Fic: In Another's Eyes (Chapter Eighteen)
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: This one is kind of short, but it's fluffy :D Also, I think this story will be wrapping up soon, maybe in two or three more chapters. Don't fret though, I'm already plotting a sequel and maybe a side story to this one.
( 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) ( Chapter Seventeen)
Chapter Eighteen
Steve remembered Toni telling him that her brain often worked faster than most people could talk and because of this, she would be on a whole completely different conversation while everyone else was still talking about the same thing as before. It would take her a bit, but as soon as she stopped, she found herself replaying the conversation in her mind, catching what she had missed and finally reacting to it. She once described her brain as a DVD player, which Steve agreed with (once he understood what a DVD player was and how it worked). As he carried Toni to her room, Castiel trotting along behind them, Steve was having a moment like that.
The subject had changed so quickly; even if Thor hadn’t come in and interrupted them, Steve still would have missed what she said.
“Hell, I know you hated me before this whole thing started …”
Remembering them now, as he tucked her into bed and helped Castiel get up beside her, about crushed him; did she really think that he hated her? How could she think that? After all this time, all the things they had done, how could she think that he hated her? Jarvis had said she’d been upset following the building collapse, but was there more than that? What had he done to make her think this way…
“What’s wrong?” Toni’s voice was soft, but not as exhausted as before. There was a bit of worry in there too. He didn’t want to talk to her about it tonight, not after everything that had happened… but if it wasn’t now, when would it be? “Steve?” He sat down beside her, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.
“Do you really think I hated you all that time?” he asked. “Before the stalker?” Her eyes widened.
“Oh god,” she whispered. “Did I say that out loud?”
“Toni, if I really made you feel that way…” She shook her head quickly. “Then why…?” She put her other hand to his face, stroking his cheek with her thumb.
“Didn’t anyone warn you about me when you started at SHIELD?” He shook his head. “Steve, I have done some stupid shit in my life. The race car in Monaco, I blew up my own house during my birthday party, I called the United States Senate a bunch of ass-clowns…”
“They deserved it,” Steve said, because after seeing the clip on YouTube, he honestly believed that.
“And that’s just the past couple of years, we haven’t gotten into my twenties… I am a terrible person, Steve, and I know this…” She smiled a little, a tear rolling down her cheek. “And it was just so easy for me to believe that you hate me… because that was supposed keep you away.”
“Why?” Steve asked, still holding one hand as the other gently rubbed his cheek. “Why would you want to keep me away?”
“Because you’re better than me. You are so much better than me, Steve, and…”
“Stop.” He was using his Captain America voice and it surprised her; he rarely used his Captain America voice when not on a mission or at SHIELD. “Your reasoning makes absolutely no sense, but I get it. You think you don’t deserve me, because of things you’ve done in your past and that I would be better off staying away from you. You tell yourself that I hate you because it stopped you from even trying to start a relationship with me, because you think I’m better than you. That about right?”
“You need to take out the word “think” a few times,” Toni told him.
“No I don’t… Toni, I don’t think you realize how much I’m in love with you.”
“I… what?”
“Toni, everything you’ve done for me since I woke up here…” He smiled broadly at her. “I think about the day we met all the time, Toni, it was the best day of my life. Before you, I wasn’t really living in this century, I was just existing… barely existing.” His free hand found its way to the one she hand on his cheek, squeezing it gently.. “I would not have made it here without you. Without your poorly timed jokes, your laugh, the way you walk through SHIELD like you own the place… and your smile, god Toni, if I didn’t get see your smile every day, I would have lost it.” He thinks he’s blown her mind, because she hasn’t spoken yet. “You are my best friend, Toni Stark and I love you more than anything in the world… but god help me, if you don’t stop being such a moron, I will slap you.”
She stared at him in shock for a full minute before she had both hands on his face, pulling him down to her and kissing him. He smiled into her lips, kissing her back as his hand slid behind her head, running his fingers through her hair.
The loud bark that came next startled him; he fell off the bed and soon found himself on his back with Castiel on his chest, still barking at him. Toni was lying on the bed, laughing hysterically.
“Cas!” she called, unable to control her laughter. “Castiel, get off him!” The pup leaped off of Steve’s chest and back onto the bed, guarding Toni from the ‘evil’ that was Steve Rogers. “Thor said he’d be a good guard dog.”
“He wasn’t kidding,” Steve muttered. Toni was on her side, looking down on him with a smile.
“You meant everything you said, didn’t you?” she asked.
“Everything. Especially the part about slapping you; you’re too fantastic to think so low of yourself.” A tear rolled down her cheek as she held a hand down to him. She intended to pull him up; he pulled her down to him and held her close. “And the thing I meant the most,” he continued, “was when I said I love you.” He kissed the top of her head. “And I understand, after everything, if you can’t…”
“I love you too.” It was Steve’s turn to look surprised, looking down into her dark eyes that where shining brighter than he’d ever seen them before. “I mean it… I love you, Steve Rogers.”
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: This one is kind of short, but it's fluffy :D Also, I think this story will be wrapping up soon, maybe in two or three more chapters. Don't fret though, I'm already plotting a sequel and maybe a side story to this one.
( 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) ( Chapter Seventeen)
Chapter Eighteen
Steve remembered Toni telling him that her brain often worked faster than most people could talk and because of this, she would be on a whole completely different conversation while everyone else was still talking about the same thing as before. It would take her a bit, but as soon as she stopped, she found herself replaying the conversation in her mind, catching what she had missed and finally reacting to it. She once described her brain as a DVD player, which Steve agreed with (once he understood what a DVD player was and how it worked). As he carried Toni to her room, Castiel trotting along behind them, Steve was having a moment like that.
The subject had changed so quickly; even if Thor hadn’t come in and interrupted them, Steve still would have missed what she said.
“Hell, I know you hated me before this whole thing started …”
Remembering them now, as he tucked her into bed and helped Castiel get up beside her, about crushed him; did she really think that he hated her? How could she think that? After all this time, all the things they had done, how could she think that he hated her? Jarvis had said she’d been upset following the building collapse, but was there more than that? What had he done to make her think this way…
“What’s wrong?” Toni’s voice was soft, but not as exhausted as before. There was a bit of worry in there too. He didn’t want to talk to her about it tonight, not after everything that had happened… but if it wasn’t now, when would it be? “Steve?” He sat down beside her, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.
“Do you really think I hated you all that time?” he asked. “Before the stalker?” Her eyes widened.
“Oh god,” she whispered. “Did I say that out loud?”
“Toni, if I really made you feel that way…” She shook her head quickly. “Then why…?” She put her other hand to his face, stroking his cheek with her thumb.
“Didn’t anyone warn you about me when you started at SHIELD?” He shook his head. “Steve, I have done some stupid shit in my life. The race car in Monaco, I blew up my own house during my birthday party, I called the United States Senate a bunch of ass-clowns…”
“They deserved it,” Steve said, because after seeing the clip on YouTube, he honestly believed that.
“And that’s just the past couple of years, we haven’t gotten into my twenties… I am a terrible person, Steve, and I know this…” She smiled a little, a tear rolling down her cheek. “And it was just so easy for me to believe that you hate me… because that was supposed keep you away.”
“Why?” Steve asked, still holding one hand as the other gently rubbed his cheek. “Why would you want to keep me away?”
“Because you’re better than me. You are so much better than me, Steve, and…”
“Stop.” He was using his Captain America voice and it surprised her; he rarely used his Captain America voice when not on a mission or at SHIELD. “Your reasoning makes absolutely no sense, but I get it. You think you don’t deserve me, because of things you’ve done in your past and that I would be better off staying away from you. You tell yourself that I hate you because it stopped you from even trying to start a relationship with me, because you think I’m better than you. That about right?”
“You need to take out the word “think” a few times,” Toni told him.
“No I don’t… Toni, I don’t think you realize how much I’m in love with you.”
“I… what?”
“Toni, everything you’ve done for me since I woke up here…” He smiled broadly at her. “I think about the day we met all the time, Toni, it was the best day of my life. Before you, I wasn’t really living in this century, I was just existing… barely existing.” His free hand found its way to the one she hand on his cheek, squeezing it gently.. “I would not have made it here without you. Without your poorly timed jokes, your laugh, the way you walk through SHIELD like you own the place… and your smile, god Toni, if I didn’t get see your smile every day, I would have lost it.” He thinks he’s blown her mind, because she hasn’t spoken yet. “You are my best friend, Toni Stark and I love you more than anything in the world… but god help me, if you don’t stop being such a moron, I will slap you.”
She stared at him in shock for a full minute before she had both hands on his face, pulling him down to her and kissing him. He smiled into her lips, kissing her back as his hand slid behind her head, running his fingers through her hair.
The loud bark that came next startled him; he fell off the bed and soon found himself on his back with Castiel on his chest, still barking at him. Toni was lying on the bed, laughing hysterically.
“Cas!” she called, unable to control her laughter. “Castiel, get off him!” The pup leaped off of Steve’s chest and back onto the bed, guarding Toni from the ‘evil’ that was Steve Rogers. “Thor said he’d be a good guard dog.”
“He wasn’t kidding,” Steve muttered. Toni was on her side, looking down on him with a smile.
“You meant everything you said, didn’t you?” she asked.
“Everything. Especially the part about slapping you; you’re too fantastic to think so low of yourself.” A tear rolled down her cheek as she held a hand down to him. She intended to pull him up; he pulled her down to him and held her close. “And the thing I meant the most,” he continued, “was when I said I love you.” He kissed the top of her head. “And I understand, after everything, if you can’t…”
“I love you too.” It was Steve’s turn to look surprised, looking down into her dark eyes that where shining brighter than he’d ever seen them before. “I mean it… I love you, Steve Rogers.”