proper profile picture, picture that wasn't very important to you however.

"Y/F/N, not everything is about looks. Maybe he's just a little bit insecure and doesn't feel comfortable showing pictures of himself." you explained in a calm manner.

"Y/N, he's old enough to be your father!" she exclaimed. "How do you know he's not a drug dealer or something? I swear you can be so stupid sometimes."

"Really?" you rolled your eyes. "If you're just gonna insult me like that, please do me a favour and leave." you snapped. "I don't even know why I talked to you about it in the first place. You never agree to anything that I say or do, so why bother anymore?"

"Look, you-"

"No, just leave. I'm tired of you and your bullshit." you cut her off.

"Ok, fine! I'll leave! But don't you dare come to me when he breaks your heart."

With that, she slammed the door shut, leaving just as you asked. You went to your room and threw yourself on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling and trying to ignore the knot that was forming in your throat.

"Why does nobody ever understand me?" you whispered to yourself as you felt a tear running down your cheek.

Before you could wipe it away, you felt you phone buzzing, so you hurried to look and see who was searching for you.

▶️ No "good morning" today? No nothing? I'm deeply hurt :(

The corners of your mouth curved upwards almost in an instant, your fingers already typing an answer.

Sorry. You could say I was... distracted. ◀️

▶️ That so? 🤔 How come?

You thought for a second, not sure if it would be ok the tell him everything. You knew your friend was overreacting, but you didn't have any assurance that she was wrong either.

Nothing important. Don't worry about it :) ◀️

▶️ Hmm, ok then... I was just worried. I thought something bad happened to you. You could say I got used to your messages :)

You sighed, trying not to blush, but failing miserably. Knowing that he actually cared about you made you feel so much better, but you still wanted to clear things once and for all.

Troy, look... I don't wanna upset you or something like that, but... Why don't you have a profile pic of yourself? ◀️

▶️ Darling, first of all, Troy is not even my real name :)

As soon as your eyes scanned the message, your breath hitched, your mouth falling open. Thinking that maybe your friend was right and everything was a lie, you started to panick, your fingers shaking as you typed.

What do you mean?? Who are you then?? Send me a picture of you right now or I swear to God that you'll never hear from me again. ◀️

You closed your eyes and waited for a reply, your heart beating out of your chest as you hoped and prayed that everything was going to be ok. If that guy has just been playing with your feelings all this time, you weren't sure you were going to make it.

Your phone buzzed again, making you jump and open your eyes hesitantly, only for them to widen the moment you looked at the picture 'Troy' has sent you.

▶️ This any better? :)

(A/N : I know my editing skills are not great, but just bare with me XD )

"Oh, my fuc- No!" you gasped, standing up in shock. "No, you gotta be fucking kidding me... This can't be happening."

You looked at it again and pinched yourself just to make sure you weren't dreaming, before trying to calm yourself down.

"Oh, my God... Tony Stark has been messaging me all this time... Tony Fucking Stark... I-"

▶️ You still there? 😳

I hate you... You almost gave me a heart attack. ◀️

▶️ Sorry, babe :) Give me your number. I wanna call you.

Still trying to control your heartbeat, you struggled to type your phone number, your entire body shaking.

Just when you thought you were doing ok, things got even worse when you realised that Tony was actually face calling you. With a trembling hand, you gulped, accepting the call.

The moment you saw Tony's face on your screen, you mind went blank and you felt you couldn't speak anymore.

"Holy... Oh, my... T-Tony, I..."

"Hey, hey, calm down, love. I'm glad you're excited to see me, but don't die on me now." he laughed, leaning his head on one of his hands.

"I don't... I don't understand. W-why..."

"Because I thought it would be fun." he shrugged. "If people knew who I was, they would have all replied to me and that would have been too easy and boring." he explained with a grin. "For real now, though, calm down. It's just me, ok?"

You knew you were gonna stutter if you opened your mouth, so you just nodded, still not believing what was happening.

"C'mon now... Where's the sassy girl that called me old the first time we talked, hmm?"

"I'm still here, you asshole." you breathed out, louder than intended, making him laugh. "I hate you so much. I almost died because of you."

"Hmm... And here I thought you were going to like the surprise." he pouted.

You smiled, shaking your head at his childish behaviour. You wanted to both punch him for almost giving you a heart attack and hug him because of how cute he looked.

"If we ever get to meet each other, I swear to God I'm gonna kill you."

"Oh, I'm so scared..." he fake gasped, placing his hand over his chest. "Please, I'm begging, have mercy on this old man."

Laughing once again, you sighed as you felt yourself calming down, but were still a little bit shocked. It's not every day that you get to talk to Tony Stark after all.

"Everything makes sense now." you blinked. "The playboy part, how you can't find someone to love, the PTSD attacks you told me about... I still can't believe that."

"Me either."

"What?" you grinned "What can't you believe? The fact that I'm surprised as fuck?"

"No, not that." he shook his head, staring at you intently. "I uhm... I knew you were beautiful, but... I didn't think you'd actually be this stunning."

You looked away from the phone, feeling your cheeks turn red at his compliment. Tony was just as nervous though, which was something new to him.

"T-there's nothing stunning about me. I... I look like shit right now."

"I'm afraid I'll have to argue with you on that. Trust me, your beauty is out of this world." he smiled softly, his own cheeks getting a light shade of pink. "Btw... Were you... Were you crying?" he frowned as his face got a little bit closer to the camera, his eyes examinating you.

"W-what? No. Why would you think that?" you laughed nervously.

Tony hummed, pointing to your tear-stained face.

"I may be stupid from time to time, but I'm not blind. You were obviously crying. Why?" he demanded.

"I... I told you it was nothing, Tony."

"It obviously was something if it made you cry." the genius raised an eyebrow. "Now cut the act the tell me what's wrong."

"I just... had a fight with my friend, that's all. I told her that I've been chatting with you, but she got mad about it and called me stupid for trusting you." you looked down. "I'm not that great when it comes to socialising in general, so... I don't know, her words really affected me."

"I see..." Tony nodded. "Look, are you free tomorrow? I really wanna meet you in person. It will be so much easier to talk to you face to face... And, who knows, maybe do something interesting too." he wiggled his eyebrows and you chuckled, shaking your head.

"I'm kidding, don't worry. About the last part, of course. I'm not kidding about wanting to meet you though, so if you want and have some free time tomorrow, I would umm... Really like to take you out on a date." he stubbled over his words, blushing even more and averting his gaze.

"Is the famous Tony Stark blushing?" you smirked and he just covered his face with his hands, shaking his head.

"It is just in your imagination. I never blush." he grinned. "So? What do you say?"

"Hmm..." you thought. "No, thanks." you replied bluntly.

Tony frowned, his smile fading as if it has never even existed. "Oh, I... That's... That's ok, I-"

He was cut off by your own laughter, your behavior confusing him even more.

"Tones, I was kidding. I can't believe you actually thought I was gonna refuse you."

The billionaire sighed in relief, moving his hand through his hair. "You're gonna be the death of me one day."

***

Today was finally the day... The day you and 'Troy' were going to meet each other. You were both excited and scared at the same time, because you wanted to see him, but didn't want to be a dissapointment once again.

After making sure you looked presentable, you took your phone and your purse, then waited for Tony to come and pick you up.

As if on cue, the sound of the doorbell surrounded the room, making you even more nervous. Approaching the door, you took a deep breath, trying to calm down, before opening it slowly.

As soon as your eyes met a pair of chocolate brown ones, you felt as if every doubt left your body, your heart filling with some warmth you've never felt before.

Tony took his time to analyse you, his gaze soft as a smile made its way on his face. You did the same thing, gulping at how handsome he looked, even though he wasn't even trying.

"H-Hi..." your high pitched voice broke the silence as you hesitantly took a step forward, closing the door behind you.

"Hello to you too." the man replied softly, taking one of your hands in his and kissing it. "You look even more beautiful in real life... if that's even possible."

"T-Thank you." you blushed, refusing to meet his gaze and looking at your feet, only for him to place his hand under your chin and force you to look at him.

"Don't be nervous, ok? As I said, it's just me. Troy Stank aka the grandpa."

Your smile widened, your hands finding their way around his neck. You didn't know where all that courage was coming from, but nobody seemed to complain about that.

"Not gonna lie, you look pretty good for a grandpa."

"Is that so?" he smirked. "Why thank you, sweetcheeks. I'm trying my best. You, on the other hand, are a natural."

You rolled your eyes playfully, getting ready to add a remark, but the next thing he did, shocked you to say at least. He kissed your cheek, knowing the effect he had on you, before stepping back and extending his arm.
"Shall we?"

Sighing, you took his hand and he led you to a... limousine. Nothing special, of course. Being the gentleman he was, he opened the door for you, inviting you in, then joined you soon after and ordered the driver to start driving.

"So..." he started as he took two glasses and a bottle of champagne. "I was thinking that we could go to a restaurant to eat something, then maybe I could give you a ride with my suit or go stargazing... Maybe even both. It's up to you." he smiled, offering you a now filled glass.

"That would be very nice." you grinned. "I always wondered how it would feel to fly in that suit."

"Perfect. Any particular locations that you wanna see or it doesn't really matter?"

"As long as I'm with you, it doesn't matter."

The moment those words left your mouth, you panicked, thinking that you were being to cheesy, but all of your worries vanished away as soon as you met his sparkling eyes.

However, you decided to look away before you could get lost into them, taking a sip of your drink. Tony did the same, but never stopped staring at you, his smile growing even bigger.

***

A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of one of the most prestigious restaurants in the city and the two of you entered, his arm holding yours.

You took a seat at the reserved table, ordered and waited for the food to come. As usual, Tony's eyes were fixed on your figure as you handed the menus back to the waiter.

"Everything ok?" you asked in a small voice, the blush never leaving your cheeks.

"Perfect even." he smiled, dropping his hands on the table in order to hold yours. "You never answered my question though... How come a beautiful lady like you is still single? And don't try to change the topic again."

Sighing, you debated whether you should tell him or not. You wanted to be honest, but you didn't want him to change his mind about you.

Feeling your hands starting to shake, Tony tightened his grip on them, making you look at him. He nodded slowly, smiling at you assuringly, the look on his face being enough to calm you down.

"As I said and as you probably noticed in the beginning, I'm not exactly the best at socialising... Especially to new people." you explained. "I've had some bad experiences in the past and I always worry of what people might think about me. Whenever a guy approaches me, I get nervous and manage to push him away somehow."

Tony nodded in understanding, waiting for you to continue while he started caressing your palm.

"That's why I decided to try finding someone on Tinder. I find it much easier to talk to someone through texts rather than actual words, because those people can't see me getting flustered or panicking while trying to reply to them. And I know it might sound a little bit cheesy, but... You're one of the few people I actually feel comfortable talking to... Both in real and virtual life." you sighed, looking at his hands and hopping you didn't mess everything up again." I know this sounds pathetic, but-"

"No, it doesn't." he cut you off. "You just care more about the others and what they think about you, which is not a bad thing at all. Plus, as you said, your past experiences had a huge impact on the way you see things now, so there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of."

You smiled weakly, moving your chair closer to the table so you could somehow get closer to him as well.

"Thank you, Tony. I really appreciate that."

Before he could reply, the waiter came back with your food and drinks, placing them in front of you.

"Eat now. We have all the time in the world to talk afterwards. Just stop worrying. I could never change my mind about you." the genius reassured and you nodded slowly, doing exactly as he said.

***

You ate and talked for hours at the restaurant, before you decided to leave. Tony, of course, paid the check and the both of you stood up, ready to exit the building.

However, as soon as you got up of the chair, your felt two arms wrapping around your middle, your face pressed against someone's chest. Realising that Tony was hugging you, you hugged him back, holding him tightly.

He kissed your forehead, his hands rubbing your back comfortingly. "Better?" he whispered as he leaned his chin over your head.

You smiled against his chest, nodding and closing your eyes. "I wouldn't mind staying like this for the rest of my life." you laughed.

"Oh, me either." he grinned. "Come on now, though. I promised you something and I intend on keeping my promises."

With that, the both of you pulled back and left the restaurant, his hand holding yours.

***

"Tony, I'm scared..." your voice wavered as Tony, who was now wearing his suit, was about to take you into his arms and take off.

"You don't think I will drop you now, do you?" he asked.

"No, I don't, it's just that... I don't know." you sighed, refusing to look at him.

"Hey..." he wrapped his arms around you securely. "I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you, alright? Just trust me, sweetheart."

You took a deep breath, wrapping your hands around the metal neck, before nodding. Tony put on his mask, pulling you closer to him and you closed your eyes, feeling yourself being lifted up in the air.

"It's ok, love... You can open them now." he spoke assuringly, holding you tightly against himself and you did as he said, gasping at the view.

You could see everything from there. The buildings, the cars, even the people who looked so tiny and helpless.

"W-wow... " you marveled." This... This looks so beautiful."

"Indeed" he replied as he stared at you. You blushed, hiding your face into the metal-neck and he chuckled, rubbing your back. "I'm glad you like it, darling. Now I know just the right place to take you to."

That being said, he flew away with you in his arms, while all you did was stare at the landscape. Your face was starting to hurt from how much you were smiling, but you weren't complaining one bit.

***

Tony landed the both of you on one of the highest buildings, before coming out of the suit.

Taking a small cube into his hand, he pressed a button on it, then threw it on the ground and to your surprise, it turned into a big, fluffy mattress.

"Make yourself comfortable." he smiled. "Until, then... JARVIS, please send Jewel here."

The suit flew off, while you laid down, sighing at how comfortable that thing was.

"Who's Jewel?" you asked as you saw Tony approaching you and laying next to you, the both of you looking at the sky.

He just grinned, taking your hand into his once again. "You'll find out soon."

A few seconds later, the suit came back, but this time, it was holding something. Tony got up and took it from its hands, then turned to you, smiling brightly.

"Y/N, sweetheart, meet Jewel."

You gasped, beaming at the cute image in front of you. There stood Tony, holding the cute little puppy you saw on his profile.

"Oh, my God! He's so cute." you exclaimed, approaching them and taking Jewel into your arms. The puppy placed one paw over your face, his own face rubbing over yours.

"I think he likes you." the billionaire grinned. "I'm not judging him though. You're irresistible."

You rolled your eyes, smiling from ear to ear. You have never been that happy before and realising that one single person could make you feel that content with yourself, warmed your heart.

"Thank you, Tony." you hugged him. "For everything. Thank you for turning this day into the best one of my life."

Tony placed his arms on your waist, pulling your closer. "I'm glad to see you happy. You deserve it."

He leaned his forehead over yours, getting closer and closer, but before his lips could touch yours, Jewel started growling, lifting his head and starting to lick Tony's face.

The genius sighed, cringing at the puppy while you burst into laughter, aweing at the sight.

"Jewel, baby, I hate you so much sometimes." he shook his head as he took the puppy from your hands. "He's the jealous type, you know? Doesn't like sharing me."

"Of course, of course..." you grinned. "Too bad he'll need to learn doing that from now on."

Instead of replying, Tony pulled you close to him once again, his mouth finally attaching to yours. Jewel started squirming in his arms, but none of you paid attention to him this time.

A few seconds later, the billionaire pulled away and smiled down at you, pecking your lips one more time.

"Now, now... That was much better, wasn't it?"

You just nodded, hugging him tightly and sighing in content. For once you could declare yourself as being lucky.

~Three years later~

"And then we went back to stargazing and, you know, kissing each other from time to time... Or at least trying to, cause Jewel was always staying in the way." you grinned, staring at your friends, who were listening to you intently.

"Huh... Who would have thought that the asshole was actually a romantic piece of shit?" Clint remarked, making everyone laugh, including you.

"You're just jealous..." a familiar voice huffed and everyone looked over, only to see Tony entering the room. Your face lightened up the moment you saw him and he smiled back at you, kissing your lips and joining you on the couch.

"And that's our cue to leave." Steve exclaimed uncrossing his arms. "Come on people, I don't wanna throw up."

"Steve, you were supposed to be the polite one." Nat smacked him over the head, and he just shrugged, leaving the room, only to be followed by the others.

Tony sighed, before looking back at you. "Did you really tell them everything from the beginning?"

"Yep... They didn't seem bored though,which only means one thing..."

"That our story is special and everyone would love hearing it?" he smirked.

"No. That I'm a good story teller." you replied, and he rolled his eyes, rubbing his hands over his face.

"You're lucky I love you." he sighed. "Now cut the act and cuddle me." he whined, laying on the sofa and extending his arms for you to join.

You huffed, shaking your head. "Who would have thought that one of the world's best superheros would actually be a whining baby in real life?"

The end. 💁‍♀️

PS : I know some scenes seem rushed, but I really tried. 😣 Also, just to make it clear, Troy Stank is an anagram for Tony Stark. I couldn't come with anything better. 😅