Word count : 5023
Warnings : angst, strong language, mentions of death, blood, kidnapping, but, of course, there will also be some fluff. (Tony is a sweetheart, as always. 🥺)

Summary : The reader gets injured and almost dies, but Tony finds and saves her by giving her an arc reactor. After a while, she moves in with him and they get very close to each other.

Requested by : flaminrobirdie I'm so sorry for making you wait. I know you told me not to worry and take my time, but I hate making people wait for something, so I tried to write it as soon as possible. Thank you for requesting this, for supporting and so on. I hope you like it. ❤️

*Y/A = your age

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Pain, fear, despair... That was all you could feel as soon as you opened your eyes, finding it difficult to get used to the surroundings. You couldn't really recall how or what happened exactly. The only thing you remembered was that someone tried to suffocate you while you were on your way to your house, before unconsciousness enveloped your body entirely.

Now, you were in a small, empty room that looked too bad to be inhabited. The walls were dirty, moldy even, and the smell that was floating in the air was almost unbearable, making it difficult to breathe anywhere nearby.

Before you could stop yourself from doing so, you started choking uncontrollably, your body shaking in the meantime. What you didn't expect however, was the overwhelming feeling that came as soon as you did that. You felt as if someone has stabbed you in the chest and twisted the knife to make sure it pierced your insides properly.

Struggling to breathe, you glanced down at the source of pain, only to notice a huge hole right in the middle of your chest. Blood was spilling everywhere, staining the rest of the clothes you were wearing, while the numerous attempts to move proved to be useless. Your hands were tightly tied behind your back and you were sitting on a hard, uncomfortable chair, a cloth preventing you from talking or calling out for help.

One tear was followed by another one, then another and soon you found yourself sobbing loudly, the aching pain in your chest increasing with each breath you took.

Where you going to die? Probably. Good thing you didn't have anyone to say goodbye to. Your parents have kicked you out while you were still a child, and ever since then, you had learned to take care of yourself. You started working wherever you could, eating whatever you could, sleeping whenever you could.

After 10 years of trying to save as much money as possible, you managed to buy yourself a small house on the outskirts of New York. It wasn't impressive, but it was definitely better than living on the streets or having to pay the rent. The only thing you regretted was that you hadn't died sooner, so you wouldn't have had to struggle so much with your life.

By the time you started hearing some footsteps approaching, your vision has gotten blurry, making it hard for you to remain conscious. With one last breath, you closed your eyes, allowing your body to rest. Was it going to rest forever though? Guess you had to wait and find out.

***

Blinking your eyes open for the second time, you assumed you were dead since the first thing you noticed was a strong, blinding light. The more you stared however, you slowly started to get used to it, only to notice that you weren't in the same room anymore.

On the contrary, you were laying in a big, conformable bed, your body attached to a set of wires. It looked like a hospital room, but at the same time, it didn't.

Another thing you noticed was that the pain in your chest was still there, but it didn't feel as bad nonetheless. You weren't bleeding anymore, you were wearing some new, comfortable clothes and your body was covered with a thin, soft blanket that kept you warm.

Although you were doing much better now, you couldn't help but start worrying since you didn't know where you were, who brought you there and what happened in the first place. What if you were going to get hurt again? What if you were going to have to pay a lot for the medical services? What if, what if, that was all you could think about at that point.

The heart monitor started beeping faster, meaning that your heartbeat was increasing the more you kept overthinking. Could anyone blame you though? You've been abandoned, kidnapped, harmed and kidnapped again, so nothing should surprise you anymore, right?

All of a sudden, the doors went wide open, someone coming in soon after. You glanced at the entrance, only to notice a middle-aged, dark haired man entering the room and approaching your bed. His facial expression seemed unreadable, which only added to your anxiety.

Before you knew it, the man was standing beside your bed, his eyes glancing at the heart monitor that kept beeping faster and faster with each second, making him frown and look back at you.

"Please, don't hurt me..." you heard yourself pleading as soon as the stranger took a step closer. "Please, I'll do anything. J-just don't hurt me."

The man's gaze softened, a small smile making its way on his face. "If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done so a long time ago, honeybun. I'm here to help you, alright?"

You gulped, looking at him still unsure, your eyes tearing up once again. What if the guy was just playing with you? What if he was going to take advantage of you? You didn't know if you could handle getting hurt, both emotionally and physically, once again.

"Pl-please..." you cried, not entirely sure what you were asking for. You just needed a hug and a shoulder to cry on, but nobody was there for you. "D-don't... I..."

"Sweetie pie, come on, calm down for me, will ya? I promise nobody is gonna hurt you anymore, darlin'." he spoke softly, getting closer to your bed.

Out of nowhere though, you saw him raising his arm, so you flinched, thinking he was going to hit you. The man sighed, his chocolate brown eyes staring into yours.

"Baby doll, I was just going to touch your face. You're safe with me, ok?"

As soon as he said that, he raised his hand once again, his palm making contact with your flushed, wet cheeks. Ever so gently, he started wiping the tears away from your face, before retreating his hand and smiling softly down at you.

"See? That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

You shook your head slowly, looking at him like a kicked puppy. Before you knew it, your body relaxed, your heartbeat going back to normal as you felt yourself calming down.

"Who... Who are you?" you asked quietly.

"Well, my full name is Anthony Edward Stark, but most people call me Tony." he replied.

"W-wait... Tony Stark as in... the genius, playboy, billionaire and philanthropist Tony Stark? Ironman?"

The engineer grinned, nodding lightly in agreement. "I guess that would be me."

You gasped, not believing that what was happening was actually real. How did you go from being kidnapped to being saved and helped by Tony freaking Stark?

Noticing your reaction, Tony chuckled. "It's not that big of a deal, honey. Tell me about you though. What's your name?"

"I uhm... I'm Y/N." you replied hesitantly, playing with your hands.

"Nice to meet you, sweetheart. Do you have any idea what happened or who did that to you?"

"Not really. I know that I was going home and someone tried to choke me out of nowhere... Then I woke up in that room and I noticed I had a hole in chest and... Wait." you stopped abruptly, getting into a sitting position.

Moving the top you were wearing, you looked down at your chest, only to notice there was a strange object attached to it. It was glowing, meaning that it was functioning, and it looked strangely familiar.

"Is that an... An arc reactor? J-just like yours?" you struggled to ask, not knowing if you should be terrified, shocked or both.

Tony looked at you sympathetically, before nodding slowly. "I'm afraid you're right. It was the only way I could save you, otherwise the metal would have pierced your heart, along with other important organs. I'm so sorry, love..."

You remained silent for a few seconds, your body laying back down on the soft mattress. For some reason, that didn't look, nor feel as bad as you expected. You still needed some time to process the news however.

In the meantime, the genius watched you intently, feeling a little bit relieved that you haven't freaked out. Or at least, not yet.

"T-thank you." you whispered, your eyes finding Tony's hesitantly. "For saving me. It uhm... It means a lot. I'm afraid I won't be able to repay you for your help though... The only thing I have is a small house, but I guess you can h-have it."

Tony frowned, opening his mouth and closing it in confusion. "What? No, no, don't worry about that. That's what heroes are for after all. You don't have to do anything in return. I'm just glad you're still alive. I thought I've lost you for a second back there."

"B-but-"

"No buts, kid. Just relax and stop worrying, alright? Everything is gonna be ok." he continued and you sighed in defeat, deciding to drop the subject. "Also, you'll have to stay here for a while so that I can keep a close eye on you."

"Wait, wait, wait, are you... Are you sure I won't be a burden? I don't wanna disturb anyone."

The genius sighed for the hundredth time, running his hand over his face. "Darling, honey, sweetheart, how many times do I have to say that you're not bothering or disturbing anyone here? I'm the only one who lives here anyway."

"Ok, ok..." you agreed. "If you say so."

Out of nowhere, you started feeling your eyelids getting heavier and heavier now that you were more comfortable, making it difficult for you to stay awake.

"I'm... I'm sleepy..." you mumbled quietly, earning another smile from the man.

"It's alright, pumpkin. You can rest as much as you want. I'll be here when you wake up." he reassured, kissing the top of your head and making sure the blanket was keeping you warm.

With a hum, you closed your eyes, finally being able to rest without having to worry about your safety. Maybe getting hurt didn't end up very bad after all.

~A few days later~

It's been a few days since you've been staying at Tony's penthouse. You were now able to leave the bed, make your own food and do whatever you want, without Tony's help, although he always watched you to make sure you were ok.

These last days have probably been the best ones in your entire life. The engineer made sure you had everything you needed and made you feel loved and cared about. He was literally acting like a protective father, although he hasn't known you for a long time, but you didn't mind that one bit.

You have even gotten used to the idea that an arc reactor was keeping you alive. In any other situation, you would have probably been terrified, but since the billionaire had one too, you didn't mind that as much. It brought you closer to each other and made you feel both special and happy, knowing that the two of you shared the same... burden, let's say. Not to mention that the design was absolutely amazing.

In other words, living and spending time with Tony was great. Whenever he was out to buy groceries or having meetings, you would go to his workshop to see what projects he was working on. His AI, JARVIS, has proved to be both friendly and helpful, always explaining what you didn't understand and teaching you how to use all the technological instruments from there.

The thing that impressed you the most nonetheless was Tony's suit. It looked so much better in comparison to the images you've seen on the TV or the Internet. The fact that you looked so tiny in front of it was pretty amusing, but that didn't stop you from wanting to try it on.

"JARVIS, can you help me with something, please? But just so you know, Tony cannot find out about it."

"Sure, miss Y/N. What do you need?" the AI replied politely.

"I uh... I want to try one of the suits, but I don't really know how they work." you blushed, biting the inside of your cheek nervously.

"Miss, I recommend you do not do that without Mr. Stark's permission. It could be very dangerous."

"Come onnn... I promise I'll be careful." you whined. "Pleaseee..."

You could have sworn you heard the AI sighing, but it ended up agreeing to help you. That was gonna be fun for sure.

***

"The suit is too big for you to wear it, miss, but you can try on the gauntlets." JARVIS explained as he brought the two iron gloves in front of you. "Be careful though, if you put too much pressure on them or point them to a certain direction, they might fire up and hurt you, since you do not know how to control and use them properly just yet."

You hummed, too busy staring at the gauntlets to pay attention to JARVIS. After analysing them for a while, you took one of them and put it on, marveling at how heavy it felt around your hand. (A/N : Is it just me or this kinda sounded weird? 😂)

Clenching and unclenching your fist, you couldn't help but smile at the thought of having your own iron suit. You would have had so much fun with it. You could have flown, fought with anyone that threatened you and so on.

"JARV, how does Tony fly with this thing?"

"In order to fly properly, you will also need to other part of the suit, miss, otherwise you won't be able to con-"

Before the AI could finish speaking, you pointed the palm of the gauntlet towards the floor, just like you've seen the engineer doing whenever he was about to take off. Almost in an instant, it started glowing and before you knew it, you were thrown off the ground, your back meeting one of the hard walls, before sliding down.

"-trol it." JARVIS finished, his voice sounding a little bit amused.

You grunted in pain, getting ready to get up, but stopped as soon as you noticed a shocked Tony, standing at the other side of the room and watching you wide-eyed.

"Oh, uhm... H-Hi, Tones." you laughed nervously, scratching the back of your neck. "I would tell you this is not what it looks like, but uhmm... I wouldn't fool anyone so... Pleasedontthrowmeout." you hurried to say the last part, a tight smile hiding your anxiety.

Tony blinked once, twice, pressing his lips tightly together so that he wouldn't start laughing at your stupidity. "Y-you..." he snorted. "What were you... What were you trying to do?"

You blushed, taking the gauntlet off and getting up with a groan. "N-nothing... Just... I don't know. I was just... You know..."

He nodded, visibly amused as he approached you slowly. You looked at your feet, expecting him to scold you, but instead, he placed his hand under your chin, lifting your head so that you would face him.

Surprisingly, he didn't look mad at all. On the contrary, he was actually smiling, his brown eyes glittering with amusement as he stared down at you.

"Why... Why are you smiling? I just broke your wall."

He placed his hand over his mouth, trying to muffle his laughter, but in vain, which only made you even more confused.

"You probably just broke your back, but sure ,the wall is more important, isn't it?" he grinned.

"Well, yeah? I mean, no. I don't know..."

Tony sighed, shaking his head. "If you really wanted to try the suit, you could have just told me, you know?"

"Really?" you asked, looking up at him innocently. "I... Sorry, I thought you wouldn't agree with that, so I tried it without asking for your permission and I just... I'm sorry."

"Hey, hey, it's alright. I'm not mad at you or anything like that, kid."

"Tony, I'm Y/A... I'm not a kid." you huffed, crossing your arms over your chest.

"Yeah, sure, and what you did just now proved just what a responsible adult you truly are." he joked.

"Stop making fun of meee... " you whined, turning your back to him so you wouldn't face him anymore, only to receive another grin from him.

He took a step closer, putting a hand on your shoulder, but you hissed in pain, moving away. That seemed to get his attention, a serious expression replacing his smile.

"Now, now, why don't you take a seat and let me see how bad you've hurt yourself, huh?"

"Only if you stop calling me a kid." you pointed a finger at him.

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose, before nodding in agreement. "Sure, kid. Whatever you say. Now let me take a look at that."

With a sigh, you rolled your eyes, but still did as he said.

***

Another week has passed and Tony and you kept getting closer and closer with each single day, which was great. The fact that you probably had to leave sooner or later was definitely not great, since you knew that going back to your house meant going back to your lonely, horrible life.

"What's wrong?" a familiar voice asked, startling you a little bit. You were so lost in your thoughts while you were eating lunch, that you almost forgot that Tony was there too.

"N-nothing..." you mumbled under your breath, trying to clear your mind.

"Tell me or you won't be allowed to enter my lab for a week."

"Seriously, Tones?" you grinned. "What did I tell you about-"

"You only told me not to call you a kid. Never mentioned anything about treating you like one." he shrugged. "Plus, I have my own reasons. You are obviously still a kid. I'm sure you're parents think so too."

Without saying anything else, you dropped the fork and left the room, leaving a confused Tony behind. He frowned, replying his own words in his mind and trying to find out if he had said anything wrong.

"JARVIS, what just happened?"

"Looks like miss Y/N has gotten mad, Mr. Stark."

"Yeah, no shit. But why? Because I treat her like a kid? What am I supposed to do? She's still a-"

"Mr. Stark..." the AI interrupted him. "I've done some researches and it looks like miss Y/N has been abandoned by her parents about 12 years ago."

Realisation hit Tony like a brick, his heartbeat increasing quickly. "Shit..." he rubbed his hands over his face. "Shit, I'm so stupid. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark. I thought miss Y/N has already tol-"

"Do that again and I'll deactivate you!" the genius huffed, hurrying to leave the room and try to apologise to you.

~Meanwhile~

You went into the room you used to sleep in ever since you moved to Tony's place and threw yourself in bed, burying your face into the pillows as you started to cry softly. Why did he have to bring up your parents? He probably didn't know what happened between you and them, but he still didn't have any right to treat you like a kid, especially since you have stopped being one 12 years ago.

"Y/N, sweetie, open up, please." you heard Tony speak on the other side of the door as he knocked a few times. "I'm sorry, love. I don't really didn't know... Please, let me apologise properly."

Sighing, you got up and opened the door for him, before laying back down in bed, your back facing him. Tony approached you slowly, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Can you look at me, please?" he asked softly, his voice wavering a little bit.

You cursed under your breath, hating yourself for letting him get to you, before turning to face him. The look on his face however almost broke your heart. His eyes were glistening with tears and his lips were forming a small pout, while his eyebrows were turned downward as one of his trembling hands touched yours hesitantly.

"JARVIS told me what happened and... I'm so sorry you had to go through that." he whispered. "I can't even imagine how much you must have suffered and... I hurt you even more without even realising. I'm so sorry..."

Without saying a word, you jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly. He wrapped his hands around your waist, holding you just as tight, his heart breaking as he felt you crying on his shoulder. "Oh, sweetheart... It's alright. I'm here."

You pulled back hesitantly, your eyes staring into his as tears kept spilling down your face. "T-Tony... I don't wanna go." you sobbed, your hands gripping his shoulders. "If I go back there, I'll be alone again and it... it hurts. Please, don't make me leave."

Tony took your face into his hands, his soft lips connecting to your forehead comfortingly. "You're not going anywhere, princess." he wiped your tears. "You're going to stay here with me and I'll make sure you have everything you need. I'll protect and love you just like your parents should have, alright?"

"Do you wanna do that out of pity or do you actually-"

He pecked your lips softly, cutting you off. "I am going to do that because I care about you." he spoke sternly. "Never think otherwise."

You sniffed, a small smile forming on your face. "Thought you said you were going to love me like my parents should have..." you teased. "I'm pretty sure that kiss-"

"Don't even start." he grinned. "You didn't seem to complain."

"True... I'm still mad at you though. Maybe I'll forgive you if you kiss me again."

Tony shook his head, chuckling at your behavior. "Hmm... If there really is no other choice... Guess I'll have to endure that."

Before you could complain, his lips touched yours once again, only that this time the kiss lasted longer and was much slower. You placed your hands on his face, while he hold your waist tightly, keeping you close to him. As soon as his lips detached from yours, he kissed your cheeks, then your nose, forehead, eyes and chin, making you smile softly in contentment.

"Am I forgiven now?" he looked at you expectantly, his eyes never leaving yours.

"Yeah, I guess you are." you grinned.

***

"Miss Y/N, Mr. Stark is waiting for you in the lab." you heard JARVIS say while you were in the living room, watching TV.

"Oh? What happened?" you asked as you started to make your way towards the lift.

"I am not allowed to tell what this is about, but I believe it's good news."

A minute later, you found yourself entering Tony's workshop, only to see him waiting for you.

"Hey." you smiled, approaching him. "I heard you were looking for me?"

"Indeed I was." he pulled you into a hug. "I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise? Tony you're already doing so much for me. I don't want you to waste your time and money on me."

"Shush and let me show you the surprise. Close your eyes."

"How am I supposed to see it if I clo-"

"Y/N, honey, don't be stubborn and do as I said." he chuckled.

You rolled your eyes playfully, before closing them and waiting for the billionaire's next move.

"Aaand... Open them." he said from behind you a few moments later.

Opening your eyes, you gasped at the sight. In front of you was an iron suit, just like Tony's, but painted in your favourite colors, the size seeming perfect for you.

"T-Tony what... Is this for me?" you struggled to speak, taken aback by his surprise.

"Of course it's for you. I saw how much you liked my suit and how much you wanted to try it, so I decided to make you one. This time I'll teach you how to use it though, so you won't get hurt again." he explained. "Do you like it?"

"If I like it? Tony, I love it!" you exclaimed, hugging him tightly. "Thank you so much, I... You're the best."

"I know, I know..." he joked, kissing your cheeks. "Wanna try it?"

"Yes!"

The engineer laughed at your excitement, helping you put it on. Just as you expected, it fit you perfectly, making it easy for you to step inside the suit and control it.

"Alright, now listen to me carefully." he started. "Whenever you wanna take off, you need to keep your legs together and your hands pressed tightly to your sides, so that you will have balance. It will be a little bit difficult at first, but I'm sure you'll get used to it at some point. Come on, go on and try."

You nodded, doing as he said. As soon as your feet stopped touching the ground however, you struggled to keep your balance, the weight of the suit making it hard for you to keep your body straight.

"T-Tony, I think I'm gonna... Whoah!!" you gasped as you fell on the ground. This time it didn't hurt though, the suit protecting you.

Tony on the other hand laughed, helping you up.

"Stop laughing at me, Tones." you pouted inside the suit, which only amused him even more.

"Sorry, sorry, honey." he grinned. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." you sighed.

"Come on, don't be sad." he soothed. "I was so much worse when I first tried my suit, but I got used to it at some point. I know you will too. Wanna try again?"

"Ok..." you replied hesitantly. "What if I fail again though?"

"Not a big deal, hun. As I said, you'll get used to it if you really try."

Taking a deep breath, you regained your position, your covered hands pointing to the floor and pressing tightly on your sides. You started to take off again, but much slower this time, your body struggling to maintain its balance. To your surprise, this time it actually worked and before you knew it, you were flying around Tony's lab.

"Oh, my God." you gasped. "Tony, I did it. I'm flying." you giggled as you kept flying around the place, failing to contain your excitement.

Tony watched you intently with a huge smile on his face, his heart warming up at the sight of you and the sound of your voice. For once, you were genuinely happy and he wanted to keep things that way forever.

"Good job, love. You're doing great."

Landing in front of him, you pressed the button that opened the suit, before stepping out of it jumping on Tony's arms. He caught you in an instant, wrapping your legs around his waist as his hands hold you securely.

You surprised both him and yourself by kissing him feverishly, your hands finding their way around his neck.

The two of you parted your lips, your faces still a few centimeters apart as you looked into each other's eyes.

"Thank you." you whispered softly, your fingers moving to caress his face gently. "For everything, Tony. You've saved my life, you allowed me to move here, you made sure to take care of me and offered me everything I needed and you showed me how it truly feels to love someone. I will never be able to thank you enough, but I promise I'll aways be there for you for emotional support. I love you, Tony."

The genius smiled genuinely, kissing your forehead. "Your happiness is the only thing I want in return. As long as you're happy, everything is perfect. There's only one problem though..."

"What... What is it?" you frowned.

He sighed, sitting on a chiar, allowing you to sit on his lap. "I'm much older than you, Y/N..." he trailed off, grimacing at his own words. "And I know you love me. I love you too, but... I think we should just remain friends. I'll be your mentor and you'll be my-"

"Why?" you cut him off. "I don't have a problem with the fact that you're older. I love you for who you are, not for how rich you are or what you look like. Tony, I don't think you understand, but you saved my life. And by that, I'm not referring only to the fact that you made an arc reactor for me. You made me feel at home, fed me, took care of me, you made me so happy. Ever since I've met you, I felt as if my life has finally started to matter."

"But Y/N, you... You deserve someone better than me."

"There's no-one better than you, Tony. No-one would have done what you did for me." you reassured. "And I don't give a flying fuck about what people will say about us. All I care about is you and having you as close as possible."

Tony gulped, analysing the situation for a second. He wanted to be with you as much as you wanted to be with him, but he still seemed a little bit unsure.

"Are you 100% sure?"

"Yes, Tony. Are you?"

"Of course." he replied almost immediately. "But if you ever change your mind, don't hesitate to talk to me. I'll understand, ok?"

"That won't be the case, but ok. I promise I'll always be honest with you."

"Alright." he smiled. "Does that mean that you're my girlfriend now?"

You pecked his lips, before hugging him tightly. "Yes, it does."

The end. ❤️