Fic: In Another's Eyes (Chapter Sixteen)
Title: In Another’s Eyes
Fandom: The Avengers (AU-Cinematic Universe)
Characters: Antonia “Toni” Stark, Steve Rogers, others.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: Toni/Steve
Warnings: Mentions of Non-Con, bondage
Summary: A stalker is targeting Toni, which skews how she sees herself and how she allows others to see her.
Author's Notes: No notes, really. Enjoy!
( Chapter One) ( Chapter Two) ( Chapter Three) ( Chapter Four) ( Chapter Five) ( Chapter Six) ( Chapter Seven) ( Chapter Eight) ( Chapter Nine) ( Chapter Ten) ( Chapter Eleven) ( Chapter Twelve) ( Chapter Thirteen) ( Chapter Fourteen) ( Chapter Fifteen)
Chapter Sixteen
The only person Toni really explained herself to regarding Loki was Steve. Everyone else got “Yes, I’m friends with a super villain; no, I didn’t tell him anything about SHIELD or the Avengers; if you don’t believe me, fuck you and I’ll just go back to Malibu.” Strangely enough, it was an answer that everyone-even Nick Fury-accepted. Toni figured they all realized that Loki was much more mellow since he became her friend and they were all for that.
Speaking of the God of Trickery, he vanished the moment people came in to try to arrest him. Not before threatening Steve with massive bodily harm if he “so much as caused Lady Iron to frown”. Steve wasn’t sure there was enough of him to go around to all who had threatened him over Toni.
No one is sure what happened to the Space Unicorn.
Following another check up by the doctor on duty, Toni and Steve had their first date, which was spent in a SHIELD conference room. They ordered in Chinese-Toni paid, she said she’d let Steve pay the next time-and locked everyone out so they could talk. The talking didn’t start immediately; Toni picked at her General Tso’s with her chopsticks while Steve picked at his Chicken Lo Mein with a fork (he tried to call it Chinese Spaghetti, but Toni pointed out that the Chinese actually invented spaghetti noodles, so Spaghetti as Steve knew it was really Italian Lo Mein). Toni finally opened up about everything while Steve tried his first Crab Rangoon; she told him about the connection she felt with him, the talks they’d had since they day he threw her out the window…
“I still don’t get how the window came into play,” Steve said angrily as he attempted to use his chopsticks. “And I’m not happy he threw you out it.”
Toni shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve been operating under the assumption that he couldn’t deal with the fact I was right and just wanted an out.” She took a deep breath. “Even though he threw me out a window… he gave me someone to talk to. I had just broken up with Pepper, I was part of the Avengers instead of just being a consultant, you and I weren’t even friends, let alone whatever we are now…” She shook her head. “I needed a friend, Steve. Not someone who knew me inside and out, not a coworker… just a friend. And Loki seemed to need one too.”
“What are we, exactly?” Steve asked. Toni looked at him, a nervous expression on her face.
“I don’t know, Steve,” she admitted. “I mean… hell, I know you hated me before this whole thing started, so I’d be surprised if you knew I liked you…”
“Why?”
“I’m not the easiest person to get along with. I don’t even like myself most of the time, so I wouldn’t expect you or anyone else too.”
“You really don’t have a high opinion of yourself, do you?” Toni was very aware of how sad Steve’s voice sounded when he asked her that.
“No,” she admitted, taking a drink of her iced lemon tea. “But I fake it real well, don’t I?”
“When you want to…” Toni felt his hand rest upon hers. “Toni, I would like it very much… if you and I… dated.” He was bumbling and blushing and Toni found it completely adorable. Before she could answer, however, the door of the conference room burst open. Literally. Thanks to Mijolnir.
“Lady Iron!” Thor exclaimed happily. He was holding a large cardboard box in one arm and Mijolnir in the other, his smile wider than she’d ever seen it before. “I bring to you a token of my gratitude, Lady Iron!”
“For… what, exactly?” she asked, a bemused look upon her face.
“For befriending my brother, Lady Iron! Surely you have noticed the change in his demeanor; I cannot thank you enough for helping to bring about this change.” Toni shook her head.
“I appreciate the sentiment, Thor, but I don’t need a token… I have enjoyed Loki’s friendship as much, if not more, than he’s enjoyed mine.” She honestly meant that and tried to ignore the twinge of hurt she saw cross Steve’s face. Thor noticed nothing, of course, and set the box on the table in front of her.
“Nonsense!” he bellowed. “You must accept it, as I cannot return it.” Toni shook her head, standing up to open the box.
“Alright, if you insist.” Toni opened the box, her jaw dropping instantly; inside was a beautiful puppy, mostly white with marbled patches of black and gray. The puppy pounced upon Toni instantly, licking her face eagerly. Toni giggled happily, holding the dog close and scratching behind his ears in an attempt to calm him down. “Oh my god, Thor, you got me a puppy!”
“My friend Bruce says it’s a Blue Merle Australian Shepherd!” Thor stated proudly. “I am told they are most noble and he will be a mighty guard dog for you!” Toni laughed as she continued to hug the energetic fur ball in her arms.
“Thor, I love him,” Toni said honestly. Truth be told, she had always wanted a dog. She never got one as a child because of her health-and because her father hated animals-and she never really had time for one as she got older… now, however, seemed like a good time to have one. “Thank you so much.”
“He needs a name,” Steve remarked, smiling. “Any ideas?” Toni held the pup out at arms-length, looking him over. She noticed that on each of his front shoulders was a marking that looked very much like a wing; a guardian angel, almost.
“Castiel,” she said, taking note of how the dog looked right at her when she spoke the name. “That’s your name, isn’t it boy?” She brought him close again, allowing him to lap at her face once more.
“Castiel?” Steve asked. “What’s that?” Toni looked at him, grinning a bit madly.
“Don’t worry, Steve, we’ll marathon “Supernatural” later.” Steve wasn’t sure whether or not this was a good thing.
After a day of debriefings-Thor is the only one who is okay with Toni’s “No, I will not try to talk Loki into turning himself in because that’s just something we don’t talk about; you don’t see him trying to talk me into being a super villain, do you?” policy and honestly, she’s okay with that because his opinion is the only one she cares about in this case-and puppy shopping, Toni is back at the mansion that evening. She’s actually allowed herself to fall asleep in a public area, on the reclining portion of the large sectional couch in the main living room (there is one on each floor and really, this surprises no one). Castiel is in her lap, asleep as well and if Steve didn’t think the idea was insane, he’d believe that the dog was holding her in place so she had to rest. The whole thing is the most normal by normal standards anyone as ever seen Toni and Steve only has to clear his throat once to stop Clint from taking blackmail pictures.
The sight makes Steve think about how much she has changed in his eyes since they first met.
Fandom: The Avengers (AU-Cinematic Universe)
Characters: Antonia “Toni” Stark, Steve Rogers, others.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: Toni/Steve
Warnings: Mentions of Non-Con, bondage
Summary: A stalker is targeting Toni, which skews how she sees herself and how she allows others to see her.
Author's Notes: No notes, really. Enjoy!
( Chapter One) ( Chapter Two) ( Chapter Three) ( Chapter Four) ( Chapter Five) ( Chapter Six) ( Chapter Seven) ( Chapter Eight) ( Chapter Nine) ( Chapter Ten) ( Chapter Eleven) ( Chapter Twelve) ( Chapter Thirteen) ( Chapter Fourteen) ( Chapter Fifteen)
Chapter Sixteen
The only person Toni really explained herself to regarding Loki was Steve. Everyone else got “Yes, I’m friends with a super villain; no, I didn’t tell him anything about SHIELD or the Avengers; if you don’t believe me, fuck you and I’ll just go back to Malibu.” Strangely enough, it was an answer that everyone-even Nick Fury-accepted. Toni figured they all realized that Loki was much more mellow since he became her friend and they were all for that.
Speaking of the God of Trickery, he vanished the moment people came in to try to arrest him. Not before threatening Steve with massive bodily harm if he “so much as caused Lady Iron to frown”. Steve wasn’t sure there was enough of him to go around to all who had threatened him over Toni.
No one is sure what happened to the Space Unicorn.
Following another check up by the doctor on duty, Toni and Steve had their first date, which was spent in a SHIELD conference room. They ordered in Chinese-Toni paid, she said she’d let Steve pay the next time-and locked everyone out so they could talk. The talking didn’t start immediately; Toni picked at her General Tso’s with her chopsticks while Steve picked at his Chicken Lo Mein with a fork (he tried to call it Chinese Spaghetti, but Toni pointed out that the Chinese actually invented spaghetti noodles, so Spaghetti as Steve knew it was really Italian Lo Mein). Toni finally opened up about everything while Steve tried his first Crab Rangoon; she told him about the connection she felt with him, the talks they’d had since they day he threw her out the window…
“I still don’t get how the window came into play,” Steve said angrily as he attempted to use his chopsticks. “And I’m not happy he threw you out it.”
Toni shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve been operating under the assumption that he couldn’t deal with the fact I was right and just wanted an out.” She took a deep breath. “Even though he threw me out a window… he gave me someone to talk to. I had just broken up with Pepper, I was part of the Avengers instead of just being a consultant, you and I weren’t even friends, let alone whatever we are now…” She shook her head. “I needed a friend, Steve. Not someone who knew me inside and out, not a coworker… just a friend. And Loki seemed to need one too.”
“What are we, exactly?” Steve asked. Toni looked at him, a nervous expression on her face.
“I don’t know, Steve,” she admitted. “I mean… hell, I know you hated me before this whole thing started, so I’d be surprised if you knew I liked you…”
“Why?”
“I’m not the easiest person to get along with. I don’t even like myself most of the time, so I wouldn’t expect you or anyone else too.”
“You really don’t have a high opinion of yourself, do you?” Toni was very aware of how sad Steve’s voice sounded when he asked her that.
“No,” she admitted, taking a drink of her iced lemon tea. “But I fake it real well, don’t I?”
“When you want to…” Toni felt his hand rest upon hers. “Toni, I would like it very much… if you and I… dated.” He was bumbling and blushing and Toni found it completely adorable. Before she could answer, however, the door of the conference room burst open. Literally. Thanks to Mijolnir.
“Lady Iron!” Thor exclaimed happily. He was holding a large cardboard box in one arm and Mijolnir in the other, his smile wider than she’d ever seen it before. “I bring to you a token of my gratitude, Lady Iron!”
“For… what, exactly?” she asked, a bemused look upon her face.
“For befriending my brother, Lady Iron! Surely you have noticed the change in his demeanor; I cannot thank you enough for helping to bring about this change.” Toni shook her head.
“I appreciate the sentiment, Thor, but I don’t need a token… I have enjoyed Loki’s friendship as much, if not more, than he’s enjoyed mine.” She honestly meant that and tried to ignore the twinge of hurt she saw cross Steve’s face. Thor noticed nothing, of course, and set the box on the table in front of her.
“Nonsense!” he bellowed. “You must accept it, as I cannot return it.” Toni shook her head, standing up to open the box.
“Alright, if you insist.” Toni opened the box, her jaw dropping instantly; inside was a beautiful puppy, mostly white with marbled patches of black and gray. The puppy pounced upon Toni instantly, licking her face eagerly. Toni giggled happily, holding the dog close and scratching behind his ears in an attempt to calm him down. “Oh my god, Thor, you got me a puppy!”
“My friend Bruce says it’s a Blue Merle Australian Shepherd!” Thor stated proudly. “I am told they are most noble and he will be a mighty guard dog for you!” Toni laughed as she continued to hug the energetic fur ball in her arms.
“Thor, I love him,” Toni said honestly. Truth be told, she had always wanted a dog. She never got one as a child because of her health-and because her father hated animals-and she never really had time for one as she got older… now, however, seemed like a good time to have one. “Thank you so much.”
“He needs a name,” Steve remarked, smiling. “Any ideas?” Toni held the pup out at arms-length, looking him over. She noticed that on each of his front shoulders was a marking that looked very much like a wing; a guardian angel, almost.
“Castiel,” she said, taking note of how the dog looked right at her when she spoke the name. “That’s your name, isn’t it boy?” She brought him close again, allowing him to lap at her face once more.
“Castiel?” Steve asked. “What’s that?” Toni looked at him, grinning a bit madly.
“Don’t worry, Steve, we’ll marathon “Supernatural” later.” Steve wasn’t sure whether or not this was a good thing.
After a day of debriefings-Thor is the only one who is okay with Toni’s “No, I will not try to talk Loki into turning himself in because that’s just something we don’t talk about; you don’t see him trying to talk me into being a super villain, do you?” policy and honestly, she’s okay with that because his opinion is the only one she cares about in this case-and puppy shopping, Toni is back at the mansion that evening. She’s actually allowed herself to fall asleep in a public area, on the reclining portion of the large sectional couch in the main living room (there is one on each floor and really, this surprises no one). Castiel is in her lap, asleep as well and if Steve didn’t think the idea was insane, he’d believe that the dog was holding her in place so she had to rest. The whole thing is the most normal by normal standards anyone as ever seen Toni and Steve only has to clear his throat once to stop Clint from taking blackmail pictures.
The sight makes Steve think about how much she has changed in his eyes since they first met.