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"You sure you have this handled?"

(Y/N) was walking alongside Tony through an airport hangar as they were being led away into the private jet , trying to avoid being close to the windows and doors where dozens of reporters were waiting outside for them. Since the Accords and the split of the Avengers, news reporters had been feeding on any sort of new information like hungry piranhas. Because of this, security had been increased around everywhere they went, and if (Y/N) had to hear to another brainless reporter ask her about her rumored relationship with Tony, she'd lose it.

"Of course," Tony shrugged her question off with an extremely calm look in his eyes, one that was even preoccupying. "When have I never gotten things handled on my own?"

(Y/N) stopped walking and crossed her arms, looking at him with raised eyebrows. He too paused, and winced when he realized the question he'd asked. "Right. Bad example."

"Points taken for effort."

"I'll take that," Tony nodded as they got closer to the jet and the ladder hatch opened up for them to walk in. "Besides, it's a high school kid we're talking about. He won't have that much free time to focus on 'saving crime'."

It had been two months after the split of the Avengers, and (Y/N) wanted to know how Tony had handled the Peter Parker situation. The teen — in Tony's words — was giddy to help him on a new mission, even ecstatic to be part of the Avengers, but had that bubble burst in a blink. (Y/N) did not want Tony to lead the poor kid on or even leave him in the dust, which was why she was asking for an update on the way here. She just hoped that Peter didn't grow that impatient for him to start begging for a chance every day, which was something (Y/N) wanted to give him when he was ready.

On the other hand, Tony was slowly falling back into his regular routine after the entire fiasco. He was starting to get invited to fancy galas, inaugurations, or parties again like he was used to back in the day, eager to return to the luxury lifestyle that he was so used in having. He had also asked (Y/N) to be his accompaniment in all events that requested his presence, but also being shocked when some invitations ordered for him t bring her along since she was a growing celebrity.

Once both of them were inside the jet and the door was closed behind (Y/N), the silence was deafening. Yes, the sound of the engine being ignited by itself was loud too, but other than that, neither of them said a word. (Y/N) hadn't moved to find a comfortable seat in the cabin, and when Tony realized she wasn't following him, he raised her eyebrows at her.

"Hey, come on, what's up?" he asked, standing up from the seat he'd already claimed. "You gotta work with me here, honey."

"Nothing, don't worry."

"If this is about the kid," Tony walked up to her, forcing proximity between them. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "I promise you, when we get back, we'll talk to him. Right now, Happy's keeping tabs on him. Or so I think."

(Y/N) gave him a look, but smiled nonetheless.

"Now, sit down, relax, and enjoy your first vacation after almost one year."

(Y/N) allowed Tony to guide her over to one of the jet's seats, one that was across from his. She leaned back on the fine leather of the seat, and felt the slight vibration from her phone in the pack pocket of her jeans. When she pulled it to check who it was, she saw a missed call from Charlie waiting on her unlocked screen.

She frowned, thinking of any possible reason for him to call her, and made a mental note to call him later on. Now, she closed her eyes and allowed the sleep to consume her.

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When they arrived at their destination in India, Tony and (Y/N) were quickly ushered by security into a car and were taken over to the hotel they were staying in. Of course, knowing Tony, the hotel was luxurious, but they barely had time to settle their luggage before it was time for the party they were invited to in the first place. (Y/N) didn't want to admit that she was disappointed that she wouldn't get enough time to tour the city, but tried not to show it.

The place where the party was held was vibrantly decorated; with bright colored decorations hanged in the white walls, along with the flowers collocated in every corner of the room. Everything glistened in the bright sunlight, and people were already flooding into the party when Tony arrived. Since (Y/N) was taking longer in getting ready because of the specific gown she was wearing, she had insisted for him to go on and she'll catch up with him.

Meanwhile, Tony was by his own in the party, having small chats with whoever crossed his path, impatiently waiting for his respective company. He was wearing a full white attire because he mentally wanted it to match with whatever color (Y/N) might be wearing today. He got lost in his own thoughts, recalling to himself what to say so he wouldn't get tongue tied, and even wiped the sweat off his palms a few times.

But none of that exceeded the reaction he had the moment his eyes set on (Y/N)'s form entering the room. His jaw went slack, his mouth felt dry, and he was pretty sure his eyes hadn't blinked because they didn't want to miss any second of her. She was warmly smiling at the people who greeted her at the door, accepting the flower necklaces they were placing over her head, and when her eyes met his, it was over. Tony was pretty sure he had died and went to heaven.

"Hi," she breathlessly greeted with a smile, her eyes glowing as if she was enjoying the sight in front of her. Tony couldn't quite figure out why.

"Hi," Tony swallowed the lump in his throat to answer her. He blinked stunned. "You look. . ."

(Y/N) didn't know whether to feel flattered or hurt by the silence he left hanging. "Thank you?"

Tony must've realized he was standing nervously for a while now, because his eyes widened when he saw her still standing in front of him as if she was waiting for a move. He extended a hand forward, "Wanna dance?"

"No, no. I can't — " she tried to deny, but he was already dragging her into the dance floor. "Tony."

Ironically, at that exact moment, the vibrant and upbeat music that was playing before stopped, and it was switched to a slow rhythm. Tony pulled (Y/N) close to him by the waist, and held onto her hand as he slowly swayed them to the side. She on the other hand, was trying to avoid his eyes because she felt slightly embarrassed, and her body was boiling from the inside out.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Tony questioned, noticing how she was avoiding his eyes.

"No," she shook her head to calm his evident nerves. "It's just that I hate that I can't remember how to dance, especially when I'm with you and in front of thousands of people."

"You're doing well."

He offered a reassuring smile at her, but when he did, he couldn't take his eyes off her. At the feeling of his eyes burning in her own, (Y/N) bashfully moved her head to the side. She was sure that Tony could hear her heartbeat because it was beating so loud, but she was thankful it wasn't audible. The world around them seemed to blend in, and all outside noises blurred out into silence, creating their little bubble.

Tony was sure that if he stayed with her in this position, he wouldn't be able to resist pulling her even closer, but he knew he had to contain himself. He instead cleared his throat, "How about a little air?"

(Y/N) lifted her head to nod eagerly. "Yes. I need some air."

He nodded with her, and guided them both away from the dance floor. (Y/N) wanted to concentrate in something else than Tony's hand on her waist, but it was an impossible task. People were still flooding every area they passed by, and by the looks of it, Tony wanted to find a secluded outdoor place.

When he found one that sat well with him, he removed the hand from her waist, and the ghost of his touch lingered on her skin. (Y/N) could feel the warm breeze brushing against her dress, and she looked around to stare at her surrounding before she felt that same grip again, this time pulling her close to Tony. Without thinking, Tony pressed his lips to hers in an impulsive act, one that was signature for him. At first, (Y/N) was startled, just like any other kiss she's shared with him, but allowed herself to melt against him. This feeling she got whenever she was pressed against him was something inexplicable, one that she could never once feel with anyone else.

Tony pulled back and he pressed his forehead against hers. "Sorry, I couldn't contain myself."

(Y/N) laughed at his words. "No worries. All fine with me."

"I know this may sound out of the blue, but. . ." this was one of the rare times when he actually looked nervous in front of her. "Have you ever thought about having a future with me?"

"You're already part of my future, Tony," she responded almost immediately, pushing back a strand of hair that had broken loose from his hair gel.

"I — " he stopped to think his next words through, as if her sentence scared him even more. "I mean, if you ever thought about. . .making some sort of future together."

Oh. Oh.

Now she knew exactly what he was talking about. And for some reason, the thought of that scared her. It wasn't as if she hadn't thought of it — of course she had — but not in a dreamy way. She had dreamt of it in a nightmare, one where she saw herself become into the pathetic excuse of a father she had herself growing up, and now every time she thought of it, the urge to throw up rose up her throat. But admitting that to Tony was somehow. . .embarrassing, and she just couldn't bring herself to.

"What brought this on?" she dared to ask.

The avoidance of the answer made Tony visibly sag his shoulders, but he thought he was being slick at hiding it. "Well, our latest case. Everything that happened during that time made me realize that someday I won't be so lucky and I won't be able to get up from a fight. It made me realize that I wanted a peaceful life before the storm comes along. And I want that with you."

"Tony, I — "

Tony's smartwatch alarm started blaring loudly, interrupting her in the process. His eyes squinted in order to read the cause of the alarm, and when he looked back at (Y/N) and mouthed 'the kid', she knew it was serious. With a press of a button, Tony was able to send one of his suits for him and connect (Y/N) to a same comms channel for both of them to hear Peter through. Luckily, the send in suit was able to pull Peter from a river, and now he was going on a full rant about what happened.

"And then he just like, swooped down like a monster and picked me up, and took me up a thousand feet and just dropped me," Peter's high pitched voice spoke through the device. "How'd you find me? Did you put a tracker in my suit?"

"I put everything in your suit," Tony spoke up, pressing a button. "Including this heater."

"Woah. that's better. Thanks."

It took a minute for Tony to formulate his next sentence. "What were you thinking?"

"The guy with the wings is the source of the weapons. I gotta take him down."

"Take him down now, huh?" the disbelief was evident in Tony's voice. "Crockett, there are people who handle this sort of thing."

"The Avengers?"

"No. This is a little below their pay grade."

"Anyway. Mr. Stark, you didn't have to come out here. I had that. I was fine."

"Oh, I'm not here. Thank God this place has Wi-Fi or you would be toast right now. Thank Ganesh while you're at it," a waiter approached the two and handed them a glass. "Cheers."

Tony and (Y/N) began to walk through the room without drawing much attention to themselves, occasionally waving goodbye to some people along the way. With arms linked and with the other holding onto the glasses the waiter had given them, both exchanged looked at Peter's failed attempts to defend himself.

"Look, hon. Forget the flying vulture guy, please," (Y/N) tried to reason, making him understand that he still had lots of things to enjoy before he got involved in much mature hero stuff.

"Why?"

"Why? Because we said so!" Tony raised his voice as they were walking toward the pathway. He leaned down to allow a woman to place a flower necklace over his head with an apologetic look. "Sorry, I'm talking to a teenager."

Tony proudly showed the flower necklace to (Y/N), as if she hadn't watched how they put it on him. Still, with Peter still on the other line, he dropped back into a serious mode.

"Stay close to the ground," he began. "Build up your game helping little people, like that lady that bought you the churro. Can't you just be a friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man?"

"But I'm ready for more than that now."

"No, you're not."

"That's not what you thought when I took on Captain America."

"Trust me kid. If Cap don't wanted to lay you out, he would've," Tony told him. "Listen to me. If you come across these weapons again, call Happy."

The sports car Tony had taken over here rolled into the dirt by itself, and he made sure to open the door for (Y/N) before moving to his side. The engine made a loud roaring noise as it was ignited, which startled Peter from the other line.

"Are you driving?"

With his hands on the wheel after placing the seatbelt, Tony spoke for one last time. "You know, it's never too early to start thinking about college. I got some pull at MIT. End call."

Tony pressed on the pedal and the car drove off, the strong wind blowing in their hair as the location of the party grew fainter and fainter.

"Was I too harsh on him?"

(Y/N) didn't even get time to reply.

"No, I wasn't," he answered his own question. "I'm right! You'll see."

i based the scene where they're dancing from pepperony's scene in iron man 1. oh, and the foreshadowing? anyone notice that ;)

lol they're such parents idk. i love them so much.

-see you soon, bex