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“Hey, sorry I'm late!” Liyah apologized, stepping through the back door of the LA Stark Expo; she'd ended up staying at the market later than she'd planned.A stagehand that she didn’t recognize glanced up at her approach, relief flashing across his features. “Oh, thank God! Marco is practically in an uproar!”Liyah frowned as he led her forward. “Marco?”“Yes, now, you were the understudy for the left end, I know but, middle is stuck home with morning sickness so you'll be taking her spot.”Liyah’s eyes widened. “Oh no. I can't- I'm not-”“You'll be fine all the moves are the same,” he broke in leading her into a dressing room.Liyah watched as girls ran by, rollers curled in their hair and robes covering, what she knew to be, red and gold outfits.“Just remember to adjust slightly for the center.”  The man looked around, huffing in annoyance. “Stephanie for hair and make-up!” He barked into his earpiece.Properly summoned the woman she presumed was Stephanie came darting through a rack of costumes.“No need to yell Alex! It’s in my ear. Come along, you,” Stephanie clucked, herding her into a chair in front of a vanity mirror. She let out a tsk. “We won’t make it in time if I do this myself- Oh Terry can you do her curls while I do makeup?”Liyah scoffed, she’d spent all morning straightening her curly hair. “Listen, Stephanie, I’m not actually-”“She’s got good skin, just do some blush; highlight her eyes and do the lips.” Terry instructed, eying her face in the illuminated vanity mirrorStephanie brightened. “Good plan!”Liyah shook her head. “You don't understand I'm not-” “Hold still so I can do your lips, will you?” the woman broke in once again.Liyah held back an annoyed huff as they painted her lips red, Iron man red. She held back an eye roll, Tony would get a kick out of this. As they rushed her into a dressing room, they began pulling off her jacket.“Hey, hey!” The two froze around her. “I can do this part thank you.”Stripping she hesitated at putting the skimpy outfit on. “Oh, what the hell.” She’d worn worse. Quickly pulling on the red shorts with gold lining, she winced, they were nearly a pair of underwear.“Think bikini,” Stephanie urged, probably sensing her distaste. “It’s barely a five-minute set, go on.”Liyah let out a groan adjusting the top, catching her reflection in the mirror she gave herself a once over. “Not bad, I look good in red.”Stephanie rolled her eyes. “Congrats, now, go! The others are lining up.”Liyah blinked. Lining up, as in, to go on stage. “Damn it! Wait I don’t actually work here. This is too much!”Terry settled her into a spot two behind the leader and the girl turned to her raising a brow in confusion. “You’re not Erica.”Obviously. She suppressed an eye-roll, offering her hand with a smile. “Liyah, nice to meet you.”The girl shook it with a not so suppressed eye roll and Liyah used the moment to glean a vision of the dance number; she’d seen it once at a dress rehearsal, but that was hardly enough to learn a dance. No, she’d be relying on her visions for this one.The hand yanked from her grasp and she blinked as she held onto the vision, memorizing the steps as they danced through her mind. The opening cords to shoot to thrill blared around her.“Go Go! Hands up!” A man urged behind them. Marco, she assumed, taking in his clipboard and velvet suit jacket.The dark spot on her chest flared into a brilliant light. She fought down a grin at the mimic of Tony’s Arc reactor and the repulsors on her red-gloved hands. “Okay, that’s pretty cool,” she admitted, crossing her arms across her chest like the girls in front of her.  She took a deep breath as the line moved.“Here goes nothing,” she murmured. Forcing a smile, she followed the line onto the stage.With half of her focused on the upbeat dance, another part of her tried not to show her brimming panic. Her smile was just beginning to slip into a grimace when the firing of repulsor engines sounded. A loud metallic ‘clank’ reverberated as the Iron man armor landed a few feet in front of them. Yellow mechanical arms descended on the armor, removing bits at a time starting with the faceplate revealing Tony grinning as the audience cheered. Unable to help her own smile, she relaxed a she fell back into the rhythm.She discerned the exact moment he noticed her, with no small amount of amusement. The Ironettes had begun to crowd around him, for the end of the dance, when his eyes froze on her. He continued to rotate on the 360°-stage piece, his eyes wide with surprise and pinned to her. She sent him a wink. Dropping into a bow and popping back up with a hair flip as they ended with a prolonged pose surrounding him.Still feeling Tony’s eyes on her, she couldn’t help the extra sway of her hips as she marched off stage with the others.The girls were in an excited uproar around her as robes were handed out left and right. Slipping on the fluffy piece, she ducked out of line and into a darkened corner to wait for Tony to come off the stage.Not ten minutes later he came into view, she went to step out when he pulled out a small device. Hesitating in her next step, she watched with a frown as he held it to his finger; his lips moving in a silent conversation. Probably talking to Jarvis, she decided.Rushing out, she clasped two hands over his eyes.“You will not believe what I just went through,” she huffed in his ear.She watched as he fumbled to slip the device into his pocket before turning to face her; allowing her arms to hang around his neck.Tony looked her over, his hands slipping beneath the robe to rest on her hips. “Was that you out there? I hadn’t noticed.”“Sure, you didn’t,” she returned.“Seems like it was worth it. You’re keeping the outfit, right?” he asked, his thumbs rubbing circles along her hips.Her nose wrinkled as she glared but, before she could speak the man with the clipboard came to a stop beside them.“You.” He pointed to her.  “We need you to change.”“Ah ah!” Tony cut in, pulling her to his chest possessively. “This one stays. Thanks, Marco.”Marco sent Tony a knowing look as he walked away. “Anything for you, Mr. Stark.”Liyah rolled her eyes as she stepped away from Tony. She turned to walk back to the dressing room, glancing over her shoulder as she went. “I’m still changing back into my clothes,”.“At least wear it underneath,” he called after her.Liyah searched the dressing room she’d previously been shoved into for her clothes, finding them in the heap she’d left them in on the floor.She had just gotten the top down to her elbow when the door creaked open, her heart skipped a beat. “Just a seco-”A hand clamped around the top, trapping her arms inside.She let out a startled yelp, only for a hand to clamp down over her mouth to muffle the sound. Anger flared to life inside of her only to abruptly cut off as her eyes met familiar hazel ones.“You didn’t actually think I’d pass up this kind of opportunity, did you?” he asked, eyes teasing.Liyah tsked as he removed his hand from her mouth. “I thought you’d at least make it back to the house.”Tony pushed her against the wall with a grin, “Well patience isn’t always a virtue,” he murmured as his free hand slipped under her bra to cup her left breast. As his thumb rolled over her nipple she began to squirm, but with her arms still trapped in her top above her head and Tony firmly against her, she didn’t find much leeway.His hand traversed lower until he was toying with the top of the waistband of her red and gold shorts.“This isn’t a private dressing room, you know,” Liyah warned, but by his wide pupils, she knew he wouldn’t care and fuck if she weren’t turned on.“Guess you’d better stay quiet then,” he returned, reaching into her shorts. His fingers mapped a trail along her clit and before she could moan, he covered her mouth with his own.Warmth began to build as friction turned slippery and she found herself grinding against his fingers. She could feel Tony’s grin against her lips as he slipped a finger inside of her.She futilely fought down a moan, but as Tony slipped a second finger into her it came out as a whimper.“You gonna cum for me sweetheart?” he breathed, continuing to work her cunt.He brought his thumb down on her clit, sliding over it with each pump of his fingers. Stars danced behind her closed eyelids as her core fluttered around his fingers.She panted as the orgasm faded, blinking open her eyes, she watched as Tony sucked his fingers clean before bringing her into another kiss.He pulled away with a smirk before she could deepen it. “Now you can finish.” He slipped from the room leaving her leaning and wanting against the wall.Pulling her shirt the rest of the way down, she eyed her undergarments with a grin as an idea formed.After pulling on her pants and fixing her bra into place, Liyah pulled on her jacket switching out the red fingerless gloves for her normal black ones. Tucking the red ones into her pocket she balled up her lacey black underwear tightly in her hand before leaving the dressing room.Searching the backstage area, she found Tony crowded in with the dancers. With a shake of her head, she looked to the side finding Happy standing at the stage door. She came to a stop beside him and he sent her a grin. “Quite the crowd tonight,” he offered.Liyah let out a hum as she shifted. “Quite.”He sent her a raised brow as the two watched Tony sign autographs. Frowning he glanced down at her. “You aren’t the jealous type, are you?”She could be, she guessed, but not about this, Tony was clearly in his element. Liyah sent Happy a small smirk. “Haven’t decided yet.”Happy let out a chuckle, “Did you plan the whole-”Liyah shook her head with a snort. “Gods no, I’m thinking I came in through the wrong entrance. I guess it’s sort of a compliment though.”Happy nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. “How’d you learn the routine?”She sent him a raised brow as if it was obvious, “I was there for the dress rehearsal.” It wasn’t a lie… per se, but she really wasn’t keen on telling anyone else she was a mutant. Not at the moment at least.She laughed when he let a hum. Looking back to Tony she watched as he began the process of pushing through the hoard of women.Stepping away from the door frame, Happy straightened his jacket. “And that is my queue.”Liyah nodded solemnly. “You are fearless.”“Comes with the job ma’am,” he joked, straightening the lapels of his suit jacket.She laughed as he bodily put himself between the women and Tony, allowing the man to step free as he made his way towards her. When he was close enough to do so he wrapped an arm around her waist leading her towards the stage door. “Shall we.”Shoving her hand into his back pocket Liyah smiled. “We shall.”Tony twitched beside her with the intrusion before glancing down at her. “I knew you’d be trouble.”After making it through the throng of crowds Tony’s car came into view, his arm tightened around her waist as they found a woman standing vigil beside it.Liyah flashed a grin. “What a pretty thing.”Happy sent her a wink. “Look what we have here. It’s the new model.”“Does she come with the car?” Tony jibed, his hand running soothing circles against her back.“I hope so,” Liyah returned.“Hi,” Tony greeted as they drew closer.The woman smiled. “Hi.”“And you are?” he asked, not breaking stride.“Marshall.”Liyah frowned at the name taking in the woman’s almost stiff posture.“Tony it’s a pleasure to meet you,” she continued her eyes flickering to Liyah before returning to Tony.Liyah let him go as a vision flared, she winced as it faded. “Shit, Tony she’s a sheriff,” she tried to whisper as he continued to the car.Not hearing her, he hit a button on the car keys. “I’m sure. Switch sides Hap, you mind if I drive?”Liyah crossed her arms as she watched, this was not going to end well.“Where’re you from?” he asked as he climbed into the driver’s seat.“Bedford,” she returned, tucking her hair behind an ear.Tony seemed to repress a frown. “And what’re you doing here?”Marshall grinned. “Looking for you.”Liyah could practically see the double meaning.Tony glanced over at her and she mouthed “FED” to him. His frown only deepened, “Well you found me. What’re you up to later?”“Serving subpoenas,” she stated holding out a folded piece of paper.“Yikes.” He eyed the paper she was still holding out for him to take.Another of Tony’s oddities, how it came to be, well if she ever found the cause… the person…. She hoped, for their sake, that they were already dead.“He doesn’t like to be handed things,” Happy supplied, reaching over to grab the slip. “Yeah it’s a peeve,” Tony conceded pinching the bridge of his nose.He’d been doing that more often, usually the sign of a budding migraine. She’d get Jarvis to dim the lights, maybe talk Tony into relaxing tonight. “You are hereby ordered to appear before the Senate armed services committee tomorrow morning at nine am.” The woman announced.Or not.“Can I see a badge?” Tony asked, all signs of weariness gone as he shoved them behind an iron forged mask.“You wanna see a badge?” The woman asked coyly.Happy nodded. “He likes the badge.”The woman held it out for him to see and Liyah blinked as another vision passed before stepping up beside the woman. “I tried to warn you.”Tony narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice, mindful of their two onlookers. “Anything else you want to warn me about.”Liyah searched the vision. “Does the name Justin Hammer mean anything to you?” She offered, low enough that only he would hear.Tony groaned. “Good news cupcake, something good?”Liyah let out a chuckle “Oh no, this is too good I don’t want to spoil anything else”Tony looked up at her with tired eyes, even iron could bend. “A hint?”She melted at the look leaning into the car to press a kiss to his lips, her head angled to block the shot of the paparazzi hiding in the bush. Sure, they had pictures of her, but none of her face, and only when she was with Tony, which meant they still had no idea who she was.“They want what they can’t have.”Tony scoffed catching her meaning. “Figures, does no one want me for me?”“Sorry babe, I’m here for your body,” she joked.He sent her a glare. “Do not objectify me, Liyah.”She let out a chuckle, turning to the woman still standing off to the side. “You think she likes ice cream?” she stage whispered to Tony.The car rumbled softly. “Do not get ice cream without me.”“I love ice cream,” the woman returned.Liyah sent Tony a smirk. “You hear that?”Happy choked back a laugh in the passenger seat.“What did I just say?”Liyah sent him a smile. “Have fun in court, Genius. Say hi to Rhodey for me.”Tony’s eyes brightened with the admission and she held back a chuckle.“We can stop for ice cream, Boss,” Happy offered.The two women laughed as they drove off before Liyah turned to the sheriff with a grin. “You got handcuffs with that badge?”She reached into the bag on her hip flashing her a view of silver cuffs.Liyah grinned. “I’ve gotta get me a pair of those.”She mock pouted. “No ice cream then?”“You heard the man,” Liyah said sending her a wink before walking in the direction of her car.“A Shame,” she called after her.“A pity,” Liyah returned.

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With Tony flying to D.C Liyah headed back to her home in L.A. where she knew Mia was. Her sister smiled happily when she came in and plopped down on the couch beside her.“Is Dom home?” Liyah asked looking around the unusually empty room.Mia shook her head with a sad smile. “He won’t even tell me where he’s staying.”Liyah frowned, wondering how much longer ‘on the run’ would be local.Mia eyed her chest. “Are your boobs glowing?”Liyah glanced down to eye the light from the fake reactor shining through her shirt. “Would you look at that,” she huffed before running away.“Get back here,” Mia gasped, chasing after her.She’d just made it down to the basement when Mia tackled her to the bed. She squealed as Mia yanked her shirt down. “Mia!”Mia snorted out a giggle. “Are you wearing Iron Man Lingerie?”“Might as well be,” Liyah giggled. “I was mistaken for one of Iron Man’s back up dancers,” she explained haughtily.Mia let out a chuckle. “¡Mentiroso! You’re such a liar.”Liyah bit her lip to keep from laughing. “I came in the wrong door!”Mia continued to eye her dubiously. “And they let you keep the costume.”“Tony’s idea,” she chirped.“And you’re still wearing it?” Mia asked, eyes wide.She shrugged. “Also, Tony’s idea.”Mia crossed her arms. “Dios mio, then why aren’t you putting Tony’s kinky idea to use.”Liyah smacked her with a pillow. “He got a citación, court order, to appear tomorrow in DC.”Mia scrunched up her nose at her sister’s misfortune. “That sucks.”“What to do with all my energy?” she asked with an exaggerated sigh.Mia shrugged. “With the house empty, we can bring out the sparring mats?” She grinned. “Done.”Stepping out of her pants she dropped them along with her shirt in the hamper, clad only in the red and gold outfit she moved to the drawer that held her sweats.“But first,” Mia declared pausing Liyah in her stride to the dresser. “We’re going to show hombre de Acero what he’s missing out on.”Iron man.Liyah’s heart stuttered in her chest and she turned with her hands on her hips. “No way am I sending-” the sound of a camera clicking cut her off. She blinked. “Mia!! When did you even get my phone?”Her sister grinned as she looked at the photo. “It was in your pants pocket. ¡Oh linda! that’s a good one. You look all flustered.”She sent the woman a glare only for the phone to snap again. “Ooh nice but, give me less angry more, abadejo.”“Mia,” she whined, unwittingly giving her sister the pout, she’d asked for as the phone snapped again.“No wonder they mistook you for one of those dancers, now, select, select and send.” Mia handed her the phone with a grin.Liyah could only watch as the picture messages sent. “¡No lo hiciste!”Mia chuckled. “Oh, I think I did.”She tossed the phone on the bed to change clothes. “You’re going to bleed on those mats.”******
Tony’s Pov
They made it to the hotel by a quarter to eleven. He’d just taken off his suit jacket when his cell chimed. He ignored it in favor of taking a shower, it was only Pepper and she’d be arriving in the morning, but that never stopped her from work.In a pair of briefs and a tank, Tony slid beneath the covers of the bed with a contented sigh. Reaching over to the night table he grabbed his phone before he became too comfortable. It was a newer model, and if all went well with the prototype it’d be out by the end of the month, a day ahead of Apple’s.Liyah’s name lit up the screen, and he quickly went to the message. A picture message from the look of the attached files.He blinked.His eyes roamed over the image of Aaliyah in the skin tight Ironnette costume. Hands on her hips as she looked at someone behind the camera, an insistent tilt to her head.  How had he forgotten that?He should’ve brought her with him.Glancing at the bottom of the screen he noticed that there were two more. He relaxed against the pillows with a groan. The second picture, he decided, was his favorite. Eyes narrowed in a glare, her pose identical to the first. Almost candid.He found himself getting back up to reach into the back pocket of his discarded jeans.He’d found the lace underwear not long after he’d boarded the plane, luckily Happy had been a seat behind him. He held them now, swearing he’d buy her more later. He’d be putting this pair to good use. After a moment of thought, he sent off a response, hoping she’d be in the mood to assist.**********Exhausted and more than ready to call it a night, Liyah retrieved her phone from the bed, moving to put it on charge only to pause when it displayed a message from Tony.Ugh, the pictures.“You ever been to DC? I can have you at the airport in ten, fifteen minutes tops,” It read.Her face warmed slightly, even as a grin stretched across her lips. She flopped onto the bed. “Nope never been, heard the people can be… Stiff.”
“If you aren’t flying out, you’re not allowed to use that kind of language.”
If Mia had been downstairs to witness the giggle she released, she’d never hear the end of it. Her phone vibrated with another message, and her eyes widened. She grinned, tapping out a response before darting into her bathroom.
Tony’s Pov
Tony kicked away some of the blankets at her response grabbing a few more pillows. Nearly fifteen minutes later his phone rang.“Hi, i-is this Mr. Stark?”0Tony frowned before his eyes widened. Role play? How had he gotten so lucky? He sat back with a smile. “That depends on who's asking?”“Well, I- my friend that is, said there may be a position opening up, and I could really use the job,” she explained, dragging out the word ‘really’ for emphasis.“Well what are your qualifications?” he asked, playing along.He could make out the sounds of shifting over the line. “My qualifications… right, well you see high school…” she trailed off.“Diploma?” he asked, urging her to continue.Her reply was hesitant. “Technically…”He frowned. “Technically?”“Yep.”“Any degrees?”“Unofficially? Yes.”“And officially?”She let out a nervous laugh. “I feel like that’s a subjective term.”“It really isn’t,” he huffed, “look you sound nice, but you’re not really giving much to work with,”“Please, Sir, I really need this job, I-I’ll do anything!”Tony found himself smiling. “Anything?”She paused over the line before she let out a breath. “Anything.”“Alright sweetheart, what are you wearing?”“What am I wearing?” she asked, a slight eagerness to her voice. “Well, why don’t I just show you?”Tony pulled the phone away from his ear, as it beeped, a request for a video call lit up the screen. He tapped accept, glancing away to turn on the side table lamp. He returned his gaze back to the screen and froze.Sat on her knees, her dark curls cascaded down her sides; pushed back enough that the black lace of her bra was on full display. She leaned forward onto her hands, giving him a perfect view of her cleavage.“Is this what you had in mind, Mr. Stark?” she asked, with an innocence that completely contradicted her choice in outfits.Between his legs, his cock began to stir.“You’re hired,” he murmured, mouth suddenly dry.Liyah sent him a raised brow, trailing a hand along her stomach. “Really?”“Just let me look at you.”Her lip jutted out into a pout. “Hmm, I thought there’d be more touching, but whatever floats your boat.”He allowed himself a moment longer to look at her before nodding. “Alright I hate to see it go, but let’s get rid of the bra, slowly.”She nodded, biting her thumbnail as if nervous, as her other hand reached behind her back. The straps slipped down her shoulders, and she took her time letting the garment drop to the floor. She kept her arms up, blocking her chest from his view.He let out a tsk, “Don’t get shy on me now.”She looked away from the camera, before slowly dropping her arms. She brought a hand up to push back her hair, her back arching slightly with the movement. “Like this, Mr. Stark?”“That’s perfect, but if I was with you? D’you know where my hands would be?”She bit her lip, squeezing one of her breasts in her hand. “Here she asked?” rolling her thumb over her nipple.“That’s it, squeeze them together for me?”She complied easily dropping her head back as she used both hands to push her breast together. He imagined sliding his cock between her breast as she continued to squeeze them together.“I-Is that all?” she asked, tilting her head to the side curiously.He shook his head. “No chance, slide your thong down to your ankles, and leave it there.”She adjusted herself until her legs were free to do so. She slipped them down slowly, leaving them to rest at her ankles as he ordered, before laying back and spreading her legs.Tony nearly came at the sight alone. She held his gaze as she dragged a hand down her throat, she continued down her chest with both hands, squeezing her chest before allowing her left hand to continue downward.“Do you want me to touch myself, Mr. Stark?”“Go ahead baby, show me how you touch yourself.”She complied, her two fingers sliding up and down until she settled directly on her clit. It wasn’t long before her feet began to flex, her fingers twitching slightly as she forced them to continue their circular pattern.“Stop right there,” Tony ordered.Her fingers paused, but she let out a whine, panting slightly as she opened her eyes to glare at him.He grinned giving himself a slight squeeze as he jerked himself off. Her eyes tracked the movement, her tongue darting out to lick at her lips.  She returned her gaze to his, her eyes widening slightly as she sent him a pout.“Don’t give me that look, tell me what you want.”She bit her lip. “I want to see.”He angled the phone closer to his face. “See what?”“Your cock.”Tony fought down a moan. “Ask nicely.”“Mr. Stark, can I please see your cock?”Tony leaned back, tugging the sheets away, to give her an unobstructed view. He resumed his rubbing.Her hand slid back between her legs as she began to rub herself in time to his hand movements. She began to speed up and he followed her lead.“Will,” she began on a pant, “Will you cum with me? Please.”He let out a sharp exhale, how could he say no to that?******Sitting in the garage with the tv tuned to the courtroom, Liyah bit her lip as Tony sat before a panel consisting of Senators and congressmen. As she’d seen, they were making a grab for the suit, a desperate one by the looks of it.Tony had foreseen this, that day he’d made his declaration in front of the press. And as he went toe to toe with them, she could see why.If he’d allowed himself to be behind the scenes, this wouldn’t have been public. There wouldn’t have been a hearing or a court-ordered citación requesting his presence.By declaring himself as not only the suits creator but as its only pilot, he’d made it so they’d have to jump through their own legal hoops just to attempt it. If he was nervous, he didn’t show it, as he kept a steady text conversation with her going.
“Bet you dessert I can get the senator to curse.”
She laughed, watching as Senator Stern’s face seemed to darken with each word Tony spoke. “Make it twice, and it’s a bet.”The text came immediately. “Done.”“What’s this?” Robbie asked, coming to a stop beside her. “Judge Judy?”She snorted. “No.”“Is that Iron man? Don’t tell me you’re a fan.”She bit her lip to keep from laughing. “The biggest.”He shook his head with a low laugh. “You can go, I can take over.”Liyah pushed from her stool, closing the hood of the car she’d finished working on ten minutes before. “Hasn’t been too busy today, Dom might be by later.”Robbie sent her a raised brow. “How is he?”She shrugged.“If there’s anything I can do…” he let the sentence trail off.She nodded. “I appreciate it,”“He’s done a lot for me, Gabe too. Don’t know where I’d be if he hadn’t dragged me in here.”Liyah laughed. “And now he’s kicking you out every night.”He shrugged. “Something about this place just settles you, you know?”She smiled, looking around at what used to be her Dad’s shop. They’d kept everything the same, right down to the “Toretto’s Garage” sign outside. “I do. Have a good night Robbie.”

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Liyah stood in Tony’s kitchen a day later, scrambling eggs in a pan, when her phone chimed. She picked it up on the third ring. “What did you do now?” she asked jokingly.“I’m leaving,” Dominic stated over the line.Liyah froze in her movements, before turning off the stove and setting the egg pan on a cold burner. “Now?”“They’re getting too close to home Liy, I won’t bring you and Mia into this.”She took in a shaky breath as she sat down on one of the kitchen stools. “And Letty?”Dominic huffed. “She’s insisting that she come with me.”“Good she’ll keep you from being too stupid.”He let out a gruff chuckle over the line.“Where will you go?” She winced as she struggled to keep her voice from breaking on the last word. “I haven’t decided but,” he took in a breath, “I’ll try to let you know once I’m there.”Strong arms came around her waist and she let her eyes close as she leaned into Tony.“Be safe.”“I always am,” he returned before hanging up.She let out a shaky breath as she fought against the sting of tears.“Want me to take over? What’s this some sort of frittata?” He asked, rubbing a soothing hand up her arm.She shook her head before turning in the chair to bury her face in his chest.He stroked a hand down her back. “What happened?”“Dom has to leave,” she said, her words muffled by his shirt.His hand paused. “I was wondering when you would bring that up.”Liyah stiffened. “Bring what up?”“Your brother has quite the reputation,” he returned.“He did what he had to,” she said slowly.The store would have been enough income if it wasn’t for the fact that everyone who came inside seemed to be struggling too. People paid what they could but her father had never been one to turn away a hungry customer, let alone a family of them.They’d just continued on a tradition and at the end of the week, it seemed they’d only made enough to keep the store afloat. The garage was only a slightly different story in that it actually helped pay the bills. Robbing merchandise from trucks in the middle of the night and reselling them at lower prices paid the rest.“I get it, taking on a life of crime to take care of his younger sisters,” Tony hesitated and she finally looked up. “You’re not going with him?” He asked.She shook her head and he seemed to relax. She’d been staying at his place since she’d gotten back, her car was even parked in his garage. A startled laugh slipped past her lips at the domesticity of it. Well for her anyway.He looked down at her with a frown. “Should I be worried?”She shook her head before standing to press a kiss to the underside of his jaw. Easing around him to the stove, she flicked it back on before continuing her task of breakfast with a hum. She peeked over her shoulder to find Tony watching her and she sent him a smile. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for work?”Tony let out a groan before pressing against her, his head dropping to her shoulder. “I own the place, I don’t have to go if I don’t want to.”She shifted at the added weight. “I’m no expert but, I’m pretty sure it’s something like the opposite.”“You look distressed,” he tried, “I’m thinking I need to stay here with you. Keep an eye out.”Liyah let out a laugh. “I’ll be fine; besides I have work today too.”He muffled another groan into her neck and she tried not to squeal at the reverberation. “Where?”“I’ll be at the market to help Mia for a while and then the garage,” she offered.His hands gripped her waist, his thumbs rubbing small circles on her hips. “Maybe I need you to keep an eye on me.”She cut off the stove, switching the pan back to the cool burner she turned in his hold so that she was facing him. “What do you need me to keep an eye on?” she asked with a grin.“I’m told my mouth gets me into trouble,” he stated, “quite often.”“hmm... I can fix that.” Carding her fingers through the hair at the base of his neck, she pulled his head down to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth before fully kissing him. Tony’s response was immediate and after a moment she pulled away.“What else?” she breathed.He solemnly shook his head, “I can’t seem to keep my hands busy.”She chuckled, grabbing the hands at her waist and sliding them down to her ass. “Think that’ll keep you busy?”He squeezed her playfully and she laughed before pulling him into another kiss.“One more thing,” he murmured against her lips pushing his hips against hers.She smirked as his bulge pushed against her, looking behind him at the clock she hummed. “I’ve got just the thing.”She kissed him heatedly as she unzipped his pants to push them down to his hips, her hand coming up to rub him through his briefs. She fought back a smile as he hissed in a breath before reaching her hand into his underwear to better massage his length; his breathing becoming more labored with each pass.She moved her lips to his neck, kissing the spot between his collar and he shivered at the sensation; exposing his neck fully as she continued her movements on his cock. She released his length to use both hands as she pulled down his briefs, watching as his hard length bobbed in the air between them. She drew her gaze to his as she slowly dropped to her knees and his eyes darkened at her intent.Starting at the base she dragged her tongue up the length of his cock, her hand massaging his balls as she went. When she reached the tip, she took it between her lips, hollowing out her cheeks as she sucked him into her mouth.“Fuck,” he groaned, gripping the sides of the counter behind him. Slowly she found a rhythm as his length pushed at the back of her throat and she clenched her free hand as she relaxed against the intrusion against her gag reflex. She brought her hand from his balls to pump what she couldn’t get into her mouth.Tony began to thrust into her mouth and she gagged before it turned into a moan around him as his movements became stiffer. She debated pulling back but, Tony’s moans were sounding out in the kitchen and she didn’t want him to stop. She continued to bob her head in time with his thrust, flattening her tongue as it slid along his cock. His thrusts became jerkier when the hot stream of cum hit the back of her throat.She forced herself to swallow as more spurted out until Tony slumped against the counter breathing hard.She looked up at him with a smirk as she fixed his clothes and he pulled her up to press a kiss to her lips. Not hesitating to lick at her tongue with the taste of him still fresh on it.He guided her backward, hoisting her onto the kitchen table behind them.She pulled away as she checked the time. “You’ll be late,” She chided.“They can wait,” he growled, pushing her shirt above her chest to kiss a trail down her stomach. She felt his finger at her underwear and she gasped as he began to rub her through the material. Slowly he slid the material to the side to finger her clit.  “God, you’re so wet.”Liyah let out a choked off moan at the feeling and she could feel him grin against her stomach before he sat down on the stool. She peeked open an eye as he placed her feet on the table looking down at her as if she were one of his machines.She blushed as he eyed her and she fought the need to fidget. His hands came up to tug at the side of her underwear. “We won’t be needing those,” he stated.She lifted her hips dutifully so he could slide them off.His thumb came up to rub between her folds as he pretended to think. A moan rumbled in her throat and he hummed, his hands coming up to rest beneath her thighs.She let out a whine at the loss of friction and he tsked at the noise. “Let’s see if we can fix that.”He pressed a kiss to her inner thigh, making a trail to her clit.  As he reached her core, he flattened his tongue against it before flicking it up and down.“Mmm, Tony,” she moaned as he adjusted his grip on her thighs to pull her closer.His beard scratched achingly against her and as she began to squirm his grip tightened. He licked her up and down until he found the spot that had her arching out of his grip. He reclaimed his hold before sucking at the spot without relent and her moans became more frantic as warmth began to buzz at the spot. She came with a shout and quivering legs but, he didn’t stop until her legs slipped from the table.He pulled her down into his lap and she slid down, practically boneless, as he caught her.“You sure we can’t stay like this all day?” he murmured into her neck.She peeked open an eye to look at him. “As nice as that sounds, I still need to go to work.”Tony groaned as she slid out of his lap, chuckling when she stumbled slightly.She sent him a mock glare, washing her hands and rinsing her mouth at the sink before platting the food on the stove. “Eat,” she huffed, grabbing her own plate as she took the stool beside him.He sent her a look. “Are you trying to domesticate me?”She snorted into her plate of eggs. “You’re not a cat but, if anyone’s been domesticated it’s me,” she added with a laugh. She’d never been one to cook actual food for people. Hell, she’d even made a shopping list, someone else did the shopping, but still. She hummed in thought as she dropped her plate in the sink. She pressed a kiss to his hair before striding off to clean herself up.When she’d finished pulling her hair up, she opened the bathroom door to find Tony sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked up at the movement, standing from his seat.Liyah frowned, he was mostly dressed, the only thing missing was the jacket to his suit, but the vest alone was making her feel warm. “Everything okay?” she asked.Tony shrugged. “Do me a favor and close those pretty greys,” his eyes narrowed. “Or are they blue today?”Letting out a nervous laugh she crossed her arms, she was wearing black, they’d be mostly grey today. “You are not messing up my hair, Tony.”He took in her appearance with appraising eyes. “As much as that pains me, that’s not what I was planning. Later though, for sure.”She stayed silent as she continued to stare him down.“Trust me,” he requested, the full force of his warm gaze directed on her.After another second of silence, she relaxed her posture as she closed her eyes. Nothing happened at first but then the feel of Tony’s calloused fingers along her wrist nearly had her peaking open an eye, especially when he pressed a kiss to the spot.“Tony,” she warned, though it came out as more of a whine.The man laughed as something cold and metallic touched her wrist. She could feel his deft hands wrapping it around her wrist before leaving it to dangle.“And done,” he stated.Liyah held her breath as she opened her eyes, immediately they went to the gold bracelet now adorning her wrist. Diamonds formed a small circle on its centerpiece with even more lining the length of the bracelet. She released the breath she’d been holding with a gasp. Looking up she found Tony scrutinizing her reaction.“Es hermosa,” she managed to get out around the tightness in her chest, it was beautiful. A small smile formed at the corner of his lips. “You like it then?”She shook her head. “I love it, but you shouldn’t have.”Tony frowned. “Listen, cupcake, I’ve got a lot of money, more than I know what to do with. Buying you a bracelet is the least I wanted to do.”“Least? Tony, you’ve already bought me a new bedroom,” she began. Not Mattress, like he’d claimed. Not Bedroom set. A bedroom. She’d been ready to turn away the interior designer when he’d shown up at her doorstep. But Mia and Tony had managed to convince her to let it happen, she was glad she did but still, having someone spend money on her was a foreign concept.  “It was practically a dungeon and not the good kind,” he defended.Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, her gaze returned to the bracelet.Tony used a single finger to tilt her chin up so that she was looking into his eyes. “Let me buy you things. Think of it as foreplay.”Liyah blinked. “Foreplay? Are you telling me buying things for me turns you on?”Tony seemed to weigh his words. “More like when you wear the things, I buy you, like the lingerie in the top drawer.”Liyah’s eyes shot to said drawer. “How’d you get my size.”Tony let out a chuckle as he wrapped his arms around her. “One of my favorite things to do these days is look at you. Your curves, your hips, yo—”“You’ve left behind enough clothes that Sir was able to get an accurate summary of your sizing,” Jarvis supplied.She let out a bark of laughter. “Thanks, Jarvis.”Tony narrowed his eyes. “Is this what I get for trying.”Liyah grinned. “No. This is,” she murmured sealing her lips against his. The shoes she was wearing put her just to his nose, giving her easier access to dominate the kiss. She pulled away before he could take control. “I love it and whatever’s in that drawer, but we are now late. ¡Nos vemos esta noche!” she called over her shoulder, before pausing to look back at him.“See you tonight,” he returned.She grinned before heading for the garage.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The store was still closed when she made it there. She paused in her movements to get out of the car when she found Mia’s car parked in the lot.If she was here, why hadn’t she opened the store yet?Through the tinted window she could see her still sitting in the car, slouched against the steering wheel.She rushed over, banging on the window Mia glanced up startled before rolling it down.“You gonna be okay?” she asked, pushing at the emotions trying to clog her throat.Mia let out a sniffle before nodding. “I’ll be fine.”She stepped back as Mia pushed open the door to the car.They silently opened the store together and she continued to glance at her sister worriedly. “It’s Dominic leaving, isn’t it?”Mia froze, her hand still outstretched with a can of beans. The can dented in her grip and Liyah cursed as she strode over to pull her into a hug.“It’s so quiet,” Mia breathed against her shoulder. She pulled back, raising an eyebrow in question.“En la casa,” Mia clarified. Liyah nodded.Dominic had long since stopped staying at the house when the cops had continued to trail him and she herself had taken up residence at Tony’s. A strong wave of guilt washed over her. She thought she’d been balancing her time between the two. “I’m sorry.”Mia hastily pulled back. “¡No estés!” She chided with the shake of her head. “I don’t want you to be sorry, I’m glad you’re happy.”“If you’re lonely Mi, I’ll stay home more often,” she offered.Mia shook her head adamantly and Liyah let out a sigh.“Then we’ll just have to hang out more,” Liyah stated.Mia hesitated before inclining her head. She sunk back into the hug and it wasn’t until the door chimed that they pulled apart.Mia looked over first and she stiffened in her hold. Liyah turned confused at the customer before her eyes set into a glare. “How dare you,” she growled.“Look I didn’t come here to cause trouble,” Brian placated with his hands aloft.“You did a bang-up job of that already. Leave,” she hissed.“I am,” he glanced at Mia, “leaving that is. I just wanted to apologize.”A hand grasped hers before a flare of anger, laden with sadness, shot through her. She raised a brow at Mia and she got a nod in return. She turned back to Brian with a scoff. “Apology not accepted. Now leave, we’re closed.”He hesitated, glancing behind her at Mia. He let out a frustrated sigh before pushing back out the door, the bell jingling as he went.Mia let out a shaky breath when the sound of his engine grew distant. Liyah quickly locked the door to the market before turning to her sister. “Come on.”Mia looked up confused.“We’ve got a lot going on, I think you could use a break.”Mia shook her head. “We can’t, especially since Dom-”“I’ll have Jesse and Leon take over. Let’s go,” she trilled, grabbing Mia’s hand and leaving out of the side door.She and Mia took the day to go to the beach. Stopping at a few of the shops to look around. A gleam of bright red caught her eye in one of the display windows and she paused before dragging her confused sister into the beach shop to have a closer look.She and Mia parted ways after dinner and she headed back to Tony’s. Music greeted her as she stepped out of her car and into the workshop. The man in question sat in the middle of a slew of glowing blue frames as he swiped and pushed through them with his back to her. He turned with a frown when his music dropped before it turned into a smile.  It dropped back into a frown as she stepped closer.“Did you get a tan,” he asked, standing from his seat.She chuckled as she wrapped her arms around him. “I may have ended up at the beach,” she admitted, biting back more laughter at his offended look.“How dare you make me go to work, you hypocrite.”“I fully intended on going to work, I even made it there,” she said with a frown.He pressed a kiss to her pouted lip. “And what happened?”“That ass O’Connor had the nerve to show up.”Tony pulled back. “You didn’t kill him, did you?” he peaked around her to the Chevy. “Is his body in the trunk.”She laughed. “No, I took Mia to the beach to get her mind off of him. I might go back to kill him if I find him though,” She stated thoughtfully.Tony narrowed his eyes at her. “I can’t tell if you’re joking.”She nodded but didn’t answer. “What’re you working on?”He shifted at the topic change. “Specs for the suit.”She nodded before walking to the Iron man suit propped up on its station. She remembered the flare of its lights as she took in its permanent scowl. She glanced over at Tony with a silent question and he sent her a nod. She trailed a hand along its bicep, letting out a hum. “It’s so…”“Amazing? Brilliantly designed?” he supplied, leaning back in his chair.She sent him a grin pausing in her perusal. “Sexy.”Tony’s eyes widened. “What?”“I mean did you mean to do that because that scowl is definitely doing things to me,” she sent him a wink before turning her gaze back to the suit.“Sexy? Are you telling me the suit turns you on?” he asked, parroting her words from earlier.She tilted her head thoughtfully. “I think I am,” she admitted. “Can you put it on?”Tony eyed her, before chuckling.She watched transfixed as he, with the help of a large machine mostly made up of yellow arms, fitted the suit onto his person. He stepped off the platform with an audible thump that shot straight through her core. She took an unwitting step back as he approached her. “Dios mío,” she whispered.He wrapped an arm around her waist and she held her breath as he pulled her closer. She tilted her head back to look up at him, the suit making him a full head taller than her.The faceplate slid up and she found Tony smirking down at her. “That is definitely lusted in your eyes.”Her cheeks flushed with warmth as she looked up at him. “I ... Yeah,” She breathed.Two armored hands gripped gently at her waist before lifting her effortlessly. She let out a gasp as Tony pulled her flush against his suited chest. As soon as she came within reaching distance, she kissed him, wrapping her legs around his armored waist. If it wasn’t for the suit he would have stumbled, instead, he let out a laugh before returning it.They were heavy into their make-out session when Jarvis interrupted. “My apologies but, there seems to be a situation that might interest you.”Tony pulled back with a groan, setting her onto her feet as she unwrapped her legs. Liyah sat down in his work chair with an unsatisfied huff, which Tony caught with a wince.“This better is good J, I have it on good authority that I’ve created a new kink.”Liyah stuck out her tongue at him before turning in his chair. Bringing up the specs for an engine she was working on, she drowned out Tony and Jarvis talking as she tried to steady her pulse, gobsmacked at her own reaction to the machinery. Like she needed another kink.“Aaliyah? Cupcake?” he called.She looked up startled from her task, taking in Tony with the helmet down. Her gaze darkened and she quickly looked away. “I’ll see you when you get back.”The sound of the suit whirring as he walked forward had her fighting the urge to glance up. He dropped to a knee in front of her and her heart rate skyrocketed at the position.  The faceplate lifted as Tony eyed her. Fighting down her blush she forced herself to meet his gaze. He sent her a raised brow and she rolled her eyes before leaning forward to press two quick kisses to his lips. “Be safe, please.” He smirked before the HUD dropped back over his face. “One more for good luck,” he trilled his voice made deeper by the voice module of the suit.She fought the urge to cover her face as it heated before pressing a kiss to the crease of the face plate where his lips would be. Warmth flooded her core and she pulled back with a gasp. “Good luck,” she stated breathlessly.Tony hesitated momentarily before taking off and she sat back with a groan. Her hands hovered over her holo- engine before she pushed it away. She strode up the stairs stopping by the kitchen for a snack before going into the bedroom.It wasn’t completely weird being alone in his house without him, though it had taken some adjusting. She dropped onto the bed with a sigh, “What do you want to watch tonight J?”“We haven’t started Supernatural,” he offered.Liyah grinned. “I’ve got popcorn.”Her eyes were glued to the TV as the mirror shattered on the screen and she jumped at the noise. Jarvis had dimmed the lights and the popcorn sat long forgotten on the nightstand. She let out a startled chuckle only for it to cut off as the creature crawled out of the mirror on the screen. Her hands clenched around her pillow just as the bedroom door opened. She let out a shrill scream before throwing the pillow, her victim letting out an ‘oof” as it made contact.“Lights,” she called, The room brightened as Tony fixed her with an unimpressed look.She let out a nervous laugh. “Hey, you’re back.”“Why?” he huffed.She turned back to the screen as the brothers finished off their latest hunt.His arms twitched as if to cross them only to drop back to their position at his sides. “Supernatural? Really?”“Dean’s hot,” she said with a shrug and he let out a scoff. Jarvis stopped the show as she climbed from the bed. She paused as she got a good look at Tony, her brows knotting together at the blood leaking from his temple, she frowned as he stepped forward favoring his left side. “Are you okay?”“It’s nothing,” he stated wincing as he sat down on the edge of the bed.She eyed him dubiously. “Take your shirt off.”“You want to finish what we started earlier,” he said with a smirk, his hands already moving to the edge of his shirt where they hesitated. “It probably looks worse than it is,” he warned.She sighed before helping him take it off. She winced as he hissed out a breath with the movement. She sent him an apologetic glance before taking in the angry red bruise. It went up the length of his torso on the right, making her feel bad about throwing the pillow at him.She clucked her tongue. “I’m willing to bet it’s worse than it looks.” She went to the bathroom before coming out with the first aid kit. Dropping to her knees in front of him, she fixed up what turned out to be a small cut at his temple before she eyed the blossoming bruise. Placing a feather light touch to the edge of it she winced when Tony hissed in another breath at the contact.She looked up at him startled. “What happened?”“Something blew up, I landed wrong,” he panted.She grimaced sympathetically, wishing she could help in his one-man mission, but she didn’t want to overstep. She grabbed the discarded pillow from the floor before gently pressing it to his side. “It looks bruised, take a deep breath for me?”“What are you my nurse now?” he asked on an inhale, closing his eyes against the pain.She held the pillow to his side as her hand prodded the area. “Bruised ribs it is. Slow breaths in and out,” She ordered, motioning for him to take the pillow. “More from experience than anything.”“Self-experience?” he asked on the exhale.“Self-experience, second-hand experience,” she said with a shrug.He peaked an eye open to look at her. “Are you going to make me drag it out of you?”She shook her head. “No, it’s not a secret. The first time it happened Letty, Mia and I went on a joy ride in a Torino Cobra.”Tony let out a whistle.“The official story is that we crashed into a wall.”He raised a brow, both eyes open now. “and the unofficial story?”“I had a vision of a little girl running into the street, chasing after a ball or a kitten I can’t remember. Letty was driving so I touched her, sent the vision and she swerved.”“Into a wall,” Tony finished, wincing at the story.“Into a wall, of course none of us were wearing seatbelts, except Mia, she was good like that. Concussion and bruised ribs.”His face contorted with pain as he exhaled still gripping the pillow to his side.She ran a hand through his hair with a sympathetic smile. “I’ll grab you some ice.”She ended up with a bag of frozen peas, which worked out better in the end.Tony sat up against the headboard with her head pillowed in his lap. She looked up watching as his head tilted forward as he slept, a tired smile forming on her lips as he snored softly.She was falling for him, she knew, maybe she already had. She let out a long sigh as she remembered the day he’d followed her home.
She’d woken up with a groan her hand coming down to clutch at her lower abdomen. As the pain brought her further into consciousness, she eased herself out of Tony’s arms, wincing as a cramp almost sent her tumbling to the floor.

She forced herself to walk to the bathroom, running over the dates in her mind. She huffed out a curse as she silently dug through the medicine cabinet. Finding a bottle of Advil, she popped three before washing it down with faucet water. She checked her thighs to make sure she hadn’t fully started bleeding. Her shorts were clean but she’d still have to go home, she decided, to get her supplies.

“Jarvis, tell Tony I’ll see him on Wednesday,” she whispered before limping from the bathroom.

She grabbed Tony’s hoodie from the chair before slipping out of the room. She took the elevator down to the workshop, slipping her shoes on with great difficulty as another wave of cramps hit her.

“Are you alright?”
Jarvis intoned.

She silently thanked him for waiting until she was downstairs. 
“I’ll be alright, just need some stuff from my house.”

“You said you’d be returning Wednesday, it’s only Monday, what is the cause?”

Liyah’s chuckle turned into a groan as she dropped into her car. “PMS Jarvis, nothing I can’t handle.”

“You seem to be in an extreme amount of pain, perhaps you should visit a doctor?” he offered.

“For a period? I’ll be fine!” she huffed before driving off.

She could feel the pills kicking in as she dragged herself through the archway of her home, stumbling through the night dark house. The sound of a door opening before silent footfalls on the stairs sounded as her sister came down.

Liyah let out a pathetic whimper, before continuing forward.

“You forgot, didn’t you?” Mia asked, coming to a stop at the bottom of the stairs.

“Cállate,” she hissed, “We can’t all be consistent period trackers, Mia.”

Her sister chuckled, helping her to the basement before going back upstairs.

Liyah disappeared into the bathroom for a minute and when she came out, Mia had returned with a cup of hot tea, her heating pad already plugged into the wall.

“I love you,” she breathed crawling into bed.

Mia laughed, heading back upstairs. “Goodnight, call me if you need anything.”

“A swift death and a snicker’s,” she called after her.

Liyah had just started to drift off when a knock sounded on her door. She looked at the stairs in a daze as the lock turned with an audible click. Her hand twitched to reach for her crowbar before she curled it back against her stomach aborting the thought.

“Thanks,” A familiar voice trilled.

Liyah assumed she was still sleeping but, the sound of footsteps on the stairs had her looking up. She squinted at the dark silhouette. “Tony?”

The man in question continued down the stairs. “Jarvis was quite annoyed with me for letting you leave, let alone that I was sleeping.”

“I didn’t want to wake you,” she murmured.

“Yeah well, next time let’s make it so I don’t have to chase you down at three am,” he stated with a light chuckle.

She blinked in confusion. “For Jarvis?”

Tony laughed and she watched as he kicked off his shoes, a bag rustling as he sat it down. “For you.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “Now scoot over.”

Liyah’s queen bed was no match for Tony’s California king but, it was enough room for two as he slid beneath the covers.

He let out a groan. “Remind me to buy you a new mattress.”

She sent him a glare that went unnoticed in the dark. “What’s wrong with my mattress?”

He seemed to sense it anyway as he pressed a kiss to her puckered brow. “Nothing besides the fact that it wasn’t tested by NASA.”

“What does that even mean?”
she asked through a yawn, letting out a groan as the stretch pulled at a cramp. “Does NASA actually test mattresses?”

“Where does it hurt?” He asked.

Liyah thought on it, noticing most of her strain was coming from her lower back as the heating pad did its job on her lower stomach. She told Tony as much and his hand came around to massage there.

Liyah let out a noise, practically purring from the pressure. “That is heaven.”

She could feel a grin on his lips where they were pressed against her forehead. She curled further into him as she drifted off, Tony’s fingers continuing their ministrations along her back.
She blinked away the memory as Tony jerked awake.He let out a groan a second later before his eyes opened. “Padding. The suit is killer on the side.”“I’m sure you’ll figure something out.” She smiled before pressing a kiss to his stomach. “Until then, you need to move around,” she insisted before sliding out of bed.He let out a groan as he squeezed his eyes shut “Don’t wanna.”She came around to his side of the bed before crouching down beside him. She pressed a kiss to his cheek and he turned slightly with a small grin. She pressed another kiss to the side of his mouth and he turned more. She let out a chuckle before stopping just shy of his lips. His lips chased hers and she pulled back completely.He let out a whine before peaking open an eye. “I know what you’re doing.”She kissed him soundly before pulling back as he tried to deepen it. “You do?” she asked innocently.With an over exaggerated groan, he eased out of bed.“You’re so dramatic,” she huffed, turning to walk out the door.He let out a noise of dissatisfaction. “I was promised more kissing.”She paused. “That wasn’t verbal.”“A deal’s a deal,” He insisted.She let out a chuckle before turning around. She gently wrapped her arms around his neck before pressing her lips to his. She meant for it to be quick but, Tony’s hands came up to cup the back of her head as he deepened it.  She let out a surprised noise before a sigh of content slipped out.He pulled back with a grin. “Much better. Onward muse,” he trilled, slapping her ass.She let out a squawk before moving forward. “Don’t make me push you down the stairs.”He narrowed his eyes at her. “You wouldn’t.”She sent him a grin over her shoulder. “We’re taking the elevator.”She turned down the hall at the admission. “Scaredy cat.” She yawned as they stepped off the elevator and into the lab.“You don’t have to stay up with me,” he murmured.She sent him a look over her shoulder before propping open the lid of her car. “Jarvis? Can you give me a 3D render of the engine?”The Holo-engine materialized in front of her and she began the task of deconstructing it.Tony watched her a moment longer before striding over to his workbench.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Waking up to an empty bed, Liyah decided, was her least favorite thing.She’d turned over in her sleep, expecting to feel another body beside hers. Her lips pursed into a frown as she extended her hand, it was a rather large bed. When her hand found nothing but cold mattress, she opened an eye to find the bed empty. Glancing toward the bathroom she found the ensuite darkened with the door slightly ajar.Letting out a disgruntled grumble, she rolled out of the bed shivering when her bare legs met the cool air. Stumbling from the room she pulled her shirt down where it had risen up to her waist so that it fell back down to her thighs. Choosing the elevator to the lab, she shuffled inside, her bare feet cold against the cool marble flooring. When the door reopened in the lab, she flinched at the music blaring. She blinked as light flooded the elevator before glancing around the deceptively upbeat lab. She found Tony with his hands buried in the bottom half torso of a silver armor, moving with practiced ease as he maneuvered the loose wires.“What’s a girl gotta do to hear herself think J?” she murmured as she slipped on a pair of shoes, knowing the A.I. would hear her.The music dropped to a background noise and Tony glanced up from the armor with a groan. “For the last time Jarvis, I’m fine.”Liyah snorted. “Clearly.”Tony jerked around to look at her, his eyes wide like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “Hey, it’s not morning yet. Is it?” he asked glancing at the clock.“No, it’s not, which begs the question, what are you doing up at this ungodly hour?”He turned back to the armor with a shrug. “I got this idea for a suit.”“And you needed to start it now? At three in the morning?” she asked with a chuckle. Coming behind him she dropped her hands onto his shoulders, massaging the tense muscles with strong hands. Tony rolled his neck with the movement, his hands stilling their work.“Looks to me like there’s something on your mind. You want to talk?” She asked, still working some of the tension from his neck.“Talk about what?” He practically moaned.She shrugged even though she knew he couldn’t see it. “Whatever you want.”“Well that’s vague,” he murmuredShe stayed silent as she focused on her task, waiting.“What’s the point of talking about it? It happened. Shit happens.”“When shit happens, it tends to screw you over in the process. It helps to talk about it.” Pressing a kiss to his cheek she walked towards her car. Propping up the hood she eyed the engine thoughtfully. The idle air control could always use a cleaning.She was just about to push down on the can of spray carbon cleaner when he spoke again, his voice coming from directly behind her.“You said you had a vision of me there?”“Jesus, Tony!” she startled, pushing down on the nozzle and missing the valve by an inch.“Well?” He pushed, crossing his arms over his chest.She licked her lips as she set down the can. “Bits and pieces, mostly from when you were unconscious.”He continued to eye her. “I thought you only got visions of yourself, skin contact for others.”Liyah frowned. “And objects,” she reminded him, “things that belong to the person.”He scratched his chin thoughtfully. “So, you had something of mine?”“I was wearing your shirt.”The corner of his mouth twitched into a smirk. “You mean the one you owe me dinner for?”The tension around them eased slightly as she chuckled. “If dinner is payment, then you owe me more shirts.”“What did you see?” he asked after a long pause.“You.”He uncrossed his arms with a scoff. “We covered that, Cupcake. Out with it, how much did you see.”“Seriously, I couldn’t make out your surroundings, just you.”He let out a sigh. “Care to elaborate.”She really didn’t want to. It wasn’t like he’d been avoiding the topic of Afghanistan since he’d come back. Or how he no longer took baths or the fact that he didn’t swim anymore. Definitely not.Liyah eyed him, taking in his forced calm and wishing Mia were here to make it real. She turned around to close her hood before sitting on top of it, patting the spot beside her.Wiping his hands on a discarded towel, he climbed onto the spot. She curled in beside him resting her head on his chest as she stared at the light shining through his shirt.Take it slow, she reminded herself.“At first, I thought it was another nightmare, you were on the ground and it-it looked like you were dying. You were still wearing a suit though,” she glanced at him with a frown. “On second thought, why don’t I just go make some tea.”He stayed silent beside her, eyes distant. She was debating shaking him when his eyes slid to hers. “It’s kind of poetic if you think about it.”“About what?”“The missile had my name on it, literally, and I just, I knew I was going to die.”She slid a hand up and down his back in a circle. “but you didn’t.”He nodded, “Sometimes I feel like that’s what makes it worse. They already had an arsenal of the weapons I created, and they only kept me alive because they wanted more.”“That was their mistake.”He sent her a raised brow.“Don’t think I don’t know what you and Jarvis do on your cross-country outings.”“I don-”She shook her head at the denial. “We all have our ways to cope, and as mechanisms go, yours isn’t the worst.”He let out a snort and she grinned.“I just don’t want to waste it,” he said after a moment of silence.She blinked. “What?”“My second chance.”She pressed a kiss to his cheek, “Then don’t.”  she paused on her way to the door, “No chance of convincing you to come back to bed then?”He didn’t answer and she shrugged. “That’s alright.”Not ten minutes later, she came back down with a blanket and a pillow.Tony glanced up from the suit. “What’s this?”She curled up on the couch with a grin. “Oh, don’t mind me.”Tony shook his head biting his lip slightly as if to keep from returning it.“Night,” she called.Rolling his eyes, he came over, bending down he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Good night.”She let out contented hum.*********Slowly awareness came to her, and she peeked an eye open in the dark searching for the noise that had disturbed her. The bed shifted behind her and she gently turned over to find Tony still asleep, but clearly restless. He’d nearly kicked all the blankets away, his face pinched as if he were in pain.“Jarvis, do me a favor and slowly raise the light to forty percent,” she whispered knowing the A.I. would hear her.She kept her eyes on Tony, as the lights brightened. Slowly his face became less pinched and more confused.She laid back down beside him, gently rubbing a hand along his stomach.He gasped awake, eyes flying wide.“It’s just me,” she murmured.He stiffened beneath her before relaxing back into his pillows with a groan. “Sorry.”She pulled back shaking her head. “Don’t apologize for something you can’t control; besides, I woke you up.”He glanced over at the clock. “I probably woke you up first.”She grinned. “Yeah, with your snoring.” She laid back down shutting her eyes and letting out the loudest snore she could.Immediately fingers danced over her waist, she curled sideways with a laugh, trying and failing to escape his tickling.“I do not snore,” he huffed, a laugh clear in his voice,She shut her eyes again, before resuming her snoring.“That’s it,” he huffed trapping her body against his with an arm around her waist as he resumed his assault.Her laugh echoed in the room, but Tony’s smile ingrained itself in her mind. ********** Liyah got in later than she usually would from the garage a few nights later. A disgruntled customer not wanting to pay Robbie. In the end, she’d worked out a payment plan with the man. Turns out he just didn’t have the money upfront.When she stepped into the workshop, she found Tony staring into his latest project a pair of sunglasses over his eyes.She asked the obvious. “Are you okay?”He rubbed at a spot on the back of his head. “I’m fine.”Liyah snorted. “I’d believe that if, you weren't wearing sunglasses… in the house… at night.”“Side effect of the reactor, electromagnetic headaches,” he said with a shrug.She let out a thoughtful hum. “Jarvis can you dim the lights.”The room dimmed, leaving Tony illuminated by his reactor and the project he was currently working on.Taking a seat on the couch she sat back so that she was situated in the corner. “You wanna take a break?”She watched as he tapped out a short beat on the reactor as if checking to make sure it was there, she’d learned, before making his way over. She motioned him to turn around allowing him to rest the back of his head on her chest. Once he finished shifting, she began to massage his temples.He let out a low moan and she repressed a smile as he slumped against her.*******Liyah blinked her eyes open in the darkroom, falling into a bone-cracking stretch, she looked beside her to find Tony already gone. Not unusual these days, but she still let out a disappointed sigh before heading to the bathroom to freshen up. Maybe, she thought idly as she brushed her teeth, she could swim today. Tony wouldn’t but if he was already immersed in another project or a meeting, there was no reason she couldn’t.She stepped into the moderately sized room, well as moderate as an indoor pool could be. Heading to the deeper end of the pool, she dropped her things off to the side. Facing the sunlit window she took a second to look at the view of the sun reflecting on the ocean until she moved into a few stretches. Pulling her shirt over her head she tossed it next to her things, adjusting her swimsuit as she did. There was a slight prickling sensation at the base of her neck as if she were being watched and she turned to find two sets of eyes watching her.Tony and Happy stood on the other side of the glass, in a small boxing ring, and Liyah cocked her head to the side as she took in the two in their gear. She sent Happy a small wave before looking at Tony only to find him watching her as if he were memorizing her.A chill went through her body at the thought and she sent him a wink before diving into the water to start on her laps. She silently willed them to go about their business, she’d come here to think, or not think really.Tony had been giving off weird vibes the last few days and it was starting to put her on edge.She dove deeper into the water curling her body forward into a front flip before pushing off of the wall, she twisted her body continuing into her next lap. At first, he just seemed hesitant to touch her but, two days ago he’d actually flinched away from her. Well, it was more of a jerk away from her but, he’d been quick to put distance between them an- Her hand smacked the wall and she grabbed the edge lifting her head to gasp in a breath of air. She didn’t turn to face the window again, instead, she pushed off of the wall to the bottom of the pool.She sat at the bottom, stilling her movements as she tested her ability to hold her breath, maybe the lack of oxygen would keep her from thinking too hard about him. And the way he seemed to be pulling away from her.Her eyes flew open as she pushed off the floor and away from the thought. Breathing in a gasp of air as she broke the surface, once again avoiding looking into the gym. Maybe she should have gone down to the beach.She swam to the edge of the pool to watch the waves below, losing herself in the push and pull of their movements. She came to a quick decision to switch locations.She toweled off so she wouldn’t drip water everywhere before slipping into a pair of flowing pants and a tank top. Stuffing her things into her bag she left the room, the lights dimming as she went.Just as she stepped into the hall, Tony’s voice called her back. “Hey, not gonna come in?”“I didn’t want to interrupt,” Liyah breathed.Tony smirked. “You mean you don’t want Happy to try and get you in the ring.”Liyah’s eyes widened. “Why would I do a thing like that?”“Come on, he just wants to make sure you can take care of yourself.”Liyah crossed her arms. “You mean you do.”Tony shrugged, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead. “Humor me.”She shook her head with a laugh stepping towards the room.“That’s my girl, alright!” he guided her inside with a hand at the small of her back. “Happ, grab another pair of gloves.”Standing in the ring, her hair braided into a single ponytail, she glanced down at Tony standing at the outskirts as she strapped on the fingerless training gloves. “¿Estás seguro acerca de esto?” she asked, flexing the stiff mitts.Tony dismissed her worry with a wave. “Of course, I’m sure, Happy’s the best.”She glanced at Happy with a raised brow.“Don’t give me that look, I use to box back in the day.”She continued to eye him dubiously when a vision flared of two men boxing. The fight was familiar only because she’d happened to be in the room when her brothers were watching it on the television. It was the Battlin’ Jack v.s… she blinked.“Happy Hogan, No shit.”Happy looked slightly surprised before he smiled.She spun around to face Tony. “How the hell did you get Happy Hogan to be your bodyguard.”“That is a funny story, for another time. Don’t change the subject,” He stated, eyeing her pointedly.“¡No soy!” she denied, turning back to Happy. “I’m not.”“Show me your stance,” he urged.Liyah’s lip twitched but she stayed silent as she separated her feet, sinking into the familiar stance. Happy eyed her legs for a moment before stepping back, hands held aloft with the punching mitts.“Show me a jab,” he instructed.She snapped her fist out, pulling the punch a bit but still with enough force that his hand jerked back.He smiled. “Nice, jab cross.”Liyah quickly followed his instructions, as much as she enjoyed casual training it was nerve-wracking having to pull her hits.Happy frowned as if reading her thoughts. “You’re holding back.”Liyah winced. “I- I don’t want to hurt you.”Happy scoffed. “Hurt me? Please.”Her eyes narrowed at the words. “Fine, hands up Hogan.”Happy sent Tony a smirk before lifting his hands.Liyah dropped back into the stance she’d stepped out of before aiming a hook at his palm, his hand flew back with the momentum and his torso twisted with it. She hit the other palm with a cross and he turned with the force of it, stumbling slightly. She used the moment to send a front kick to his padded stomach. He flew back into the corner of the ring, slamming into the corner pole before slipping to his knees with a groan.Liyah blinked. “Ay mierda, Happy I’m so sorry.”Behind her, a bell rang and she turned incredulously to find Tony holding a small hammer.“Seriously!” she huffed, moving to help Happy to his feet.Happy groaned as he pulled himself up. “I’m fine, it’s fine.”She bit her lip nervously. “Do you want to see the car?” she asked, trying to make it up to him, or at least ease her guilt.Happy straightened up, with a smile. “Test drive it.”She narrowed her eyes at the bargain, she didn’t feel that bad. “I’ll drive.”Happy narrowed his eyes. “Drift.”She mulled it over. “Only if you wear a helmet.”“Done. I’m calling Rhodes,” He trilled, stepping out of the ring.Behind her, Tony chuckled.“Did you tell them about the drift competition?”Tony huffed out a laugh. “¿Dile? Cupcake, they were there.”Liyah blinked as the vision flared. Before at the competition, she’d been focused on Tony, there had been two men standing off to the side. She’d assumed they were bodyguards at the time. She was half right.Happy rejoined them as he took off the boxing gear. “He’s on his way.” Liyah’s eyes widened as Tony laughed, “This should be good.”She rolled her eyes as she climbed down from the ring, slipping off the gloves and handing them to Tony. She wrinkled her nose. “You guys are gonna shower first, right?” She’d just closed the hood of the Chevelle when the three men stepped into the workshop.Rhodey held up a black helmet. “I brought my own!”Tony raised his helmet as well. “Shotgun!”“Seat belts,” She called once they were all seated.“What is it with you and seatbelts,” Tony grumbled.When the last one clicked into place, she lined up the exit. “Jarvis, how bout a countdown.”A projected light of numbers appeared above the entrance tunnel, it began a steady countdown from five, when it reached zero, she shifted gears before pushing down on the throttle and speeding out of the tunnel.She blocked out their shouts of delight as she focused on the stretch of road. Halfway down was an entrance to the helicopter pad and she sped up before whipping the car into the turn, pulling up the E-brake as she did. Her foot stayed steady on the gas as she continued to counter steer the drift as she twisted along the road.She eased around the circle of the landing strip before darting back down the ramp, as she neared the wrap around driveway she sped up before going into a continuous drift around it. With a huff, she slowed the car downshifting as she went before taking the car back into the workshop. She turned to glance at the men around her.Rhodes pulled off his helmet first. “Okay, that was awesome, you’ve gotta show me how to do that.”She turned to find happy gripping his seatbelt.“You okay?” she asked with a chuckle.Happy nodded before pulling off his helmet. “Great, I’m gonna need to lie down for a little but I’m good.”Liyah shrugged. “That’s fair. What about you genius? Hope you don’t mind the skid marks.”Tony waived off her words with a grin. “Nothing a paint job won’t fix, I’ve done worse.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The sand was warm under her toes as Liyah dropped her bag to the side of her rolled up towel.She stepped into the water, wincing at the cold as it hit her warmer areas. She pushed on, only pausing when a particularly strong wave would come. When she was far enough out she stopped, allowing herself to float on the water. The rush of the waves as she bobbed in the water brought her the peace of mind she’d been searching for and she lost herself in the current.She’d just started making her way back to the shore when she heard her name being called. She searched for the noise to find Tony standing on the balcony. She was about to call back to him when the flash of a vision had her turning around to face a giant wave.“Shit,” She huffed before diving into the trough of the wave, the curl of the wave sliding down the curve of her foot’s arch. She popped up with a gasp, before raising a finger in Tony’s direction. She was breathing hard by the time she made it to the shore and she took a second to gather herself before heading back up the stairs.“Were you trying to drown me?” she asked, sending him a mock glare.“With as much time as you spend in the water, I didn’t think that was possible.” He chuckled pressing a kiss to her wet hair. “You got plans today?”Liyah mulled it over, she didn’t have work until Monday and it was Friday. She’d planned to stop by the garage today and there was a street race going on tonight that she was thinking of going to… “Not if you want to do something,” she offered.Tony nodded at that, “I’ve got a meeting today but, tomorrow?” he asked.Liyah forced a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”******* Worry did not begin to explain how Liyah was feeling. Tony was spending more nights in the workshop than he did in bed with her. It seemed as though the man was torn between wanting her nearby and keeping her at arm’s length. Old insecurities were beginning to rear their ugly heads making her question if maybe he was getting tired of her, that she wasn’t enough.Between his life as Iron Man and running Stark Industries, she could feel herself slipping into the background of his life. She picked up more hours at the market, spent late nights in the garage to the point that even Robbie was starting to question her; just to keep herself occupied.  But as much as she could feel herself becoming neglected, she knew something wasn’t right with Tony. As much as he claimed he was fine, she could tell it was a far cry from the truth. Being that the last time she’d tried to approach the subject she’d nearly given him a panic attack, she was afraid to try again. Afraid to make it worse.Liyah held her hand out expectantly to her robotic assistant and a cool metal object was planted into her hand. She smiled, not looking at the tool, “Thank you.”As she went to use it on her tire she froze. “U, we’ve talked about this sweetie, I asked for a torque wrench. What is this?”U let out a series of whirs.“No these are pliers,” she corrected, reaching into the toolbox and pulling out the torque wrench. She held each aloft. “Now, which one is the torque wrench?”He rolled back and forth in a slight shuffling motion before plucking the proper tool from her grasp. He held it aloft victoriously before spinning in a circle.“Good boy! Now hand it over,” she called.The robot held it out for her and as she went to reach for it, he rolled back just out of her reach. She huffed out a laugh, “Hey!”He placed it into her hand and she sent him one last look before turning back to her tire.“We need to talk,” Tony’s voice sounded from the doorway.Startled she glanced over her shoulder at him before turning back to the lug nut.  “Why couldn’t you just say what you wanted, now I’m nervous,” She murmured, as her stomach began to churn.“I think we should see other people,” he continued.Liyah let her head drop to the side of the car, careful of the protective coating she’d just sprayed on her tire, “You’re breaking up with me?” she let out a humorless chuckle.His footsteps drew closer but she didn’t turn around. “I am.” He didn’t sound sure.              “Well that’s funny,” She sighed out through her nose, fighting the emotions trying to take over her.“And why’s that?” he had the audacity to sound confused.“Because you never asked me to date you,” she trilled, raising her brow at him over her shoulder. It was petty, a low blow but true none the less. At some point, they’d come to an unspoken arrangement with each other. It was the closest thing to a relationship she’d ever been in.Her hand took on a slight tremor. Carefully, she placed the tools back in the box after she finished tightening the bolt, before stuffing her hands beneath her arms as she crossed them. “Tell me, what brought on this ill-planned decision of yours.”“It would have never worked between us,” he offered but, his voice was tight, the words forced.She stood from the floor, pulling her hair from its now too tight ponytail. “We work just fine,” She stated, keeping her tone even. She turned to face him.Tony eyed her silently and she let out a huff in annoyance. “Well? What’s your next bullet point, genius?” She took a breath as she stepped forward coming to a stop in front of him.He looked away. “You’re too young for me Aaliyah, it’d be better if you found someone your age.”Hurt lodged itself in her chest at his words, but she kept her tone even, as her heart tried to leap into her throat. “I don’t recall that being a problem, you’ve never even mentioned it. I mean help me understand because if you actually plan on leaving me, it better be a damned good reason, Tony,” She stated seriously.Tony shook his head, his hands coming up before he dropped them back to his sides. She fought back the sting of tears at the aborted motion to grab her waist like he’d done so many times before. Like he hadn’t done in a while.When he looked up his eyes seemed to burn with repressed emotion. “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?” Fondness softened his eyes before he blinked and it was gone.“And why would I do a thing like that?” she asked with a sardonic smile, before something connected in her mind, the distance he’d been purposefully putting between them, not letting her touch him. “Why won’t you let me touch you?” she asked because one touch and she’d know.Something like panic flickered in his eyes.She felt herself frown at that. “You’re hiding something from me?”“I’m not.” He shrugged but, his posture was too tense, too defensive.Confusion warred against the hurt inside of her. “You are.”Tony shook his head adamantly. “We can’t be together. I’ve never wanted to be in a relationship, I’m not going to start now, just because a pretty girl batted her eyelashes at me.”Liyah snorted. “It’s funny you say that because I was fine before I met you and your dark eyelashes. I asked you why in the beginning if you remember.” She thought back on that day with a sad smile. “Come to think of it, you didn’t have an actual answer then either. But still, I went and-” Liyah bit down on her cheek, repressing a wince at the pain as she turned away. She didn’t want to do this with him, she’d known falling for him would be easy but, she’d thought, hoped that he’d-“Jarvis, please tell Anthony to stop being an idiot.”Jarvis’ voice sounded perturbed as he spoke. “I have tried over the days Miss, he is quite thick-headed.”So, he’d been working up to this? Had she actually ignored the signs? Whenever she’d caught him staring at her it hadn’t seemed to be in discontent, it was more like he was seeing her. Like he cared enough to see what laid beneath. She’d had to look away to hide the warmth in her cheeks. And yet.“Then tell him to call me once he gets his head out of his ass if he hasn’t shoved it in too deep.”“I will relay the message,” Jarvis affirmed.She turned away, making her way upstairs to the bedroom. She grabbed her backpack from the closet before shoving a few of her things inside. Just her everyday things, she hesitated over a t-shirt. One of his that she’d taken to wearing.She shoved it inside. Closing the bag, she hooked the strap over her shoulder to head back to the workshop, where her car was parked.Tony hadn’t moved from his spot and she stalked back over, stepping into his space to reach around him for her jacket. His breath stirred the hair at the base of her neck before she could pull away. She raised a brow in his direction before walking to her car.She could feel the sting of tears growing stronger and she used the back of her finger to wipe away one that tried to escape. She opened her car door with more force than necessary and U, who’d been sitting nearby by, rolled out of the way.“Lo siento,” She apologized, before sliding into the seat.Her hands began to shake as she tried to put the key in the ignition, only succeeding in dropping them to the floor. She huffed out a curse before reaching down to grab them. She shoved the key into the ignition, the car roaring to life as she turned it. She pulled out of her spot as she drove to the garage’s exit, glancing back once at Tony,  to find his face solemn and tired.Something was wrong, she knew but, if he didn’t want her help, she wouldn’t force it. With that thought she sped down the driveway, the gates opening for her without prompting.***************Tony’s PovTony managed to keep his composure as the roar of the Chevelle dulled the farther she drove away. He sat down heavily on the bench, still watching the space she no longer occupied.She was… gone. He’d done it. He dropped his head into his hands with a groan.It was for the best, he reminded himself. He’d been dragging her down with him, in his decision to keep his problem to himself. He was going to fix the palladium poisoning, so there was no need to worry her.But he’d seen what he’d been doing to her, in his avoidance of touching her. How pale she was beginning to look despite their location and the amount of time she spent in the sun. The dark circles under her eyes, even though she’d been sleeping through the night. Because of him.He toyed with a stray bolt sitting on the table. And now she knew why he hadn’t touched her in weeks.She’d taken to wearing long sleeves around the house after he’d practically jumped out of his skin when she’d reached for him. He’d seen the hurt in her eyes and had regretted it the second he’d done it. That was when he realized he needed to let her go. The whole reason he hadn’t told her about his problem was to keep her from getting hurt. Why had it taken him so long to realize he was hurting her anyway?He debated working on the Humvees for the military but rejected the idea immediately. He’d call it a night.After a quick shower, Tony climbed under the cool sheets. The lights dimmed and he found himself relieved to be exhausted. Maybe he’d actually fall asleep, he turned over, coming face to face with a picture of himself and Aaliyah.****** Half asleep in the night he turned over, reaching an arm out only to come up empty. He frowned as he opened his eyes, he could have sworn-He blinked drawing his hand back.Temporary this was temporary, once he cured himself, he’d tell her everything and she’d come back, he reassured himself. Reaching for a pillow from her side of the bed he switched it with the pillow under his head.He took a deep inhale, shutting his eyes against the emptiness of the bed. He’d have to make sure none of her pillows were washed.Temporary he reminded himself on an exhale. She’d come back.*********************Aaliyah's POVShe drove as far away from the mansion as she could before she pulled off to the side of the coast as tears blurred her vision, making it impossible to drive.Cutting the engine, she left the car, trudging from dirt to sand until she was standing on the beach.Hands shaking, she angrily fumbled for the clasp on the bracelet at her wrist. Her feet sloshed in the wet sand as waves lapped at her feet as if to pull her away. She was tempted to let them.Tears streamed freely down her cheeks as she looked at the golden bracelet in her hand. She remembered the feel of his hands as he’d put it on her and a myriad of emotions surged through her.Lies. Every word out of his mouth, once he’d stepped into the shop, had been a lie. A sob choked its way out from the back of her throat. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or pissed. He’d stopped touching her to keep a secret. Didn’t he know there were better ways to do that?She’d been naïve. Naïve to think he’d come to her with his problems.She was used to being the problem solver, the one her family turned to when they were backed into a corner. But that came from trust. And maybe, they didn’t have that; Yet, she added after another moment of staring at the bracelet.She wound her arm back, flinging the bracelet as far as her strength would allow. With her blurred vision she didn’t see how far it went, instead, she planted herself in the dry sand; where she finally let herself fall apart. Clutching her legs to her chest like a lifeline, she let her head rest against her knees as sobs wracked her frame, for once the picturesque ocean view doing nothing to console her. Rejection was not her strong suit.When the tears finally relented and her nose was thoroughly clogged, she forced herself to stand, even as exhaustion warred against her.The car was where she’d left it and she climbed in to continue her drive home. She pulled on her sunglasses as she arrived, the house quiet as she made her way to the basement.She kicked off her shoes not bothering to remover her jacket as she curled up on the bed. She stared blankly at the picture of her and Tony situated on her nightstand. It had been taken in the workshop, where he’d been taking a much-needed break from a project and she’d leaned over his shoulder to get a picture of them both.There had been three photos. One where she’d pressed a kiss to his cheek and a small smile had formed on his lips. Another where he’d captured her lips with his own, that one sat in his room on his dresser. But she’d chosen the sillier of the three, where they’d stuck their tongues out at the camera as she hung over his shoulder.Mia found her like that, probably sensing the well of sadness that had opened up inside of her. She barely felt the bed dip, courtesy of NASA, as her sister sat down to rub her back soothingly. “What happened?”The question brought on another slew of tears as she buried her face into her pillow.“When I walked in the door and felt the… pena in here, what happened Aaliyah?”Sorrow. That was a good word for what she felt.She didn’t turn her face from her pillow as she offered her a hand, a silent request that she not have to speak it out loud, lest it become permanent.Mia didn’t hesitate to grasp it.She replayed the event as quickly as she could, but a tinge of fury lanced through her.She jerked her hand away at the emotion. It was one thing to be lulled by a calm, but the onslaught of anger had her sitting up and taking deep breaths along with her sister.“Sorry I didn’t mean to…” Mia panted.Liyah could only nod.With Mia’s mutation, and her own, mixed as she watched her visions, Mia could feel the emotion from the vision, so it was no surprise that it drew a stronger reaction from her sister.Arms wrapped around her in a warm embrace and she melted back into the contact as she cried in her sister’s arms.She woke up with a strange crick in her neck as she realized she’d fallen asleep on Mia, warm fingers still dragging through her hair.“Do you want to get dinner?” Mia murmured.Liyah frowned as she checked the clock on the nightstand, her eyes skipping over the framed picture. “Yeah, no. I need a drink.”Mia brightened. “Me too!”
One Hour Later….
Mia let out a drunken sob, “I’m not happy you’re back,” she admitted.Liyah frowned at her upside-down sister before realizing she was the one upside down. Her world tilted as she righted herself. “I-I don’t understand?” she sniffled.Mia’s eyes widened “No! NO! I just, you two were so,” she let out a dreamy sigh, “Enamorado..”Liyah gasped, stumbling toward her sister. She pushed her to the bed, covering Mia’s mouth with her hand. “shh... No, No. You take that back.”Mia shook her head adamantly with wide eyes, pulling at the hands over her mouth.A warm feeling coated her palm and Liyah let out a shriek. “You licked me!”“You were in love, I don’t understand! Why’d he break up with you,” Mia asked with a pout.Liyah let out a long breath, dropping beside her on the bed. “He was hiding something.”Mia propped herself up on an elbow. “A secret lover? Do you think he was sleeping with Pepper?”Liyah squawked indignantly, “Why would you say that?”“Sorry,” Mia whispered.She rolled over to take another swig from her bottle. “He wouldn’t do that, no it was something else. Something he didn’t want me to see.”Mia gasped. “You mean he wouldn’t touch you?”Liyah dropped her head with a shake.“You poor touch starved cuddle bug,” Mia cooed, wrapping her arms around her sister. Unable to even feel embarrassed she preened at the contact. With a start, she realized how much she missed being held.“I could kill him,” Mia cooed, once again running her fingers through her hair.Liyah silently shook her head, pulling her sister closer. She eyed her Stark phone on the dresser.“You should get rid of it. Break it or something,” Mia suggested, noticing her gaze.“But it’s so cool,” She huffed. “I’ll just… turn it off for now.” Confused she looked over the phone. “If I can find the button.”“Smash it!” Mia shrieked.“Mia no!” she whined, cradling it against her chest. “Look I found it, I’m turning it off now.” She made a mental note to buy herself a new phone.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Four days after the breakup, Liyah sat in her room, the picture turned down of her and Tony. She was in a funk, she’d admit.  Work was the only reason she got out of bed in the morning.The sound of a quick knock on the front door had her walking upstairs. After Dom and everyone else had left it was just she and Mia. They’d changed the locks on the door so now only the two of them had a key, Leon came around sporadically and Jesse, she was proud to say had decided to try his hand at college.So, confusion marred her features as she looked through the peephole.Her eyes widened in surprise when she found Letty glaring at her. She made quick work of the lock before jerking the door open. Before she could speak Letty strode into the house.“You changed the lock.” It was more of an accusation than a question.Liyah checked the street for any sign of her brother, finding none she closed the door with a sigh. Letty stood behind her shifting on her feet, her anger almost palpable.“We can make you a new one,” she said with a shrug. “It just felt safer.”Letty nodded before striding to the kitchen, Liyah hesitated before following after her. “Did something happen?”Letty jerked open the door to the refrigerator, its contents clattering together noisily at the movement. “Your brother happened,” she bit out.Liyah huffed plopping into a chair at the table. “There’s Chinese in the microwave, save some for Mia.”Letty grunted, before heading to the microwave.Liyah ran through a mental list as to why the girl could be upset, or why she’d come home without Dom. Her eyes widened. “He left you?” she hissed.Letty stiffened over the plate she was making, “A vision?”Liyah shook her head “No, it just sounds like a stupid thing he’d do.”Letty made an affirming noise, stuffing the rest of the food back into the microwave before sitting down with her plate, “I mean can you believe him? All of sudden it’s too dangerous for me to be around him. Then he just up and left while I was sleeping!” she bit into her shrimp roll angrily.“Men!” Liyah hissed accordingly.Letty’s gaze shot to her. “What are you doing home?”Liyah looked away. “I live here.”“Yeah but, when I left you were staying at Tony’s, most of the time.”She sent her a sardonic grin. Letty’s eyes widened. “No!”She nodded. “He broke it off four days ago, sorry you already missed drunken girl’s night.”“Bummer,” Letty huffed before her gaze softened. “I’m sorry Liyah.”Liyah nodded as she stood from the table. “Your rooms still open if you want it back, I’ll have a key made for you tomorrow, yeah?”“Gracias,” Letty trilled around a mouthful.Liyah came around the table to pull the girl into a hug before heading off to bed for the night.It was merely a week later that the girls sat watching tv when the trill of Liyah’s phone had her glancing over, she frowned at the series of unfamiliar numbers. She picked it up on the fourth ring, hitting pause on the movie much to Mia and Letty’s disagreement.“Hello?”“Hi, is this Aaliyah Toretto?” a male asked over the line.Her frown deepened, “This is she.”“This is Robert Coffield, with the Haas F1 team.”Liyah’s eyes widened, as her mouth dropped open.Not long after the drift competition, there had been sponsors who’d approached her team, but one, in particular, had requested her time record. She’d been taken to a race track and she’d done three laps, each one timed. They’d thanked her for her time and she’d been on her way. After being held by Stane she’d never heard back from them but maybe… “Okay?”“We are interested in recruiting you for our team. Tell me, Ms. Toretto, would you be interested in racing in the Monaco Grand Prix?”“Hell yeah,” Liyah blurted. Her eyes widened and she cleared her throat, “I mean yes.”The man chuckled, unbothered. “I’m glad to hear it. We’ll be flying out tomorrow to get practice in before the big race. Will you be needing an extra ticket?”Liyah sent her sister and pseudo sister a grin. “Actually yes, two.”“Alright, someone will be by to pick you up tomorrow. We’ll see you soon.”“Bye.” She turned wide-eyed to Liyah and Letty, who were both looking at her expectantly.Letty broke the silence first, “¿Que que? Who was that?”“How do you feel about going to Monaco?” she asked with a grin.****************Monaco was in a word, beautiful. The three had a blast, as much as three heart torn woman could in a country whose number one language was of the romance variety. They’d come a week before the actual race.Paid for accommodations close to the track had her splitting her time between practice and hanging with Letty and Mia. Shopping, trying the cuisine and lounging at the beach. The day before the race, she'd just gotten out of her track clothes when she heard voices coming down the hall. She stepped into the hall to find Chris, and the team manager walking towards her she debated waiting for them to pass before decidedly walking towards the exit.“Oh hey,” she heard behind her, not quite sure if Chris was talking to her, she paused.“Aaliyah,”She turned around. “Hey,”He came to a stop beside her, waving to their manager as he kept walking. “Great timing out there.”Liyah nodded. “Oh, thanks.” She continued her walk to the exit, Chris falling in to step with her.“Are you going to the party?”She paused as he sped up to open the door for her. “What party?” She asked once they were both outside.“Well,” he backtracked, “not really a party, but up in the bistro there’s a gathering where people watch the race, the racers usually stop by, take photos and eat kind of thing.”She shook her head, parties were the farthest thing from her mind. “Oh, no I'm not, I've got my sisters with me.”“You could bring them by too if you wanted? You all could catch a ride over with me? Come on,” he added when she didn't immediately respond.She smiled, “I'll see if they want to go, we'll meet you in the lobby?”“Great!”*******She eyed herself in the mirror, wondering if it was a good idea to get this dressed up before a race.Letty hooked an arm through hers pulling her away from her reflection. “It's fine, you'll have plenty of time to change.”She nodded, letting Mia and Letty lead her from the room.True to his word Chris sat off to the side in a lobby chair, he stood as they approached; rebuttoning his suit jacket as he did.“Well, don't you three look lovely.” He held out his arm for her to take. “Cars out front.”After a moment’s hesitation, she hooked her arm through his, letting him lead her to the car. He let go to open the door for the three, before sliding into the front seat.She glanced over to find Letty staring at her pointedly. She tried and failed not to roll her eyes.Letty sent her a sly grin. “I’m just sayin’.”She waved her off. “Yeah, yeah.”Mia placed a hand over her own, and she took in an inhale, relaxing in her chair. “It’s a little soon for that, isn’t it, Letty?”“What why? Because of--” she broke off at their twin glares. “Look Chica, the best way to show a guy what he’s missing is to show him what’s he’s missing!” They sent her bland looks. “Seriously, we’re in Monaco! Don’t you want it to be a trip to remember?”The group rode on in silence until the car came to a stop in front of the Bistro. The driver got out to open the doors and Chris stayed aside until she got out; offering his arm once again.Someone nudged her in the back. She didn’t have to look to know it was Letty.She slipped on her sunglasses, wrapping her arm in his just as the first flash of a camera went off.Oh, Shit.Sensing her panic, Mia stepped up on her other side to link their arms. Letty grumbled, before taking Mia’s arm. Turning what could have been construed as romantic into a friendly group outing.Chris chuckled beside her before leading the group forward. She let him break off when he turned to do an impromptu interview. She turned slightly toward, Letty. “What exactly are you hoping to accomplish, hmm?”Letty peered around Mia, “I’m just trying to get one of us out our funk,”She tilted down her sunglasses to send Letty a glare. “Fine, do Mia”Mia bumped her with her hip. “Hey.”Chris rejoined them and they made their way inside the Bistro. As early as it was it still managed to be crowded, forcing Mia and Letty to fall back, and leaving her to walk alongside Chris. She waited until he was swept up in another interview to make her way over to the bar. Not to drink, just to breathe.The bartender stopped by grabbing a glass.“Just water please.”She’d only just taken her first sip when someone took the seat beside her.“I’ll have a Gin and Tonic, make it dirty.”As the bartender made his drink, he angled his body towards her. She tried not to roll her eyes, focusing on the tv screen off to the side. It mostly played the prep work for the race alongside commercials, but anything was better than the conversation she was about to be pulled into.“And for the lady?” he asked.She shook her head. “No, gracias.”“Nothing? Really? Come on pick your poison.”She let out a sigh and was saved by Chris coming over, “Hey our tables ready,” he turned slightly. “Sorry was I interrupting?”The man seemed to want to nod before he paused. “Wait a second, you’re Chris Locke,”Chris glanced at her before nodding at the man, his hand coming to rest behind her chair. “That’s me.”“Amazing, you know-”Someone cleared their throat behind them and they all turned.Liyah glanced skyward, reminding herself that drinking before a race only spelled trouble.“Ah, Tony,” the man offered a wide smile.Tony grimaced, glancing over at her. “What’s this?”“Chris, Tony, Tony, Chris, Sorry I didn’t catch your name,” she stated, glancing over at the other man.He let out a nervous laugh, “No introduction needed, sweetheart, See Tony and I”“Never in my life have I wanted my name farther from an I,” Tony murmured.Chris offered his hand, but Liyah didn’t wait to see if he took it. “I’ll meet you at the table, Chris, grab my water for me?”She made a beeline for the bathroom, feeling two sets of eyes focused on her retreat.**********Tony’s PovHe watched her retreat with pursed lips, it’s not like he expected her to fall into his arms. Maybe a “Hi, how you doin?” Not that he blamed her.He sent Chris a nod, not bothering to glance in Hammer’s directions.  Not really feeling like returning to his own table, where Pepper’s disapproving eyes were surely waiting, he found himself in the bathroom looking in the mirror.Checking the stalls and then locking the door he pulled out the reader, pricking his finger to check his blood toxicity levels.Liyah was avoiding him, and he was avoiding… everyone else. He let out a dry laugh, what was she doing in Monaco, to begin with? With another man at that. Had he been naive to think she’d actually wait for him?He frowned at the number, slipping the device back into his pocket.Well, this day was shot, he’d come here to have a semblance of a good time. He’d had Pepper book this months ago, he’d hoped to bring Liyah but… He sighed at his reflection.“Got any other bad ideas?”Stepping out of the bathroom, Tony nearly collided with the person walking past the door."Oh, excuse me," she murmured, softly.The flash of wavy dark hair made him pause, and she turned with a smile. From her profile, she could’ve been Liyah but as she turned to face him fully, disappointment settled in the pit of his stomach; it wasn’t her.The woman's cheekbones were too high, her smile too friendly, leading up to brown eyes. Not blue.Her eyes widened in surprise, before recognition set in. He was prepared to flash a smile and walk away, but instead of an eager approach, she took a step back her hand going to the door of the family restroom.He paused in his movement to leave. Instead of going in she held tight to the knob.She seemed to know him, by the look in her eyes. “Have we met?”She shook her head. “Oh no,” she laughed, “I'm a big fan though..." Her words trailed off as she focused on him, her head tilting the side.He squeezed his eyes shut. Liyah would do that anytime- he cut off that line of thinking. "Is everything okay?" She asked. Her free hand twitched slightly. “You seem a little off?” Glancing away he pulled on his sunglasses hoping to put up some kind of barrier between his eyes and hers. “Never better. Sorry, you just reminded of someone.” He explained as he turned to walk away.Her gaze turned soft, “See you around Tony,”He turned at the familiarity, only to find her gone. “Weird,” he murmured, looking for the nearest exit.*******She’d gone into the family restroom for a moment to herself, but she’d stayed inside way too long she realized, reaching for the door only to pause at the voices on the other side. She made to open the door but found it wouldn’t. She wiggled it slightly and felt a jolt of nerves hit her. She paused. Mia?She grasped the handle again and could feel her sisters’ nerves seeping through.  She put her ear to the door only to pull away at Tony’s voice on the other side. She unlocked the door for her sister, and when Mia cracked it open to enter, she paused.“See you around, Tony.”Liyah quickly yanked her into the bathroom and locked the door.Mia eyed her. “I think you were right,” she murmured eyes distant, “His emotions feel… dulled.”Liyah nodded.Mia quickly straightened, “Oh, it’s time to go, you guys are up!”*******Liyah eyed the name on the board, she’d be racing under someone else’s name as the team’s third driver.Chris Locke, the screen read.She made her way to the fourth position mark where her car was set up, she caught the glimpse of a commotion being displayed on the live screen.She froze as she watched Tony wave off the pre-authorized driver. Her eyes drank him in. This was the closest she’d been to him in two weeks.Her gaze snagged on his racing suit, almost identical to the one her father had worn.Licking her suddenly dry lips she continued forward to the race car. So, he’d be racing then, she shook her head with a small chuckle before climbing into her vehicle. She busied herself with her prechecks as more drivers pulled in behind her.Engines began to rev around her and she focused her gaze on the three cars ahead of her.The light blinked in time with a chime as it started to count down.Her hands clenched the wheel almost painfully and she forced herself to relax.The light flared green and she pushed the pedal down after a second, to give the car in front of her a chance to go.The race was on. She stayed to the inside passing cars on the left before taking up space on the right. Her pulse evened out and she began to lose herself to the race. So focused on the race, it took her a moment to realize what she was seeing.It was her last lap when a man stepped onto the track, his orange jumpsuit bright against the dark tarmac. An escaped convict maybe? She watched in a slight daze as he brought an electrical whip down onto the car in the lead, slicing through the car like a hot knife through butter.“Shit,” she hissed, forcing a vision as the second race car took the same fate, soaring through the air in half.She was approaching the figure at breakneck speeds and as he brought his arm up, the whip arched menacingly, sending electricity dancing into the air; and wasn’t that a sight to see.She jerked the racecar to his other side.His eyes widened and he quickly leaped out of the way to avoid being run over as she drove by him unscathed.She let out a relieved breath as she continued to pull ahead, the finish line coming into sight. Just as she passed it, she was hit with a vision.
Tony attempted to fend off the man without his iron armor. The electrified whip hit him in the side sending him careening into a destroyed racecar.
She’d been there, the day her father died. Felt the heat of the explosion as it rocked the track with its intensity. Someone had held her back, as she’d tried to run to him. She hadn’t seen it coming then. Had no inkling, but as a video of Tony’s car soaring through the air in tatters played on the live screen, she quickly made a decision.Making a U-turn on the track, she backtracked across the finish line, no cars in sight as she pushed the vehicle to its limits.The man came into view once more, his arm coming up with the arching whip. She twisted the wheel clipping him in the side as the racecar spun out.He flew with the momentum, crashing into the fence separating the track from the crowd before dropping to the ground in a heap.She searched the area for Tony finding him feet from the man with a car door held aloft. She frowned as she watched him sneak up on the whip bearer as he struggled to get to his feet. Tony slammed the door against his head and the man stumbled slightly before he righted himself.As if unfazed he flicked the offending object away with his whip.Tony looked up startled before dodging the next swing of his whip, rolling to the ground before jumping back split legged as the whip landed particularly close to his nether regions.The man reared his arm back again and Liyah drove forward into the whips path before it could land on Tony. The whip tore through the car with a metallic screech and she screamed as the car dipped to the side. She quickly unfastened her seat belt before crawling from the car, just as the whip came down again where she’d just been seated.She rolled away from the wreckage before pushing to her feet. As she came up, she unsheathed the knife at her ankle. Mia was definitely going to kill her.The ragged man laughed, blood dripping from his mouth, as he brought the whip down again. She tumbled forward before rolling to her feet straight into a steady run.He glared over at her before bringing up his whip.She sidestepped it as she continued to run and the man let out a growl as he focused his rage on her.She closed the distance between them with a rough slide along the pavement, lashing at his inner calf with her knife.He let out a scream, rearing his fist back to punch her.She broke through his momentum with a shove to his wrist sending the punch off angle and to the left of her face. He pitched forward off balance and she sent her gloved fist into his nose. His head reared back with a snap.Shifting her stance, she kneed him in the groin and then again to his face as he pitched forward.Electricity buzzed and she ducked under the swing of his whip before sending a kick to his side. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Tony rejoining the fray.She got in another punch to his face when a vision flared.She blinked at the onslaught, just managing to dodge the upswing of his whip. The vision passed and she knew it wouldn’t be long before it came to pass, but before she could escape arms gripped her, trapping her arms as he squeezed the air from her lungs.Her back cracked audibly with the pressure startling a cry from her lips. On reflex, her hands punched out awkwardly but with purpose as she slammed her fist into his groin. He let out a curse as he released her and she stumbled to her knees as gravity reclaimed her. She mustered her strength as the sound of screeching tires had her diving out of the way of the speeding Roll Royce from her vision.She hit the ground with a groan, peaking up just as the car cornered the man and Tony behind him. Her warning cry cut off as Tony climbed up the fence just out of reach as the whip bearer was slammed by the car. His top half pitched forward with the momentum before he slumped against the hood.Liyah let out a breath as she pushed to her feet. The sound of Tony arguing with Happy and Pepper in the car was nothing but background noise, as she tried to regain her bearings.She turned her gaze to the noise and her eyes widened as the tail of the whipped sliced through the open door in Tony’s hand.“Hit him again!” he shouted.Happy reversed before slamming into the man again, the airbags deploying with the hit.She could vaguely hear Tony shouting for his suit but she was already moving.She jumped on the trunk of the car, running up the roof and sliding down the hood before kicking the man in the face. Blood spurted as she hit her mark.  She quickly scrambled back.He let out a groan before pulling up his whip hand. She kicked at his wrist before he could gain momentum, before kicking him in the face for good measure.The sound of a mechanical whirring slightly distracted her and she yelped when a hand closed around her ankle.The man let out a laugh as he brought his other whip hand up. Her eyes widened as he brought it down but suddenly the car jerked before it, along with her, skidded out of the way. The man released her when he was no longer pinned and she fought for purchase at the sudden movement.Tony stood fully in the Iron man suit already aiming a repulsor blast at him. The man swiped it away with a slash of his whip before wrapping the other one around Tony, armor and all. Electricity sparked along the suit as the second whip curled around him. The man dragged Tony to the ground before slinging him to the side, the sound of metal grating against ground shrieked as the suit scraped the tarmac.As he reared back again her eyes widened at his intent and she quickly dove over the broken windshield and into the open roof of the car as Iron man crashed into her vacated spot. She slipped into the passenger seat as the car jerked, landing with an “oof” beside Happy.Tony finally managed to bring the man down as he wrapped himself in the whip with purpose, slamming the man to the ground when he was close enough to do so. The man didn’t attempt to get up and she slumped against the seat with a groan, before opening the door to the car.She quickly stumbled out, heading to the side gate where she could see Mia and Letty watching her with worry.“You alright sir?” Happy called after her.She raised a thumb in response, too tired to actually form words. She came around the car just as the police dragged the man away.“Thanks for that,” Tony trilled as she strode past him.She grunted in response but didn’t break stride as she made her way to the opening in the gate.Letty and Mia were motioning for her to move faster and she let out a huff. Before she could cover any more ground, an armored hand grabbed her wrist.She jerked to a stop, glancing back with a glare. Her helmet was still in place and she prayed it was dark enough to keep both Tony and Jarvis unaware.“Seriously, you really helped out back there,” he reiterated.She tried to wave him off when something caught his eyes over her head. She followed his gaze to her sister and she tried to jerk from his grip as his head whipped comically between the two. He reached his free hand forward to try and remove her helmet and she smacked it away with a bruising hit. “Ow shit,” she hissed.God, he wasn’t letting go. Why wouldn’t he just let go? She tried one more yank, “¡Suéltame!” The words tasted wrong on her tongue.“Liyah?” he asked and even through the modifier she could hear the surprise in his voice.Luckily more police came by thanking him, and to her surprise, her, and his grip loosened enough that she pulled away.She made a mad dash for Mia and Letty before dragging the two away from the commotion.  They made it back to the pit where most of the crew still waited and they were quickly ushered into the private team room.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

She made a mad dash for Mia and Letty before dragging the two away from the commotion.  They made it back to the pit where most of the crew still waited and they were quickly ushered inside the private team room.She pulled off her helmet with a gasp and a med team surrounded her as they assessed her injuries.The head of the team came forward with a hard look and she grimaced.“Technically you were the only one to cross the finish line,” he announced. “They’re allowing us to keep the time since even with the disturbance it was a record. The others will be redoing the lap.” His foot began to tap on the cemented flooring. “I can’t figure out why you went back though,” He admitted.A commotion at the door had him turning around as Tony, no longer in the armor, pushed through the entrance. His eyes searched the room until his gaze landed on her and he strode towards them.“What were you thinking?” he growled.Liyah rolled her eyes, before wincing as someone poked at her side. “I was thinking, how much do you want to bet Tony’s going to get caught in the fray. And oh,” she gasped, “look I was right.”Anger blazed in his eyes. “You could have gotten yourself killed.”She scoffed before sending a look to the leader. “A few seconds ago, he was all, thank you, Mr. Locke you were a big help.” She turned her gaze back to Tony. “I mean Chris is pretty sprightly but I doubt he can do a somersault.”Tony stepped into her space. “You’re missing the point.”“No, you are,” she returned, slipping off the table away from the med team and closer to Tony. “So just say thank you and leave.”“Thank you?” he hissed.She sent him an exaggerated smile. “¡De nada!” She stepped away when the med team finally gave up, striding to her sister off to the side.“Aaliyah,” he called, sounding exhaustedShe turned back to him with a sigh. “Anthony?”“What’re you even doing here?”She rolled her eyes. “I got an offer to be on the team if I was willing to stay anonymous. I was. so, I’m here.”“Why did you come back for me?”Running a hand along her braid she shrugged. “I had a feeling, you could use the help. I’m usually right about those kinds of things.” She pulled off her racing gloves with a smirk. “Why? Do you need a palm reading?” she asked holding out her hand.  Tony took a step back shoving his hand into his pocket only to pull out a familiar gold bracelet, he toyed with it. “You nearly gave me a heart attack; did you throw it in the ocean?”Confusion distorted her mind before realization dawned. “Did you put a tracker in my bracelet?”Tony scoffed. “Of course, I did!”“It’s not like I knew that, I would’ve flushed it down the toilet,” She added just to get a reaction.“Down th-- is this a joke to you?” Tony asked.Liyah crossed her arms. “I don’t really get why you’re upset. It’s a thing you know getting rid of old reminders.”Tony took a step towards her. “Burn my shirts, our pictures, but for the love of my sanity keep the bracelet, please.”“Why so you can monitor me? That’s a little creepy.”“¡No es!” he blurted.She blinked.“No, it’s not like that, if something happened to you and I didn’t try and stop it... I don’t know what I’d do.”Liyah snatched the bracelet, angrily putting on her wrist. “You’re a real hypocrite you know that? God forbid someone care about you.”Confusion marred his features. “What’s that supposed to mean?”Liyah could feel the sting of tears. He was serious. “You think you’re the only one who worries? All I can do to check on you is look through the news to see that you haven’t--”Her words abruptly cut off, watching the news had done more harm than good really. So far, he’d made Pepper the CEO of Stark Industries. After that announcement, he’d mainly gone incognito. The press hadn’t heard hide or tail from him, aside from the occasional blurred shots of Iron man, and by default neither had she.“You know what. Fine okay. I’ll keep it,” she stated, grabbing Mia and heading towards Letty who’d chosen to watch the situation from a distance.Liyah paused in her exit, “Who was that?” she asked, needing to know.He rocked back on his heels. “Going to find out.”Liyah hesitated, glancing at Mia then Letty before turning back to Tony. “I'm coming with you.”Tony shook his head. “What? No, that's not happening.”Liyah let out a laugh as she stepped out of the racing suit, leaving her in her flame-resistant under clothes. “I wasn't asking.”She strode past him to the door. “Vamos a ver qué problemas conjuró.”Tony caught up to her in two strides. “What makes you think I caused this?”At that, she sent him a sidelong glance. “Sorry, I'll hold judgment, but it’s kind of weird that he was using an arc reactor.”Tony let out a sigh as they rounded a corner, they approached two police officers ambling off to the side. “Emmenez-Moi à lui”She tried to keep the surprise off of her face, he never mentioned he spoke French. The officers nodded before angling them down the hall.She kept pace with Tony as he l̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶followed the gaggle of officers down through hall. They chattered over each other in French, in what she guessed was their attempt to dissuade him from his task. “Cinq minutes,” he announced when they came to a stop in front of a steel door.A guard stepped forward unlocking the door and sliding it open, he tried to block her way but Tony waved him off. “Elle est avec moi.”That she knew. She held down the urge to say she was not with him. Lest she sound like a petulant child.As the cell door slid shut behind them, Tony glanced at her. “Let me handle this.”Liyah shrugged, crossing her arms as she leant against the wall.The man sat on the lone bench in the room, clad only in a pair of underwear with his hands cuffed together. Aside from his face, tattoos covered every inch of his body. She tried not to look at them too hard. Someone had been nice enough to find him a toothpick or they’d been nice enough to let him keep it.“Your tech was pretty decent,” Tony began, drawing the man’s attention from the ground. “Your cycles per second were a little low, you could’ve doubled up your rotations.”Liyah tried to keep the disbelief off of her face as he continued. Clearly Tony was new to interrogation. Or maybe he always gave his would-be murderers advice on how to kill him easier.“Or gone to the black market.” Tony clasped his hands behind his back.She tuned back in.“You look like you’ve got friends in low places,” he finished.“You come from a family of thieves and butchers, and now like all guilty men, you try to rewrite your own history and you forget all the lives the Stark family destroyed,” he stated with an accent she placed as her mother tongue.Though he hid it well she noticed the flash of guilt that tightened Tony’s features.“Speaking of thieves, where’d you get this design?” he asked, the accusation clear in his tone.“My father, Anton Vanko,” he stated watching Tony expectantly.Showing no outward sign that he recognized the name, he shrugged. “Never heard of him.”Something like pain flashed across the man’s, Vanko’s, features. “My father is the reason you’re alive.”She pushed away from the wall drawing their attention as she dropped onto the bench in front of him. She ignored Tony’s protest as she looked into the man’s eyes.His eyes trailed the length of her body. “Ты симпатичная девушка, если бы была одна, и при разных обстоятельствах я мог бы показать тебе хорошее время.”She remembered telling Tony she’d forgotten how to speak Russian, but she had no trouble translating his offering. “You are a pretty girl if we were alone and under different circumstances, I could show you a good time.”Liyah grinned, all teeth and cat-like in its entirety. This she could do. “If we were alone, I would cut off your cock, ship it back to Russia, and give you a proper burial,” She returned, quick, as her mother had taught her.He let out a laugh that echoed in the room.Pulling out her knife she held it against his cock and out of view of cameras. His laughter stopped abruptly and she smiled before gently placing a hand to his cheek.Visions of him, and a sick man, of death and rebuilding, played through her mind’s eye.The sound of Tony stepping forward drew her back and she blinked finding the man closer to her face.She snapped at him catching his toothpick between her teeth. Drawing it from his mouth she winked before striding to the door. “I think we're good here.” She turned back to Vanko with a sharp smile. “Do svidaniya.”Tony knocked on the door and it slid open. He ushered her from the room, taking a moment longer as he stepped back into the room but soon, he was beside her as the door slammed shut.“You think they have those little plastic baggies?” she asked, talking around the toothpick in her mouth.Tony said more words in French, and one of the officers handed her an evidence bag. She dropped the toothpick inside, promising herself she’d use mouth wash later.They’d barely made it around the bend before he turned on her. “What did you get? And did you have to get so close to figure it out?”Choosing to ignore the second part of his question she shrugged. “An older man, Anton Vanko probably, died in some crappy apartment. The same apartment he built those whips in, he even had a blueprint,” she added.“Stolen probably,” Tony quipped, “didn’t you tell me you didn’t speak Russian.”“I said I couldn’t form proper sentences, I only remember the bad stuff.” She let out a thoughtful hum as she replayed the vision. “Here’s the thing, next to Howard Stark’s name was Anton Vanko’s.”Tony paused in his stride. “That’s impossible.”She sent him a shrug. “Only one way to find out,” she stated holding up the evidence bag.After a moment he finally took it, with that she turned on her heels and headed down the hallway.“Call me if you need me to interrogate someone else, that was kind of fun.” *******A week had passed since the incident and with each passing day, Letty seemed to get more and more anxious.“I’ve got to do something,” Letty huffed one night.Mia and Liyah turned to the woman with a frown. “About?”“Dom! It’s not fair, he’s out there looking over his shoulder every time he breathes.”Not for the first time, Liyah felt a pang of guilt. Dominic was only in this mess because of them and his need to take care of everything. She raised a brow at Letty. “Then what’s the plan?”Letty turned to her slowly. “Haven’t actually gotten that far.” She sat down on the couch with a huff.Liyah rubbed a hand up her arm soothingly “We’ll figure something out don’t worry...” she trailed off as she was hit with a vision.Letty jumped to her feet. “I’ll be in the garage.”As the door closed, she blinked out of her haze to find Mia watching her. “Everything okay?”Liyah gnawed at her lip anxiously “I… I’ll be in my room,” she returned.She sat on her bed, leaning against the headboard with a groan. She replayed the vision.
She watched as Letty sped down a dark road and as she came around a bend another car followed on her tail. It pulled around her before slamming into the side of her car. It jerked too hard before tipping into an arc as it rolled down the road. The car landed with a thud on its roof.

The door kicked open with a screech and Letty inched herself out of the wreck as blood trickled from a gash in her head. The figure of a
man leered
over her in the darkness before he shot off a slew of bullets at her friend.
Liyah released a shuddering sigh, as she blinked away the vision. Whatever Letty was planning it would get her killed. That wasn’t something she could handle.When Letty came in the next day, she seemed renewed, in that she had purpose. Without a doubt Liyah knew that she’d already set a plan in motion. She watched the woman head for the garage before following after her.Letty looked up at her entrance “¿Qué Pasa?”“Whatever you’ve got planned, it kills you,” she blurted.Letty’s eyes widened. “I... What?”Liyah sat down in front of her. “Whatever it is, don’t do it.”Letty sat back in her chair with a huff, “I already made the deal, I can’t back out now.”So, she did have a plan. “What deal?”Letty dropped her head into her hands. “I-I can’t tell you.”She glared at the woman. “¡Tu mueres, Letty! Are you missing that? Because I’ve seen it!”Letty looked up. “Show me.”She hesitated before removing her glove and holding out her hand. Letty grasped it and she forced the vision of her demise to her.Letty let go with a gasp. “That was weird,” She breathed.Liyah snorted. “Weird? Sure. Now tell me.”Letty hesitated before grabbing a tool idly. “I met with O’Connor, near the station.”She frowned at the name, the station? Her eyes widened and she punched Letty in the arm “That cop!”Letty frowned. “Yeah, he’s with the FBI now and we worked out a deal, if I help him bring down this drug lord, he’s going to try and get Dom Pardoned.”She felt her eyes widen. “We’ll think of something else, he wouldn’t want you risking your life this way.”“I’m doing this Liyah,” Letty stated adamantlyShe groaned, “Fine, then I’m coming with you.”Letty shook her head “No way, babe. If you get hurt--”“I can’t get hurt but, you can die? That’s bullshit Letty and you know it. I’m coming if only to keep an eye on you.” Something shifted and she held out her hand. “Now give me your hand.”“I don’t want to see myself die again, Liy, I get it,” Letty stated as she crossed her arms.“No, you don’t but that’s not what I’m doing, I want to see if me going changes anything.”She hesitated momentarily before taking her hand. Liyah closed her eyes as she forced a vision, running through all the possibilities before she withdrew her hand.“Am I still dead?”Liyah frowned before nodding. “You’re going in as one of his drivers?”Reaching for the toolbox, Letty turned away. “That’s the in they got me.”“Give me O’Connor’s number.”Letty’s eyes snapped to hers. “Liyah.”“Dámelo, Leticia” she hissed.Letty huffed out a chuckle, “Tu Hermano va--”She sent her a glare, she could give a flying fuck what her brother would do.“Never mind,” Letty stated.She shot off a text to the number, turning she opened her mouth only to let it snap shut.Letty had begun the process of fixing the Charger. It was in a word, a wreck. After the accident, Dominic had left before he could attempt to fix it. Letty seemed to have assigned herself the task.Deciding to let the conversation drop she returned to her room, her phone chiming with an incoming call just as she’d sat down in a chair.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Deciding to let the conversation drop she returned to her room, her phone chiming with an incoming call just as she’d sat down in a chair.She let it ring twice before picking up. “Hello?”The man cleared his throat. “Who is this?”“A friend of Letty’s, I want in,” she returned.“I don’t know what-”“Cut the crap, Brian. You’ve already torn my family apart once, I won’t let you do it again. Not on my watch.”The line went silent before a sigh sounded. “Meet me at the diner on the boulevard.”She forced a vision of the meet. “See you then.”She eyed Letty, still working on the broken-down Charger a second longer before heading back to the house. If she was going to meet up with O’Conner she’d need to clean up, but without tipping off Mia. The last thing she wanted was to drag Mia into what she knew was going to be a shit show.Luckily her sister was gone by the time she came up from her room. She’d just grabbed her keys from the table when a hard knock sounded at the door. Being that everyone who lived there had a key and no one had visited unexpectedly since Dominic left, she approached hesitantly. The lights in the shed were off so Letty must’ve left.Flicking off lights as she went, she peered through the peephole in the door. She frowned at the face she found on the other side before unlocking the door. Searching the area behind him, she met his gaze as fear shot through her. “Is everything okay?”“Nothing has been okay.”Stepping away from the door, she allowed Rhodey into the house, turning back on the lights as she locked the door. “What’s wrong did something happen?”Rhodey looked to her incredulously and Liyah fought the urge to take a step back as anger flitted across his features.“Did something… Are you kidding?” Rhodey balked. “You’re kidding right?” He began to pace her living room, throwing his hands into the air.  “My best friend is spiraling, I don’t know what to do! Why would you leave, I don’t understand? I mean you fed us all this crap about caring about Tony, how you’d basically kill for him!”Liyah blinked at the onslaught before her own anger surged. “I have killed for that man, so I don’t apprecia- did you just say I left?”Rhodey crossed his arms.“Left? Leaving was the last thing I wanted to do! Rhodey, he broke up with me!”The anger had slowly leached from his features, but at her last words, disbelief flitted across his face. “What? That doesn’t make any sense this only started after you left.”Liyah shook her head. “If you think that’s the truth, then you haven’t been paying attention.”Rhodey drew back as if he’d been slapped.“Tony’s been spiraling, as you put it, since he came back from Afghanistan. I tried being there for him, silently, emotionally, vocally, hell sexually!” Liyah ran a hand through her hair. “Out of nowhere, after everything he broke up with me.”“Did he say why?” Rhodey asked bewildered.Liyah scoffed as she took a seat on the couch. “He fed me some bullshit excuse about age differences.”“Then why’d you leave?” he asked, taking a seat beside her.“Why did I… did you not just hear what I said?”“Yeah but that’s just Tony, if you don’t fight to stay in his life, he’ll just assume you’re there out of convenience!” He said as if it was obvious. “I don’t really know what I was supposed to do,” she mumbled. “What I’m supposed to do now.”“Honestly, me either,” Rhodey said with a shrug. “Being with Tony… being Friends with Tony isn’t easy. I’ve known the guy since he was fifteen. He’s always had a tendency to keep things close to the chest. He’s just shit at hiding them, especially when you know what to look for.” Rhodey let out a low chuckle. “It’s like he’s always torn between pushing people away and wanting them close, guy doesn’t know how to ask for help.”Liyah leaned back into the couch at the admission. “But what do you do with that? God! I love him but it’s driving me crazy!”After a moment of silence, she looked up to find Rhodey staring at her, a smile forming on his lips. She quickly replayed her words in her mind and a blush slowly began to warm her cheeks. She grabbed the nearest pillow before burying her face into it.Rhodey patted her back. “Hearing that might have just made my night.”Peering up at him from her pillow, she watched as he nodded his head resolutely.“Alright, we’ll figure something out.” ********“So, you want in?” Brian murmured, as she took a seat in the booth.She nodded.“The closest person we could find to Braga- ““Braga?” She cut in.“Arturo Braga, this guy’s the head of a drug cartel that’s been smuggling heroin into the states. The Bureau’s been after him for years but every time they try to pin the charges to him, they don’t stick. One of his underlings, Ramon Campos, runs his LA division, guy changes transport drivers every week and that’s where Letty comes in.” He shook his head. “We were barely able to find her a spot there’s no way to get you in.”She held up a hand, to stop him. “I’ll get myself in, you just need to make sure my part goes into getting Dominic Pardoned.”Brian blinked, disbelief clear in his features. “How’re you going to do that? It took us months to get this kind of opening.”Liyah grinned, “just tell me where they’re meeting up. I’ll do the rest.”Brian hesitated before giving in. “I’ll see what I can do.”Standing from the table she paused with a raised brow when he cleared his throat.“How’s Mia?” he asked, twisting a discarded straw wrapper between his fingers.Liyah walked away with a snort. “Like I’d tell you.”As she drove, she made a split-second decision to go to the garage. She didn’t really feel like sleeping yet.A Subaru had been dropped off the other day, the owner had explained the noise it made while idling. She slipped in the car turning the key to hear it for herself.  All seemed normal until she pressed down on the gas to rev the engine. A loud squealing echoed and she listened to it a moment longer before stepping away. Maybe it was the timing belt she decided, moving around to the hood of the car to check the belt's tension. As she worked, she let her mind wander back to her and Rhodey’s conversation.She could’ve stayed after Tony had broken up with her, but in her mind that only ended with forced removal. It was for the best that she’d left when she did, lest more words be said that would eat away at her. She pulled out her phone debating whether to call Jarvis to check on things, then she remembered that number was in the stark phone. She closed the flip phone with a sigh. The address came the next night in a text message along with a picture of Campos. She looked over both before deleting the latter. It didn’t take long to find the place, cars shining like neon lights announced the area like a beacon. Parking beside a blue Mazda she stepped out of the car, taking up position beside it as she scoped out the place. From her position, she couldn’t see hide or tail of Letty.She dallied, walking through the crowd. She checked over the hood of a car, it was a nice setup, but the lights he’d added around the edge weren’t really her style.She walked around a while longer before returning to her car. She popped the hood, meandering over the top before climbing behind the wheel. Two revs of the engine and she quickly gathered her own crowd but she noticed, she had drawn someone else’s attention as well. “This your car?” he asked, coming to a stop in front of her Chevy.She glanced at the man, with a raised a brow. “Do I look like the kind of woman to drive a Chevelle?”He raised a brow with an absent-minded shrug.She let out a low laugh “Yes it’s mine. Do you like it?” she asked with a small smileHis eyes roamed over her body and she fought the need to shudder as the shorter man grinned.“Very much.”“Then maybe I can take you for a ride sometime,” She trilled, pushing the ringer button on the side of her phone. It vibrated in her palm and she dropped her gaze to the now lit up screen, an old message still displayed there. She feigned disappointment, “Hmmm I have to go.”“I’m sure we’ll see each other again,” he chimed.She sent him a smile as she opened the car door. “I look forward to it.”She’d just started the engine when there was a knock on her window, biting back a smirk she rolled it down.“Are you busy Friday night?” he asked, leaning in close through her window.She tamped down on the urge to draw back, instead, she gave him a small grin and his gaze dropped to her lips as she spoke. “Not anymore.”“I’m hosting a party at Club Lure, I’ll add you to the guest list?”In a split-second decision, she decided to use her mother’s maiden name. As alias’ went it wasn’t the worst.Ramon leaned farther into the car and she sent him a small grin before hovering her lips over his. One kiss, she told herself, was all she needed to get this over and done with. At least partially, depending on what she saw.  “See you then,” she breathed, before he could notice her hesitation as more than flirtatious.He pulled back with a laugh, “You’re gonna be trouble.”She winked before driving out of her spot. She pulled onto the main road her mind shooting to Tony as disgust boiled in her stomach. The things she did for family.She was barely four miles away when she realized she was being followed. She almost began the process of losing them when a flash of blond hair caught her attention. She made a quick right into the parking lot of a restaurant before heading inside, the least he could do is pay for dinner.“Table for two, please,” She said to the waiter who greeted her at the hosts stand.Situated in the back corner of the restaurant it wasn’t long before Brian came into view.When he finally sat down at the table she leaned back in her seat “You do know how undercover works?”Brian shifted in his seat, glancing out the window. “We wanted to make sure you got your in.”Liyah followed his gaze to a car with two men sitting inside. She let out a sigh, “I told you I’d get in.”Brian pursued his lips. “But you didn’t say how.”“I’m winging it, whatever happens, happens,” she said. She picked up her menu from the table, grimacing at the sticky residue it left on her finger.The waiter came by for their drink orders and Brian waited until he left to turn on her. “You’re going to sleep with Campos?” He shook his head. “Dom wouldn’t want you to—”“Please, I’m a big girl, I know where the big parts go. But to answer your, not, question, no. I mean if all else fails I can but, that isn’t plan A.”“Which is?” he asked, clearly exasperated with her roundabout answers.“If I spell it out for you it’ll only jinx it,” she stated.“This is serious Aaliyah, if you want to help Dom you need to let us in, every step of the way.”She let out a loud huff before brightening. “I could use your help.”Brian glanced at her warily. “I’m listening.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Tony’s POVEyeing his latest failure, he pushed away from his table. What was he missing? Grabbing his horrendously green smoothie from U, he shook it up before taking a sip, nearly gagging at the consistency. This better be helping.“Give me an update, J?”If A.I.’s could sigh his would be the first, Tony imagined as Jarvis spoke.“Perhaps, Sir, you could just call Ms. Toretto.”He took another pull from the bottle, before returning to his work. “Nope.”“Are you, by chance, afraid she won’t answer.”His focus wavered. He was sure she would answer, at least he hoped she would. But what would he even say? He was no closer to finding a solution than he had been when she was here.Giving his creator a much-needed break Jarvis spoke. “From her location, Ms. Toretto appears to be going to a club known as Lure.”He glanced up. “Clubs are crowded.”“Very astute, sir.”He tried not to glare. “Lure... I’ve heard of that place. Popular, up-scale even. Not a place she’d usually go.”“The cover charge is quite high,” Jarvis conceded.“But me on the other hand,” Tony murmured already striding to the elevator.Jarvis stayed suspiciously quiet as he dressed, he was almost to the car when he finally paused. “What nothing to say, Jiminy?”“Please give Ms. Toretto my best.”Tony resumed his stride to the car. “I’m not going to talk to her, I’m just going to watch from afar.”“If that should change, tell her we said hello.”Around him, the bots waved enthusiastically.Tony sat in the leather seat of the Selene with a grunt. “Yeah, yeah.”*********Aaliyah’s PovShe’d refused a wire altogether. If she did have to sleep with the man, she couldn’t very well hide the damned thing. Adjusting the sleeves of her black dress she stepped towards the door of the nightclub, her heels giving her an extra four inches of height. She had a feeling that Ramon liked his woman tall and since she was at his height in flats, a boost couldn’t hurt.Bypassing the line, she heard a few murmured noises of disgruntlement as she went. She ignored it all in favor of sending the bouncer a smile. “I’m on the list for Ramon.”The guard looked her up and down as he spoke. “Name.”“Aaliyah Belova.”The guard searched his list at the podium before waving her through.“Thanks,” She called, flipping her heavy curls over her shoulder as she strode inside.Music pulsed around her and she let herself be swept up in it all; the bodies, the dancing, the grinding.She pulled away to go to the bar, sitting on the closest free stool. She could feel eyes on her and she forced a vision to see if he’d come over. She smiled as the vision passed, motioning for the bartender and ordering a drink as she waited.A hand came to rest at the back of her stool just as she sipped at her drink. Replacing it on a white napkin she turned to him with a smile. “I was beginning to wonder if I came to the right place.”“We’re on the upper level,” he stated, placing a twenty on the bar for the tender he offered her his arm.She slid down from the stool, looping her arm through his.  “Lead the way.”He led her over to a set of stairs sanctioned off by a velvet rope and the guard lifted it as they approached.As they reached the top level she looked around, it was much more subdued, but still had a few people dancing, mostly women on each other.He led her to a cluster of couches with sparsely seated people. A man with tattoos and a mohawk looked up at their entrance, he looked from Ramon to her, his eyes lingering on her before he silently chortled.  Ramon sat towards the middle and she took the seat by his side. He poured her a glass from the bottle and she adjusted herself slightly as conversation picked up around her. Across the seat from them a man began to boast about his cars and the modifications he’d been making, she scoffed as he spoke and his gaze shot her.“Something funny?” he asked.She let out hum. “If you did that, you’d blow a gasket within the first quarter mile. Your cars trying to tell you something, maybe you should listen,” She said with a shrug, dismissing him as she looked to the lower level of the club.“So, you do know cars,” Ramon spoke into her ear.“I dabble,” She offered her eyes widening as she caught the familiar gate of someone below. She turned to Ramon with an alluring smile as her finger twirled idly at one of her curls. “So, what’s a girl gotta do to get a dance?”He shook his head with a smile, “I don’t dance but, Giselle here does.”Said woman turned to them with a smile.Damn. She was gorgeous. Her dark hair was slicked back into a long ponytail, hoop earrings dangled from her ears. Liyah forced her eyes to stay north.She sent the woman a flirtatious grin before holding out her hand out in invitation. Giselle sent Ramon a questioning look as she took it and he waved her on.Liyah pulled her toward the others dancing before she began to sway. “Surely you can show me a good time.”Giselle quirked her lips into a smile, her voice slight with an accent Liyah couldn’t place. “I can try.” The woman pulled her closer, matching her rhythm with her smile still in place. “Where did you meet Ramon?” she asked when the music slowed in tempo.“He found me really, I just happened to be in the right place.”“Or the wrong place,” Giselle warned, turning her so that Liyah’s back was pressed to her chest. “You’d get out of here if you knew what was good for you,” she whispered, lips brushing her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.Internally Aaliyah agreed wholeheartedly. Her job was to keep Letty alive, but she had no intention of dying in the process. She mulled over Giselle’s words as they continued to dance, when the beat changed again, she twisted back around to face her only to get a glimpse of Tony looking over at them. “You’re probably right.”As if to confirm it was her, he eased his way over. “Aaliyah?”She tamped down on the typical butterflies as she paused in her dancing.Giselle stopped along with her. “Is that Iron Man?” She asked in her ear.Liyah held back an eye roll as she faced him. “Anthony, fancy meeting you here.”He let out a strained chuckle. “I’m sorry was I interrupting?”Giselle shook her head “No we were--”“You are, actually, so…”Tony let out another chuckle and she frowned at the tiredness in his eyes.She spoke before she could stop herself. “Maybe you should go home, get some rest. You look tired.”Tony clutched a hand to his heart. “Right for the ego, always the charmer.”She rolled her eyes before moving to step around him but an arm sliding around her waist froze her.“Is there a problem here, Aaliyah,” Ramon asked her, his eyes on Tony.Tony’s gaze tracked the arm firmly around her waist before he looked to her, his gaze alight with betrayal, and was that hurt she saw? Eyes hard, he turned to the intruder.She quickly turned to Ramon with a smile. “No problem, you sure you don’t want to dance with me?”“I’m sure we could get up to something else,” he returned with a grin.If looks could kill Ramon would be dead, she decided as she peeked over her shoulder to find Tony eying the shorter man. “I’m sorry who’s this?”Liyah repressed a sigh. “I’m not doing this with you. You made a choice.” Live with it she added silently.  She turned to Ramon, “I’m going to need a stiff drink.”He glanced once more at Tony before focusing on her, “I’ve got just the thing.”A ruckus downstairs drew their attention and she glanced down with a sigh as the second part of her plan played out before her eyes. “Looks like this party’s over.”Ramon glanced down with a frown, “Unfortunate turn of events, Fenix,” he called.Quelling the urge to touch him, she urged Tony with her eyes that this was not real. Locking her gaze with his, she pointedly looked down at the agents combing through the club.He followed her gaze, but whether he understood, she didn’t wait to find out. Turning to Ramon and the man with a curly mohawk, Fenix she deduced. “I hope you didn’t park in the garage.”Fenix paused. “And why’s that?”She pointed at one of the larger glass windows. “It’s surrounded.”Fenix inhaled sharply. “I can just-”“I’ve got room for three more,” Liyah chimed, before following the signs for a back exit. As more cops poured in, she ran through her options choosing to take the window route. Three sets of footsteps sounded behind her and she glanced back to find Ramon, Fenix, and Giselle had, in fact, followed her.Stopping at a medium-sized window she glanced at Giselle. The woman pulled out the handgun she’d felt when they’d been dancing, but before she could take the shot a hand shot out to stop her. Giselle looked up confused, but Fenix just motioned for her to step aside.Pulling off his jacket he wrapped it around his hand. He slammed his covered fist into it twice before the glass gave way. She tried not he flinch at the noise as he began to kick the pieces aside. He stepped away when he was finished and she sent him a grin before climbing through.She dropped down to the lower part of the roof before jumping off the edge to land on a garbage box lid below, dropping to the ground she headed towards the mouth of the alley away from the noise happening behind her. She turned when she didn’t hear the sound of following footsteps, only to find them standing on the lower roof.  She crossed her arms expectantly. “You coming or what?”Giselle glanced at the two men before dropping to the garbage lid. Ramon shrugged before following after. Leaving Fenix standing on the roof.“Did you want me to catch you?” she teased.The man let out a snort before taking the drop.She’d parked three blocks away from the commotion, but not far away enough to be suspicious. The group climbed into her Chevy and she grinned. “Buckle up.”Pulling out into traffic she glanced at Ramon beside her. “Can I drop you off somewhere?”It stayed quiet as he seemed to have a silent conversation with Fenix behind her. She pretended not to notice, glancing into her rearview mirror as if making sure they weren’t being followed. Finally, he turned with a smile. “Make the next right at the light.”After fifteen minutes of driving, Liyah had to admit she was worried about where they were taking her. It was already dark and the farther they went the fewer street lights she saw.After ten more minutes, they finally approached an imposing wrought iron gate with its pointed black finials. She pulled to a stop in front of it, not letting an inch of her nervousness show. Looking to Ramon, she raised a brow in a silent question.He looked to Fenix with a head tilt and the man exited the car to approach the large pillar to her left. She noticed the small keypad embedded in it just before he blocked it from her view. She listened for the sound of the keypad but it seemed to be toneless as the gates swung open before them.Liyah prepared herself for what she might see. There hadn’t been any other houses, no mailboxes as they’d gotten closer. The large gate itself had thrown her imagination for a loop.So, what she hadn’t been expecting to find was a Mediterranean style home at the hilltop. It was breathtaking, she decided, as motion detecting lights lit up the driveway and a stairway path that led to the house.“A man’s home is his castle,” Ramon announced, noticing her awed expression.Liyah pulled around the driveway coming to a stop in front of the light lit stairs leading to what she assumed was the front door. The walkway was situated in the alcove of the house with white stucco walls topped with a red tiled roof. The sound of her car doors opening drew her from her haze and as they stepped away, she got ready to pull off only to pause when it sounded like someone said her name. Cutting the rumbling engine, she peered through the passenger window. “What was that?”Giselle smiled. “He said are you coming in?”Worrying her bottom lip, she hesitated to accept the offer. It was the ‘in’ she was looking for after all.“At least come in for a drink?” Ramon insisted.Liyah exited the car adjusting her clothes as she went. “How can I resist.”As she approached the trio, Giselle hooked an arm through hers leading her through the front door of the pristine home. As they stepped in Ramon turned around his eyes immediately going to Giselle’s arm still firmly wrapped in hers.He shook his head. “Well, why don’t you get our guest situated then.”The woman nodded pulling her along through the house. “We’ll be at the pool bar.”If she thought the front of the house was beautiful the pool deck was even better, lit up as it was in the night.Giselle stepped behind the bar, so she took a seat at one of its stools.“So, Ms. Belova,” Giselle trilled, what can I get you.”Liyah tilted her head as she thought, glancing behind the bar to check out its wares. “Nothing too heavy, I do need to drive home Ms….”“Harabo,” Giselle offered, the ‘R’ rolling easily off her tongue.She pulled out a pink bottle of Bacardi from beneath the bar. Pouring two glasses, she came around to sit beside her, taking a sip from her own cup.“Back at the club, I didn’t mean what I said as a threat, it was more of a…” she paused as if searching for the right word.“A warning,” Liyah supplied. “At least, that’s what it sounded like.”“That’s what it was,” Giselle conceded. “But now, something tells me you’re exactly where you wanted to be.”Liyah took a sip from her glass, letting out a hum at the strawberry flavoring. “For all that you’ve said, it seems I’m exactly where you wanted me.”Giselle hid a smile behind her glass. “That maybe so, but who would I be if I didn’t at least warn you.”Downing the rest of her drink Liyah stood from her stool taking off her heels as she went. “I’ve been warned, now how about we go for a swim?”Following her lead, Giselle finished her glass, before approaching her. With one hand Giselle motioned for her to turn around.Liyah smiled softly before turning, lifting her hair to the side to expose the dress’s zipper. Giselle eased the straps down her shoulders allowing it to drop to the ground. Liyah stepped out of the fabric, left in her lacy black bra and panties.She turned to face the woman motioning for her to turn around so she could return the favor.Giselle obliged with a grin. Without her heels on she realized Giselle would be taller then she’d realized. Her suspicions were confirmed when said woman kicked off her shoes as she continued to unzip her dress; leaving her more than a few inches taller.The straps slid from her shoulders easily before slipping to the floor and Giselle stepped away grabbing the bottle of Bacardi before going to the pool, her red undergarments leaving nothing to the imagination.The water was cool against her warmed skin, but not cold enough to keep her out. They passed the bottle a few times. Her tolerance for alcohol was high she knew from experimenting, this wasn’t near enough to get her drunk, but it would be a gentle buzz.She glanced at the patio door to find Fenix and Ramon watching them, though they made no move to come over.They finished the bottle, finding themselves in the deeper end, Liyah’s legs wrapped firmly around Giselle’s waist. It was nice, she decided being held, but as she felt warm lips press to her throat, she couldn’t help but stiffen.Giselle let out a quiet laugh. “There it is.”Liyah let out a groan but made no move to get out of her hold.“Tony Stark steals another heart.”Liyah snorted. “Did you read that in a headline?”Giselle pulled back to look her in the eyes. “No, but it doesn’t make it any less true.”Liyah let out a humorless laugh. “That’s what I am now, another name added to a list of conquest.”Giselle frowned before a knowing smile formed on her lips. “I don’t think so, when he saw us together, it looked like he was plotting a way to separate us, but when Ramon put his arm around you.” Giselle let out a laugh that echoed in the night. “I thought for sure Iron Man would make an appearance.”Liyah couldn’t help but laugh before it turned into another groan, she dropped her head to the woman’s shoulder. “Men are infuriating.”“I’ll drink to that,” Giselle said with a grin.

Tony’s POV

All things considered, that could have gone worse. In what way, Tony wasn’t sure, but he was positive it could’ve.  The FBI had taken one look his way and escorted him back to his car.And what had that been about? Was she in trouble with the FBI? She’d seemed surprised by their arrival, but had she really been? She’d been trying to tell him something about the chaos that had unfolded before she had disappeared with the three amigos.And why was it that every time he saw her it was on someone else’s arm?His mind seemed to be on a loop, the way the stranger’s arm had wrapped around her waist.But he’d seen her stiffen, the movement so small but glaringly obvious to him. At least it didn’t seem on purpose, or was that wishful thinking? Never had he wanted to punch someone so bad.He pulled into the workshop, throwing the car into park before making a beeline for the elevator. He began undoing his tie, just as Jarvis spoke.“I suppose the stakeout did not go as planned, were you able to pass on the bots’ message at least?”“Ha ha, we’ll see who’s laughing when third graders start shoving crayons into your circuit board.”Tossing his clothes in the hamper, he made his way to the shower.“How is she?” Jarvis finally asked.Tony let out a sigh as the water cut on, steam beginning to rise as the A.I. regulated the temperature. “She looked good, J. Better than good,” he murmured, “Much better than she was here.” He’d made the right decision, he’d been killing her alongside himself.“But, how is she?”Unsure of how to answer, he climbed into the shower, careful to keep his face from the spray of water. Scalding hot was the only way he could do this anymore, anything less and flashes of a dark cave and ice cold water burning his lungs would bombard him. He switched his thoughts back to Aaliyah, she had looked good, he loved it when she left her hair down, the curls framing her face. The way the black dress had cupped her breast, how it had wrapped around her waist, and hugged her thighs.He felt his cock begin to stiffen, and he found himself leaning his back against the wall, a slight chill still lingering along the tile. Soaping up his hand he glided it up and down his length urging himself to harden as he imagined the rasp of her voice, how it still managed to convey silk in its cadence.He swirled a finger over his tip imagining it was her warm tongue. Imaging it was the calluses of her smaller hand that squeezed him in the way only she could.“Anthony,” she’d whisper. “oh, fuck,” he sighed, closing his eyes as he pictured her face as he’d seen it tonight. Her blue eyes pooling with the grey had been bright beneath her dark lashes. The pink of her lips, curled upwards in a mischievous grin.He needed to hurry up and fix this.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Liyah stretched languidly, only to freeze. She was wrapped in someone’s hold, her head pillowed on something firm but soft. Blinking her eyes open she took in an expanse of tanned skin, interrupted by sheets and long brown hair. Taking a second to replay last night’s events, she remembered finishing off two more bottles with the woman before she was declared unable to drive home. Giselle had offered her a warm shower, a nightgown, and a bed. All Liyah had wanted was to curl up with her and it seemed, that was exactly what she’d done.Carefully she glanced around for any source for time. It was still early she learned, finding a small clock on the nightstand beside the bed. She debated getting up, but guiltily, she found herself basking in the contact as she fell back asleep.The sound of her phone ringing woke them both up and she jerked awake, grabbing her phone from the floor. She checked the Caller ID with a frown, Mia’s name labeled as the incoming call. Giselle slipped from the large bed disappearing into the bathroom.“Hey?” she gruffed, trying to clear the gravel from her voice.“Liyah, hey where are you?”She pushed herself up into a sitting position as she glanced at the time. “At a friend’s, sorry I forgot to call you last night.”“It’s fine, can you pick up the second shift at the market? Letty’s going to take care of the garage.”“No problem.”“Thanks, bye.”The line went dead and she leaned forward with a sigh.Giselle grinned as she reentered the room. “Good morning!”She returned it, excusing herself to the bathroom. Giselle had laid out a dark tank top and pair of Jeans by the time she returned.“They might be a little long on you but—”“It’s fine, thank you, I really didn’t want to have to do a walk of shame.”Giselle laughed. “No need for shame.”Following Giselle downstairs, she frowned at the sight in the living room. Ramon paced the room as Fenix stood vigil in front of a dark-haired man. Ramon paused on his next pass as they came into view.“Ah, Giselle there you are,”Giselle stopped beside him her eyes taking in the man. “What is going on?”Ramon nodded his head. “That’s a good question, in fact, I was wondering the same thing, Julian, why don’t you explain.”The dark-haired man looked between the three, his eyes skimming over her. “The warehouse was raided too, there was nothing we could do at the club, I swear.”Ramon tsked before a gunshot rang out.Liyah would have flinched if she hadn’t seen it coming. There was a reason her brother had never gotten into the drug business. It was dirty work and Dom had a tendency to see the best in people.Sidestepping them she headed to what she hoped was the kitchen. “Anyone want breakfast?” she asked barely managing to keep the tremble out of her voice. Had that been her fault? Later. She’d process later.An arm came around her waist and again she barely suppressed a flinch. Realizing it was Giselle she leaned slightly into it.“I could eat,” the woman supplied, nudging her reassuringly before stepping away, but not before Liyah noted the slight tremble in her hand.Dirty business.Fenix and Ramon followed not long after, as she and Giselle moved around the kitchen. She mostly did the cooking but Giselle chopped a few vegetables for the omelets.“So, Aaliyah,” Ramon began after they all had food on their plate. “What you saw, was one of my footmen, of sorts. One of my warehouses fell victim to a drug bust.”She raised her brow, “Drug bust? Was it his fault?” Ramon shrugged. “I left him in charge of it, doesn’t matter whose fault it was.”She nodded, taking a bite from her eggs.“So, it seems, I’m down one man.”She sat back. “Is that a job offer?”“Well, we can either bring you in, or Fenix will have to deal with you.”She leveled her gaze on Fenix, he took a bite from his eggs, chewing them slowly. “I don’t deal.”Ramon shook his head, and she returned her gaze back to him. “No, of course not. That’d be a waste, I’ve got something else in mind for you.”She mulled it over. “What’s in it for me?”“Not dying,” Fenix trilled.She sent him a lazy smile, “Death’s easy, it’s life that’s fucked up.”“I’m sure we can come up with an amount that’ll satisfy you,” Ramon offered, taking another bite of his eggs.She returned to her eggs, eating as if thinking over his proposition. Last chance to back out. Fenix would make the first move. Not Giselle, she’d be more reluctant, and Ramon didn’t seem to be the type to get his hands dirty.There’d be a struggle. Fenix would shoot at her here, but she’d already be ducked behind the counter. She’d seen Giselle tuck a gun into her waistband, she’d pull the woman down with her, slip the gun out and all three would be dead before they could blink.She glanced up from her empty plate. “I’m in.” She made it just in time for the evening shift at the market. A few of the neighborhood kids stopped by and per an agreement, she’d made with them they ate sandwiches and snacks in the back as they did their homework. She ended up staying late as she helped one with math homework. Together they’d figured out the problems in the end and she sent the girl off with more food for her siblings.When she made it to her bed, she dropped hard passing out almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.Her phone buzzed what felt like minutes later and she dragged herself awake as she searched her nightstand for the device. She grunted triumphantly when her fingers closed around it before bringing it closer to her face.She stared confused at the dark phone screen as the buzzing continued, dazedly she realized it was coming from inside the nightstand. Feeling for the drawer she tugged at the handle before reaching inside to find the ringing Stark Phone.She squinted at the dimly lit screen, an automatic night feature Tony had developed, the number read unknown. Liyah frowned, she’d long since changed Tony’s number to Genius. Hesitantly she hit the green key.“Hello?”“Good evening Miss,” A familiar British accent trilled.“Jarvis.” She took a breath. “How are you?”“I am well, thank you for asking,” he returned. Liyah smiled at the familiar intonation in his voice that appeared anytime she asked him the question.Her smile dropped as she checked the time. “Why are you calling me at two am?”“It’s about Sir.”She let out a sigh. “Jarvis, sweetie--” she tried.“It is an emergency,” he cut in.She dragged a hand down her face before pushing into a sitting position. “Where is he?” Jarvis caught her up to speed as she drove, her frown deepening the longer he talked.She dragged a hand through her hair. “Why’s he doing all this?” “Some would say desperation,” Jarvis supplied.“He made Pepper CEO,” she reminded him, “Are they dating?”“Sir has had misplaced emotion for Ms. Potts.”Liyah slammed on the breaks as she pulled off to the side of the road.“Jarvis, I can’t go in there if he’s with her. If he’s moved on-” She took in a shuddering breath as soon as the words left her mouth.“You and I both know that isn’t true.”“Do I?” she challenged.“Miss Potts, Colonel Rhodes, Ms. Rushman, and Mr. Hogan have left the estate.”Liyah let out a sigh. “And Tony?”Her phone trilled and she watched a video of him sliding dejectedly down the wall in the iron man suit.“He is alone,” Jarvis trilled.Liyah pulled back on to the road with a groan. “I can’t believe you’re guilt tripping me.”Jarvis didn’t respond though his silence seemed distinctly smug, but maybe that was her imagination. He was still tight-lipped about the cause but, Jarvis hadn’t hesitated to tell her everything she’d missed since Monaco.She parked in the driveway, hesitating at her trunk before grabbing the birthday gift she’d bought him from her and Mia’s impromptu beach trip. It seemed so long ago.Her shoes scuffed against the pavement as she strode down the walkway. The door clicking as Jarvis unlocked it; she pushed it open before walking inside the dimly lit house.“Watch your step,” Jarvis intoned.She paused before sidestepping a large piece of debris, letting out a low whistle as she went. “Some party… where is he J?”“Just off the kitchen.”She made her way over, finding Tony still in the iron man suit slumped in the corner. “Jarvis lift the faceplate. Override code 01001100.” To her surprise, it worked.The faceplate lifted and she crouched down in front of him to have a look. She frowned at the cuts on his face and the dark circles under his eyes, he seemed paler than usual, thinner too. Her hand reached up to rub along the circles of its own accord and she stopped herself just before she could make contact. She dropped her face into her hands as her thoughts raged a war against her emotions.She almost missed the whirring of the suit but, even as her brain registered it, she didn’t look up until two armored hands pulled at her wrist.“Cupcake? You came home,” he stated tiredly.She fought the sting in her eyes as she cupped his armored cheek. “What are you doing, genius?”“I’m trying,” he slurred.“Trying to what, Tony, kill yourself?” she huffed.He let out a drunken laugh, before looking into her eyes, they were glazed as he regarded her. Slowly they began to slip shut again, “I love cupcakes,” he mumbled sleepily. He let out a breath that evened out into a light snore.Her breath hitched and she watched his sleeping face a moment longer before prying his suited fingers from her wrist.“Jarvis please tell me he’s developed a hankering for cupcakes since I left.”“Sir’s preferred sweets are Doughnuts,” Jarvis stated smugly.“I was afraid you’d say that.” She took a second to calm her racing heart.Picking up the gift from where she’d placed it, she sat it on the not broken part of the bar. Turning around she eyed Tony’s prone form. “Alright J, how do we get him out of there.”“Without the use of the equipment in the lab it can be quite tedious,” he warned.She glanced skyward. “Come on then, we’re losing the night.”“First you pull the latch on the ankle,” he began, directing her on the different latches and how to un-attach them. Somewhere along the way she’d pulled her hair back into a ponytail to keep it out of her face as the pieces became more difficult to disconnect.  She finished with an accomplished sigh, the suit completely open with Tony still nestled inside. After a poke to his thigh to make sure he wasn’t going to wake up, she pulled him from the suit. She hesitated momentarily. If she lifted him completely Jarvis would see the strength she never used. She’d gotten used to not using it over the years, she’d gotten good at pretending to be normal.Tony began to slip from her grip and she deftly hoisted him in a fireman’s carry before heading to the back elevator.Silently Jarvis opened it for her, before moving them upstairs. Laying him on top of the covers, she didn’t bother with his clothes, closing the door behind her as she left the room. As she descended the stairs, she took in the damage done to the place.“This place is a wreck,” she huffed, “Have Pepper send a crew in. Tony’s fine, just needs to sleep it off.”“I have come to the same conclusion with one minor alteration.”Liyah looked up with a frown, pausing in her walk to the front door. “What’s that?”“Stay,” Jarvis trilled.“I wasn’t the one who wanted to leave,” she reminded him.Jarvis went silent and she took one last look at the place before turning for the exit.“The bots, would like a proper goodbye,” Jarvis seemed to blurt.With a shrug, she changed directions to head to the workshop. Butterfingers, U and Dumm-E were already waiting just passed the lab doors and she smiled at them as she stepped through. “Hey boys.”They beeped and whirred reaching out their clawed hands to pat at her.The door closed behind her just as U began to tug at her wrist. He pulled her over to one of the work tables where an engine sat, she frowned as she looked it over. It was hers.Well, it would have been, if she’d finished it. She looked it over as her vision began to blur, dropping down into the empty work chair. “Why’re you trying to hurt me J?”“That was not my intention,” he chimed.“I know.”Slowly she pushed herself from the chair, Liyah patted each of the bots one more time before heading to the door. She went to pull it open only to find it locked. She let her head drop against it. “Open the door, Jarvis.”“Do you truly wish to leave?” he asked.Whatever fight left in her gave out and she trudged over to the couch grabbing the blanket from the back before pulling it over herself as she laid down.She let out a wet chuckle. “Did you come up with this plan on your own?” “U had some input,” he returned.She chuckled again as she stared up at the ceiling. “Dim the lights?” she asked.Immediately the room darkened, the only light coming from a blue-lit screen. It sort of reminded her of Tony’s reactor in the darkness of his room, she found the thought oddly comforting as she drifted off.******
Tony’s Pov
Tony blinked his eyes open, preparing for the onslaught of daylight. He frowned when he was met with the darkness of his room. When the room didn’t immediately light up, he knew Jarvis must have taken hangover precautions. He rolled out of bed with a groan, trying and failing to remember how he’d gotten upstairs.“Good morning, Sir. The time is eight thirty in the morning and the weather will reach a high of eighty-five degrees.”Tony grunted in acknowledgment, heading to the bathroom and making a beeline for the medicine cabinet. Brushing his teeth to get rid of the cotton residue in his mouth, Tony finally made his way downstairs. He winced at the damage he and Rhodey had done to the place. “Get someone in here to clean this up, would you?”“The cleaning crew will be here at twelve, along with the remodeling team.”Stepping around the shattered glass table, he made his way to the kitchen. “That was quick…” he trailed off when a red and gold wrapped present with a bow on top caught his eye.He frowned, no one brought gifts to his parties. He continued to eye it dubiously at the thought of a partygoer leaving it last night.Groggily he rubbed at his eyes before approaching the gift. “Give me a scan J.”“There is nothing of consequence inside.”Tony shrugged before picking it up, noticing the small card attached to the ribbon.
“To My Genius.”
His eyes widened at the words before last night’s late-night memory came back to him, he’d assumed it had been a dream, blurry as it still was.“Jarvis?”“Ms. Toretto came by at three am last night, you two had a brief conversation before she left the gift.”Tony frowned in disappointment, but what did he expect? “So, she’s gone?”“Not quite.”Tony had just begun to unwrap the present when his hand stilled. “What does that mean?” he huffed, lifting the lid. He took in the black and red VonZipper sunglasses with a soft smile. Not many people knew about his obsession with gaudy sunglasses, the fact that she found a pair he didn’t own was a mystery.“She is currently asleep in the lab.”Tony’s smile dropped before he eyed the nearest camera. “Don’t play with me, I have a weak heart, Jarvis.”“I am aware,” he returned.He moved around the fallen debris with purpose as he walked to the stairs. He didn’t bother with passwords as Jarvis unlocked the door for him, his eyes searching the seemingly empty lab as his heart pounded against his chest.A shuffle of movement on the couch caught his attention and slowly he approached it to find Liyah sleeping peacefully under a throw blanket. Her lips were slightly parted as she took in quiet breaths. Tony frowned as he noticed the tear stains on her cheeks, his heart clenching painfully knowing he was the cause. He’d fix this, somehow.
Aaliyah's Pov
Liyah turned in her sleep as daylight poured into the room, she blinked momentarily confused at the confined space of the couch before the feeling of being watched nagged at her. She sat up with a groan before searching for the source and finding Tony watching her from his chair.“What time is it?” she huffed.“Nine am,” Jarvis supplied.“Did you unlock the door?” she asked, with a mock glare.“You are free to leave,” he returned, not sounding apologetic at all.“It’s been a real-time boys,” she trilled.Feeling Tony’s gaze burning a hole into the side of her face, she repressed a sigh.“You look like shit,” she huffed, turning to face him.“I feel like shit,” he returned.She dropped her gaze to her shoes at the bottom of the couch. “Good to know.”“Why’d you come back?” he blurted.She slipped her shoes on before crouching down to tie them. “Jarvis called me, you’ve got to stop worrying him.”“He asked and you just came running?”Liyah pulled on her jacket. “What are you asking?”“You still care about me?”She sent him a frown, finally turning to face him “Was that ever a question?”“I tried calling you.”He had? She tried to keep the surprise of her face. “I got a new phone,” she huffed.“Why?”“Tony?”“I’m just curious, you had a perfectly good Starkphone, that I gave you.”She sent him a pointed look.He huffed, at the realization. “Were you trying to forget me?”“Still am.”Tony pushed from his chair. “Don’t.”“Don’t what?”“Forget me,” he stated, his gaze dropping to her shirt. He seemed to bite back a smile.She glanced down at it with a frown. It was his. She crossed her arms.He sobered. “I can’t stand it. Everyone walked away last night but, I pushed you away.”“Why?” The word slipped out, quieter then she intended.“Because I’m not what you need,” his eyes seemed to plead alongside his words.A flare of anger surged through her. “So, you just made the decision for me?”“It seemed like a good call at the time.”She shook her head, “You pushed me away and then surrounded yourself with women.” Liyah blinked at the insecurity, had that really bothered her when she’d seen him at the club?Tony frowned. “That’s not… There’s no competition between you or anybody else.”She moved towards the door with a huff stopping just shy of the door at the desperation in Tony’s voice.“I messed up, okay? I panicked. I pushed you away. I figured you’d move on and the more time that went on and it seemed more likely that you had, I got worse. I mean I was doing pretty bad before, I crashed and burned when you left.”“Why?” she hissed, turning around, “Why are you telling me this Tony, you’re telling me this as if I wanted to leave. Why are you doing this?”Tony let out a shuddering sigh as he turned away from her and she paused as the fight left her, she didn’t want to argue. She strode over to where his back was turned, wrapping her arms around him. He stiffened in her hold.“Relax genius, no skin contact, you can keep your secrets,” she grumbled.Slowly he began to relax and she pressed her face into his shoulder to breathe in his familiar scent.She pressed a kiss to his shoulder before pulling away, “I’ll wait, I guess. Just figure out whatever this is and call me.” She didn’t wait for his response as she left.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Her phone vibrated with a message, just as she sat down at the table. With a drawn-out sigh, she flipped it open. She couldn’t wait until this whole thing was over, getting messages at random times was taxing, to say the least.There was a location and nothing else, a normal occurrence over the last week since Ramon deemed her worthy of keeping around.Pushing from the chair, she slipped into her jacket before heading out into the night. When she pulled up, Ramon, Giselle, and Fenix were already standing outside their cars, along with more of what she assumed Ramon's cartel. She nodded cordially to the two men before taking the space beside Giselle.This was the first time they weren’t meeting at a club; the lack of music blaring was making her nervous as a sense of foreboding overrode her senses. She stayed close to her car, just in case.The sound of engines humming in the distance grew closer until seven cars came into view. One after the other they parked, one familiar car catching her notice as it parked beside a red one. Letty stepped out and Liyah spared her a glance along with the rest of the drivers as they each opened their trunks.Fenix approached each of them before lifting the bags from the cars and moving them to the cartels'. Giselle shifted beside her as Ramon clapped his hands.“I want to thank all of you for your services, truly. Well,” Ramon sniffed, “Pay them.”The men grinned and Liyah only had the flare of a visions warning before Fenix and two other goons fired at the motley crew. Out the corner of her eye, she watched Letty duck back to her car, she was about to follow after her when a vision had her doing the opposite.She grabbed Giselle by the arm pulling her three steps to the left just as a stray bullet ricocheted off of a bumper and whizzed past her head. She ignored the woman's questioning gaze as she focused on Letty’s escape.Ramon let out a deep sigh. “Looks like we’ve got a runner,” he stated, as they watched Letty speed down the road.Fenix shrugged, climbing into his car. “I love it when they run.”She watched nervously as he pulled off.The group returned to their cars and she followed, before cutting her losses and giving chase. She hadn’t come here for Ramon Campos or his boss, Braga.She’d come to look after Letty.The group seemed too confused to do anything to stop her as she sped off into the night, though a few delayed bullets slammed against the rear of her car.Forcing a vision, she followed along Fenix’s path to Letty.She heard his engine before it came into view as she turned a bend. Speeding up she rear-ended his Grand Torino. He glanced at her through his rearview mirror with a look of surprise before it morphed into a glare. She winked before rear-ending him again.She had a moment warning to jerk to the right when he slammed on his break. She cursed as she passed him, ducking down as he shot out her window. Shifting into the next gear, she continued onward and he did the same, chasing her down the road.As Letty’s Plymouth came into view another vision flared.This time there was nothing she could do as Fenix shot out her and Letty’s back tires. The two cars careened into each other and Liyah braced herself for the inevitable.******** The first thing Liyah noticed, was that every part of her body seemed to be screaming at her. Pain radiated from her head down to her toes.The second thing she noticed, was that she was upside down.A cough forced its way passed her lips as smoke cloyed at her throat. That alone had her forcing open her eyes as she began to choke on the plumes. Her eyes took in the crushed windshield of her car and the flames dancing behind it. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a switchblade, cutting at her seat belt until she could crawl out of the broken window beside her.Glass pricked at her hands and knees but she continued to crawl. The fact that the car hadn’t blown up yet was a miracle in and of itself, she wasn’t going to tempt fate. Staggering to her feet, she looked around trying and failing to remember how she’d gotten into such a situation in the middle of the night. Pain blossomed around her forehead with the effort and she quickly gave up the task, putting more distance between her and the car. Patting her pockets, she let out a groan.“A switchblade but no phone,” she murmured, only to let out a yelp as she tripped over something on the ground. She threw her hand out, catching herself before she could face plant into the grass. Looking behind her to find the source she pushed to her knees when she found a familiar body. Though blood was leaking from a gash on her forehead Letty’s lax features were clear as day.“No, no, no,” Liyah murmured, crawling forward to check for a pulse. As her fingers touched Letty’s neck a vision flared. A man shooting a gun at Letty before the car exploded behind her, the force of it tossing her away a good distance.Liyah blinked away the vision as she found a steady pulse, a sigh of relief slipping past her lips. Searching Letty’s pockets, she quickly pulled out her phone, only to let out a tsk at its demolished state.With the choice between staying or leaving, Liyah chose the latter. Sending up a silent prayer that she wasn’t doing more harm than good, she shifted Letty until she could lift her in a fireman’s carry over her shoulders.Her back protested the weight, but she ignored it as she continued to walk away from whatever crime scene she’d found herself in. The skid marks on the road told her she didn’t want to go the way the cars had come, so forward she walked.And walked.And walked.Streets became secluded area, but Liyah was almost certain of where she was. Hoisting Letty higher from where she began to slip, she took a left down a dark road.Her vision was beginning to blur when a familiar black gate came into view. She almost cried in relief as she stepped up to the gated driveway.“State your business,” Jarvis’ familiar voice stated through the call box.Liyah dropped to her knees, allowing Letty to slip to the ground as exhaustion took its toll.“Hey Jarvis,” she managed to say as the night sky began to darken, the stars disappearing completely as her eyes slipped shut.*******With the feeling of silk sheets wrapped around her, Liyah let out a contented sigh. As she moved to stretch her muscles protested and she aborted the motion with a groan.“Woah, take it slow,” a voice warned off to her side.Opening her eyes, she glanced towards the sound to find an unfamiliar man watching her. Liyah held back a flinch as she began to scoot away. “Who are you?” she asked, reaching into her pocket for her switchblade only to freeze when she didn’t find a pocket.She glanced down in surprise, someone had placed her in a nightgown.“Please, stay calm I am a doctor, Mr. Stark hired me to look you over. You and your friend were pretty banged up.”“My friend?” Liyah asked as memories from last night came to mind. “Shit, Letty! Is she- is she…”? she choked on the words.“Your friend is fine, she is resting in the next room over.”Liyah relaxed back into the bed. “That’s a relief.”“I’ll say, do you mind telling me what happened?”Covering her eyes with her hands Liyah let out a whimper. “I can’t.”“You can’t what?” The doctor asked, his chair creaking.Liyah peaked an eye open to find he’d leaned forward. “I can’t remember.”“What do you remember?” he prompted.Liyah stayed silent as she tried to think around the throbbing in her head. Images flared to life only to slip away before she could make sense of them. Nausea welled up in her stomach and she forced away the visions she’d unwittingly called up to quell it. “It’s too much.”The doctor let out a hum. “It is as I thought. You sustained a concussion bringing on a bout of amnesia, temporary from what I can see.”Liyah let out a dry laugh at the irony. “Of course, I did.”“Aside from that, you may feel muscle spasms when you try to move. I suspect you carried your friend here and we’re not sure of the distance. I suggest you rest, no more heavy lifting for a while.”Liyah nodded when a shuffle of movement at the open doorway drew her attention. Tony came into view adorned in a black pair of track pants and a wrinkled t-shirt. She found that he avoided her gaze as he motioned the doctor out the room.The door closed behind them and Liyah allowed herself to look around. She was in Tony’s room, the bed situated almost in the middle of the room. The line of windows usually opening out to the sea were darkened, but if she squinted, she could make out the movements of the waves.The door clicked as it opened and Liyah turned her head to find Tony standing in the doorway again, the Doctor nowhere in sight. When he continued to stand there Liyah frowned. “Why are you being weird?”Tony let out a scoff, pushing away from the door to walk into the room. Instead of coming closer like she thought he would, he walked towards the window. “How’re you feeling?”Letting out a sigh Liyah turned her gaze to the ceiling. “Like shit.”“You don’t say?” he asked. “I mean, finding you passed out in my driveway at four am nearly …” Tony trailed off as he came to a stop at the window.Taking in a deep breath Liyah threw the covers off, twisting to get out of bed she bit back a groan, her feet were just about to touch the hardwood when Tony rushed over.“What the hell? You are officially on bed rest. Doctors’ orders, or did you forget that?”Liyah let out a snort and Tony winced. “I didn’t…”Waving him off she leaned back against the headboard watching as his hands began to twitch. “What’s wrong,” she asked after he’d gone silent again, staring at what must’ve been an interesting spot in his gold sheets.Tony shook his head. “Everything. Everything is wrong and you, you don’t even remember.”Liyah reached forward, ignoring the pain that came with it. Tony dropped his hand from her reach and she froze. “What happened?” she managed to get out.Shaking his head, he leaned back in the chair. “I can’t explain what happened, it was too much the first time.”Dread began to fill her stomach. “I messed up?”Tony’s eyes snapped to hers. “No, God no this was all me. I… I ruined everything.”With his gaze on her, she was finally able to see the sadness in his eyes, along with the bags underneath them. Again, she reached forward moving to cup his cheek, when he tried to turn away, she didn’t let it deter her. Gently she rubbed her thumb against the dark circles under his eyes, ignoring the stabs of pain as she pushed away the visions trying to pull her under.Instead of pulling away Tony leaned into it, his eyes slipping closed.“Talk to me genius, what’s going on?” she whispered.At that Tony moved from the chair to sit on the edge of the bed. “Whether you remember or not, I owe you an apology.”Liyah watched as he rubbed a hand down his face. She stayed silent as she waited for him to continue.“I- I’m… dying,” he blurted, keeping his eyes downcast.Liyah gaped. “You’re what?”“The palladium core in the reactor, it’s been poisoning me. The armor sped up the process, but the end result is the same.”“How long have you known?” she asked, clenching the silk sheets between her fingers.“Since I got back. once I was able to analyze--”“¡Mírame!” she huffed out, cutting off his words.Slowly he dragged his gaze to hers.“A whole year. Tony, you’ve been…. And you didn’t.” Tears welled in her eyes and Tony looked away.Pain be damned she moved forward to force him to look at her, as she did, she caught sight of his neck and the array of lines that seemed to be etched beneath his skin. He didn’t fight her when she lifted the shirt to see them all stemming from the reactor in his chest.  “Dios mío,” she heard herself say.“I’ve tried everything, but nothing is working. We’ve calculated it, Jarvis and I, I’ve got two weeks at most,” he explained.She continued to eye the poison, practically coursing through his chest. “You don’t get to make that decision alone,” she finally whispered.  “Aaliyah,” he tried.“That decision is made with the people who love you. Rhodey, Pepper, Jarvis…Me!”.Tony froze, eyes wide.“I love you,” she hissed, more vehemently then she’d meant to. But the shock on his face, it kind of annoyed her.Tears blurred her vision as they slipped down her cheeks. “We can fix it.” she hissed, before pressing her mouth against his.Tony didn’t move until she began to pull away, he followed her moving his lips against hers as he eased her back onto the pillows. Slowly he kissed her back as if relearning her taste, his tongue slipping between her parted lips.Liyah moved to shift positions only to groan as her back spasmed.Tony pulled back with a grin. “I’ve missed that noise,” he joked.With a laugh, she settled back into the bed her attention going back dark circles under his eyes. “When’s the last time you slept,” she asked.Tony looked away as Jarvis answered for him. “Sir hasn’t acquired a full night of sleep since you left.”Left? That didn't make sense. and how long had she been gone? Another set of visions burned behind her eyes and she repressed a flinch as she continued to push away the jumbled mass. She kept her eyes on Tony’s, holding his face steady as a slight flush coated his cheeks.“I can’t,” he admitted.Worry filled her as she thought on that before realization dawned. Tony sent her a sardonic smile.“The nightmares,” she huffed, dropping her head to his shoulder. She pressed a kiss to his cheek before pulling back. “Will you try to sleep with me?” she asked.Tony chuckled at the question but, she kept her gaze steady.Finally, he nodded. “I’ll try.”She waited until they were both situated under the covers and she was curled against his chest to speak.“What do you miss?” she asked, resting her hand against his arm she rubbed the spot soothingly.Immediately flashes of his past greeted her, but she allowed the visions to play this time, ignoring the pain they brought with them. Some of Rhodey, some of an older woman with red lips and warm eyes. More of a man who seemed to be overflowing with love every time he looked at Tony. She was mixed in with the rest, enough to make her feel warm inside.She exhaled bundling them all before she sent them back in a happy flashback.She felt him shakily inhale beneath her, “You were--” he tried only to break off as his personal montage continued.“Sleep easy,” She trilled as her own eyes closed.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Liyah blinked her eyes open as she searched the room for a disturbance. The sound of footsteps on the stairs had her glancing beside her where Tony was still sleeping in peace. When the doorknob slowly began to turn, she dropped her arm over the top of the bed between the headboard, her hand wrapping around the spare crowbar she’d stashed there.When the door opened, she sat up throwing it, hard, at the intruder. It thunked as it hit its mark and the intruder let out a curse before dropping to the floor.Tony jolted awake beside her as more footsteps thumped on the stairs.“Jarvis," he groaned, "lights,” Liyah didn’t flinch as the lights flicked on, her hand dropping to the gun in the side drawer.“Director Fury is down,” a man’s voice called.Tony broke out into laughter beside her and Liyah spared him a confused glance as she trained her weapon on the doorway. He managed to collect himself before pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Stand down, Cupcake.”Liyah frowned, eyeing him before she hit the safety latch.Tony climbed from the bed, still chuckling lowly. “See this is what happens when you consistently break into someone’s home.”The agent hovering above the Director sent them both a glare.But seeing as though Tony knew these people, she dropped the gun back in its drawer before climbing out of bed. She exited through the doorway stepping over the prone form lying unconscious. She paused to pick up her crowbar, before continuing her trek down the stairs. Still exhausted, she chose to ignore the two agents at the bottom of the stairs. It wasn’t until she passed a third and a fourth that she realized the place was full of them. She’d made it to the kitchen when her sleep-addled mind caught up with her. “Tony!” she called.“Yes dear?” he called back, a tinge of weariness in his voice.“What’s all this?” she asked watching as they carried a black crate into the living room.At the top of the stairs, Tony let out an annoyed huff. “What the hell is this?” he asked, turning to an older man beside him.The man crossed his arms, “Had your lady friend, not knocked out the director he would have explained. Shield is here to offer assistance.”“Assistance?" Tony scoffed, "With what?”A groan sounded behind the two and she watched as they turned to the source.“You’ve got one more time, Toretto, one more time to point any kind of weapon at me," the director grounded out, "I should have you detained.”“Maybe later,” she returned, “I need at least four drinks to consider doing that kink with you.”He narrowed his eyes at her before turning to Tony. “Assistance with the high-tech crossword puzzle on your neck.”The group settled on the patio, but as she moved to follow, she realized she was still clad in a very sheer nightgown, with a frown she returned to the bedroom, grabbing a pair of boxers from Tony’s drawer along with a t-shirt. She pulled them on quickly before rushing back down stairs. Unwilling to leave Tony alone with the agents for an extended amount of time.She rounded the corner as she followed the sound of Tony’s voice to the balcony.“Hit him.”The director’s voice had her pulling the gun she’d grabbed out of the drawer at the last minute, she cocked it as she aimed at the red head holding a needle.“I fucking wouldn’t,” she hissed.The red head paused in her movements.Several sets of eyes turned to her while Tony focused on the needle about to be plunged into his neck. “What the hell is that?” he asked knocking the woman’s hand away.Director Fury did not look pleased as he spoke. “It’s Lithium Dioxide, it should help take the edge off of the palladium poisoning.”“Yeah okay.” He took the needle from the redhead.Liyah was adjusting her stance when he stabbed himself with it, injecting it into his neck.“Tony!!” she shrieked, her voice raising an octave. She smacked him on the head.“What I’m already dying!” he winced as he dropped the empty needle onto the table.“Jesus fucking Christ!” she hissed but, then she watched as the upraised veins that had been on his neck receded down beneath his shirt, she pulled the neckline down watching as they stopped just outside of the reactor. “Coño, are you people trying to give me a heart attack?”“Did it work?” he asked.Liyah glared at him even as she nodded.“Alright, well just give me a few cases of that and you can be on your way.”“It’s not a cure, just a temporary fix to give you more time to find one,” Director Fury explained, “Now please tell your girlfriend to stop pointing her gun at Agent Romanov.”Liyah glanced at the woman at the end of her gun, Tony tapped her ass twice and she dropped her arm, switching the gun back to safety.“You’re fired,” he huffed at the woman.Liyah scrutinized the woman, receiving a blank stare in return. Slowly Tony’s words clicked in her mind. “Natalie Rushman, I presume.”She nodded, slowly.“Agent Romanoff will continue her roll at Stark Industries with her cover intact,” Director Fury stated.Liyah found herself confused as Tony didn’t dispute the order. She turned to the woman, offering her a hand. “Aaliyah,” She greeted. “I hadn’t realized Tony was hiring a new secretary.”The woman eyed her wearily before moving to grasp her hand.A hand at her elbow pulled her arm back and Liyah sent Tony a look before jerking out of his touch, clasping the woman’s still outstretched hand. “Natasha,” she offered, sending her a strange look.Liyah shook it as visions of the last few weeks flashed across her mind. Her smile turned stiff as she released the woman’s hand. “Pleasure,” she breathed as she turned to face Tony.“Me and you are going to have a talk later,” she murmured, forced smile still in place.Tony grimaced at her words. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”“Oh, I think it is.” Leaving the patio, she sat down in the other room.The sound of a door upstairs opening and closing before soft footfalls on the steps drew her attention.“¿Dónde coño estamos?” Letty hissed as she made her way forward.Grabbing her wrist, she pulled Letty down into the seat. “We’re at Tony’s.”“How did we get here.”Liyah bit her lip, “I- I walked.”Letty’s eyes widened. “Here? ¿Después de que rompió contigo?”The words clanged through her. He’d broken up with her? That explained his distance.“¿Él qué?” was all she could manage.Letty frowned at her confusion. “You- you don’t… ¿no te acuerdas?”She let her head drop to the back of the couch with a sigh. “The doctor said I have temporary amnesia.”“No shit, Liyah your sister’s going to kill me.” Letty’s eyes widened. “How long have I been asleep?”Liyah pursed her lips in thought. “I slept for a day I think, you slept for two.”Letty sat up in her seat. “Have you called Mia?”She pursed her lips. “Uh, no?”She didn’t see the hit coming until it was too late as it landed to the side of her head.“¡Perra, Ow!”“I’m a bitch?” Letty asked in disbelief. “You really are trying to get me killed!”A vision flared of she and Letty in the shed, leaving her with the remnants of a migraine. “I’m only in this shit because I was trying to keep you alive!”“Keep me alive?! Keep me-- wait” Letty froze her hand clutching her chest. “Where’s my chain?”Liyah frowned at that, she’d never seen her wear a chain.Letty let out a curse. “I must’ve dropped it at the car!”“What chain?”Letty bit her lip guiltily and Liyah narrowed her eyes.“It’s Dom’s but he…. Well,” Letty trailed off, looking anywhere but at her.“Dominic never takes that stupid chain off, if you had it, he would have had to die or he might be dumb enough to use it for a….” Liyah blinked as she took in Letty’s guilty expression. “You didn’t.”Letty shifted to face her. “Just listen…”She’d picked up the pillow before she even realized it. “You promised!”“It was spur of th— Ow! You hit me in the eye!” Letty exclaimed.“You really are a bitch!” she hissed, holding the pillow up for another hit. Before she could throw it, it was yanked from her grasp. She turned to glare up at the culprit.“Be reasonable, Liy,” Letty grumbled.“Reasonable? You married my brother and didn’t invite me to the wedding!”Tony returned the pillow with a shake of his head. “Never mind, continue.”Letty sent him a glare. “Don’t encourage her!”Dropping the pillow back to the couch Liyah crossed her arms. “How could you!”Letty seemed to hold back an eyeroll. “Do we really need to discuss this now? How about after we let Mia know we weren’t killed in a car accident.Tony’s face twitched the way it usually did when he talked to Jarvis through the earpiece. “Actually...”“What?” Liyah urged.“You two were declared dead about two hours ago.”“Oh shit,” The two chorused.“They’re going to kill us, how could you let this happen!” Letty hissed.Liyah nearly choked on a sharp inhale. “How could I let this happen? Me? We only survived cause I dragged your ass here!”“Well, it was all for nothing, because the second they find out we’re alive they’re gonna kill us anyway.”“What’re the chances they’re just really happy we’re alive?” she asked hopefully.“Ninguna, there’s no chance,” Letty deadpanned.Liyah pursed her lips. “I was afraid you’d say that.”“We have to call them!”One of the agents stepped closer. “Sorry, no calls to the outside,”Her hand twitched at being startled.Letty looked around as if just noticing all the agents occupying the room. “Did I miss something.”Feeling the tickle of a vision against her senses, she relaxed into it.Tony scoffed. “You’re missing something? Does one of you want to tell me why you were declared dead?”Liyah glanced at Letty. “How about you take this one.”She seemed to hesitate, glancing at the agents milling about. “We were working with the FBI, I was just trying to help clear Dom’s name,” she began.Liyah nodded. “But I saw you die in the process.”“Right, so you joined up, still not sure what you did to get into a drug cartel,” Letty muttered the last part, but they heard it none the less.Tony stiffened beside her. “I’m sorry did you just say...”“I-I,” she stammered. Another vision flared of two men and a woman laughing with her as they jumped from a roof, she felt herself grin. “The things I do for family.”“You joined a drug cartel?” Tony repeated.“In a sense.” She tried not to cross her arms defensively.“We were doing a drop when Campos had his crew kill the drivers,” Letty continued, sparing her and putting them back on track.Liyah flinched as the sound of gun shots rang through her mind. Squeezing her eyes shut against the onslaught of memories she took a shaky inhale.Letty quickly rushed through the rest and Liyah sat back with a groan.Tony pursed his lips, “It’s good then that they think you’re dead. They won’t come looking for you.”Letty nodded. “but we still need to let Mia and Dom know.”She shook her head. “No, we can’t.”Letty turned to fully face her as she spoke. “What are you saying.”“I’m saying, right now Dom is in a position to take down Braga.”Letty blinked. “You mean…”“Mia already called him and he’s already found a way into the cartel with O’Connor.”Letty blanched. “He’ll kill them, Aaliyah, and then the FBI will definitely be on his ass.”As more visions flared Liyah tilted her head as she took in the information. The future hurt way less than the past. “You’re going to have to trust me on this one,” she implored.Sitting back with a huff of resignation Letty pushed from her seat. “Fine, but if this all blows up, I’m blaming you.”“Where are you going?”Letty made her way to the kitchen. “Raiding your refrigerator and then going back to bed.”“Help yourself I guess,” Tony called after her. She chuckled as he came around to sit beside her. She watched as some of the agents disappeared outside, before turning to him.“So, what’s the plan?” she asked, refocusing on Tony’s situation.“I’m on house arrest.”Liyah chuckled before her eyes widened. “Wait you’re serious. Man, I wish you hadn’t said that. It makes me twitchy.”“You don’t have to stay,” he said with a small frown.“I’m not going anywhere.” She sent him a glare, her hand absently coming up to scratch her arm. “Oh god, hives, I’m getting house arrest hives”Tony laughed before kissing her, it took a second but then she was wrapping her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss.Someone cleared their throat and they both peaked an eye open. The agent from the stairs stood before them. “You’re supposed to be working on a cure, Mr. Stark.”“I am, she’s my muse,” he insisted, before pressing a kiss to her neck “You might want to scram, she can be loud.”Liyah let out a dark chuckle before pressing a trail of open-mouthed kisses up his neck, leading up to his ear where she sucked his lobe into her mouth, before tugging it down with her teeth.Tony held in a moan shivering above her, as his bulge began to press against her inner thigh.She pulled back with a giggle, watching as he slowly turned to face her. “I’m serious Agent, find somewhere else to be.” Tony dropped his head between her neck and shoulder as he began to gently bite her before pressing a kiss to the spot.“Maybe he’s right,” Liyah murmured, pulling back to look Tony in the eyes.“Wrong, he couldn’t be more wrong.”Liyah bit her lip anxiously and Tony let out a groan. “Fine, if I’m dying- ah ah let me finish,” he added when she opened her mouth to protest his statement, “I get a last wish.”“I’m not a Genie.”“But you can grant my wish,” he whispered, low, like a dark secret.He resumed his ministrations against her neck and she moaned at the feeling, before cupping him through his pants, he moaned into her neck and she moved her lips closer to his ear.“I read this magazine once,” she breathed, her free hand gliding down his side. “About sensitive areas on a man.”Tony paused his movements. “Yeah?”“Yeah,” she moaned, scraping her nails against his back as she lifted his shirt. She dragged her hand back down before she began to circle the triangular base of his spine, just above his ass. She smirked before dragging her hand through his sacrum.A moan forced its way past his lips too fast for him to stop it.“That’s one,” she breathed. Bringing the hand cupping his bulge up, she traced the line of his pelvis in tandem with her other stroke. Tony panted against her, his breathing coming in short huffs.“That’s two,” she said as she kissed his neck. She slipped her hand into his pants, not meeting the resistance of underwear, she rubbed the tip of his cock with her hand until pre-cum began to wet her fingers. “It said most people think it’s here.”Tony wasn’t moving above her, frozen as he waited for her next move.“But that’s not the spot I’m looking for,” she explained dragging her hand down his length. This spot she’d read about, she needed to make sure he was okay with it, so as she rubbed a hand against his scrotum, she paused making him look up. “It’s a spot just after this and I want to know if it’s true,” She asked not moving.“God Liyah, just do it you’re killing me, baby.”Liyah continued her massage a second longer before reaching past it, reaching the spot just shy of his anus. She stroked the flat space of skin with two of her wet fingers, once, twice. Tony shouted above her but, she didn’t stop, wanting to drag out whatever this was.He shifted so his weight was on his knees as he hovered above her, his eyes were closed as she pushed another hand into his pants, it was awkward at first as his waist band constricted but she continued. She rubbed up and down his length as she continued to massage the spot that the magazine had labeled the perineum.“If- if you keep going, I’m going to-” he broke off with a choked moan.“Do you want me to stop?” she asked, even as she continued to stroke him.“No- yes, Aaliyah please,” he begged.She stopped, pulling her hands from his pants. “You’re no fun,” she lied. Hearing him beg had sent a thrill through her. She shifted slightly feeling her slickness between her legs with the movement.  “That was going to put me out of commission and I plan on being inside you,” he breathed.“Oh,” she giggled.“We’ll go back to that later though,” he returned as he kissed her. His hand slid up her leg before slipping into the gap in the boxers against her thigh. He dragged a finger along her folds and she moaned.“God you’re so wet,” he breathed, “you liked torturing me that much?”Liyah couldn’t speak, he was right, just being able to drive him that far had her flushed from the inside out. Instead of answering she let out a desperate moan. His thumb had just begun running circles on her clit when her orgasm surprised them both as it overtook her. She was moaning his name, she realized, as she blinked open her eyes.He was looking at her with a glazed look. “That was…”Liyah nodded. “More,” she panted before wrapping a leg around his, offsetting his balance as he dropped on to her.  “Now,” she hissed before kissing him, dragging her teeth along his lower lip.Getting the message, he began pulling down her shorts before pausing. He pulled away and she whined in protest. He grabbed the table in front of them before pulling it closer, he dropped his hand beneath it and Liyah frowned as the sound of a drawer opening filled the silence. When his hand came out, there was a condom between his fingers. She let out a laugh that dragged into a moan as he slid his length against her.She shifted as he positioned himself at her entrance. She continued to shift with a giggle and he sent her a look before dropping to her neck where he bit her.“Ow,” she huffed.“Hold still,” he commanded.Liyah froze at the voice, heat surging through her.“Good girl,” he breathed, before pushing inside of her.She let out a moan that led into a steady stream of curses.“Such a dirty mouth,” he chuckled, as he continued to pump inside of her.Slowly she lifted her hand sliding it beneath his shirt she raked her nails along the sensitive area on his lower back.His pace stuttered but, he continued erratically, slipping his hand between them to pinch at her clit. Liyah moaned but didn’t stop her hand, as she tried to hold off her orgasm.Blissfully he came with a shout and she tumbled over the edge after him.Slowly he pulled out of her before collapsing, his head pillowed on her chest, as she rubbed at the nape of his now sweaty neck.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Tony took a seat beside her on the workbench, his eyes fixed on the closed box lid labeled H. Stark.“Apparently,” he began after another long moment of silent staring, “this box holds the key to saving my life.”If that was the case, all Liyah wanted to do was rip it open and pilfer through it, but Tony seemed to be hesitant. After the agents had brought it down, he hadn’t moved to touch it. She, on the other hand, was nearly bouncing in her seat.She bit her lip nervously. “I can go check on Letty if you need a minute?”Tony shook his head before unlatching the box, allowing the lid to drop to the floor as he stared down at its contents. When he made no move to touch any of it, she peered over his shoulder.Stacks upon stacks of journals with notes peeking out filled the crate to the top. She eyed Tony’s face to see his reaction watching as he slowly reached inside to grab the notebook on top.He grimaced. “This may take a while.”Lying on the bench seat she blinked away her blurred vision as she attempted to read through Howard Stark’s handwritten notes. As she shifted, the right side of the book slipped from her grasp, leaving the book dangling from her left hand. She flinched as a loose piece of paper fluttered down to cover her face.She sat up with a jerk, setting down the book to grab the paper as it fell to the floor. Her eyes widened at the drawing. It was a rough sketch with formulas and diagrams for a car.Now the notes made sense. The notebook was dedicated to a flying car. Liyah bit her lip, maybe later. She decided as she kept it separate from the not helpful pile.Tony let out a frustrated sigh. “Who the hell does this guy think he is?!”Liyah frowned, she had a feeling he didn’t mean Howard.“I mean they barge in here like they own the place, tells me he knew my Dad better than I ever could, and now he’s saying that somewhere in all this shit is a way to save me?” Tony stood up, shoving the pile of Journals he’d accumulated.Liyah moved to his side as he took in a heaving breath. “Maybe you need to take a break? Yeah? Grab something to eat.”“What’s the point?”Gently she took his face in her hands, “The point is that we’ll get through this. I’m not letting you give up, so grab something to ea…” her words trailed off as a vision came to the forefront of her mind. She blinked before turning away from Tony. Dropping down in front of the box she began tossing journals out and onto the floor.She could feel his gaze pinned to her as he spoke. “What’re you doing?”“It has to be in here,” she murmured, “I saw it!”“Saw what?”Her fingers touched something metallic and her heart rate quickened as she pulled the film reel from the box. She held it up with a grin. “Want to pop some popcorn?”“What exactly do you expect me to play that on?” he asked, looking affronted.Liyah pushed it to his stomach with a smirk. “Figure it out, genius. I’ll grab the popcorn,”He had it figured out by the time she returned with a bowl of popcorn and two sandwiches. He’d managed to create a projector to play on the wall. He turned to her, tools still in hand with a boyish grin. “Do you have any idea what I just did?”Liyah laughed, grabbing his hand and dragging him to the couch. She pulled him down alongside her and curled against his side. “Let’s see if it works.”Tony scoffed, grabbing one of the sandwiches off of the plate. “See if it works,” he huffed, “J, start the reel.” He turned to her with pursed lips. “Do you even know who I am?”Liyah pretended to mull it over. “What did that magazine say? Genius, Playboy, Billionaire, Philanthropist?” she asked with a cheeky grin.He let out a laugh. “Funny, catchy too. You got that out of a magazine?”Liyah took a bite of her sandwich to hide her smile as she nodded.“Same magazine you got that kinky trick from?”Liyah snorted nearly choking on her sandwich. “Yes actually,” she joked, “What were you doing on a women’s health magazine?” she laughed as he narrowed his eyes at her. Grabbing her waist, he pulled her onto his lap tickling her sides as he did.“No! please,” she panted, trying not to overturn the popcorn bowl in her lap.“Tony, what’re you doing in here? What is that? Put that Back! Maria?”The two of their heads jerked toward the screen. Liyah gasped at the young boy in the video. “Is that you? oh my god, Tony, you were so adorable.”Attention fully on the screen they watched as baby Tony was taken from the room. The scene reset with Howard staring into the camera.As take after take was redone, she kept an eye on Tony, he’d reclaimed one of the journals and was currently flipping through page after page.With another frustrated sigh, he tossed it across the room. He dropped his head into his hands and Liyah rubbed a hand along his leg.She bit her lip. “it-”“I know, I know,” he murmured.“Tony.”Their attention was once again drawn to the film, but instead of finding Howard talking to a younger Tony, he was looking directly into the camera.“You’re too young to understand this now, so I’m putting this on film.”This is it, she told herself, the scene from her vision.“I built this for you,” Howard continued, “and someday you’ll realize this was created for more than just people’s inventions. It represents my life’s work. This is the key to the future but, I’m limited by the technology of my time. I’m positive though, that you’ll figure this out. And when you do, you’ll change the world. What is and always will be my greatest creation is you.”The film ended and Liyah watched Tony with bated breath.He continued staring at the screen and she was half tempted to get a heart rate check from Jarvis. It wasn’t until she heard a sniffle that she realized he was crying.This had not been in her vision. What would Mia do?Gently she dragged a hand up and down his back, he didn’t react at first until finally, he sat back.“All I wanted, as a kid,” he added, though it seemed more for himself, “was his recognition. First circuit board, I ever made he threw it across the room. Shattered it completely; all he said was ‘fix that.’”“I was his greatest creation?” Tony let out a scoff. “Captain fucking America was his greatest creation. He made sure I knew that.”“Well,” she huffed, drawing his attention, “he had at least one thing right.”“Yeah? What’s that?”“You’ll figure out what he left behind,” she stated.Tony sent her a blank stare.“Oh, come on!” she challenged, “did nothing in that film draw your attention. He left something there that only you would figure out. What is it?”Straddling his lap, she placed her forehead to his. She replayed the film through his memories. The film opened with a zoom in of a model-sized version of the reactor, from the Stark industries plant they’d blown up.
“I’m Howard Stark and everything you’ll need for the future can be found right here. City of—”
“There,” Tony broke in.Liyah paused drawing back to look him in the eye. “What?”A pucker formed between his brow. “The Stark Expo model.”“Do you still have it?”Tony nodded. “It’s at the office.”“Well, go get it!” she urged, sitting back on the couch.“Did you forget I’m on house arrest?”Liyah pursed her lips in thought, slowly she could feel it slip into a grin. “Sounds like you need a distraction.”Tony grinned, just as fast it dropped into a frown. “How the hell did I fall in love with a criminal?”“You’re the one on house arrest,” she quipped, but then she froze. Turning she found Tony looking at her with wide eyes.Slowly she grinned. “No take backs!” she yelled before darting from the lab, the sound of his footsteps chasing her urged her to go faster.“Liyah!”“Don’t make this weird!” she returned darting pass an agent and making a beeline for the stairs. She’d just made it to the bedroom door when arms wrapped around her waist. He pulled her back against his chest, pinning her to the door.She inched around until she was facing him. “I love you too,” she murmured, before stealing a kiss.Tony grinned. “You already said that.”Liyah licked her lips as a vision flared. “You said it first.”Tony frowned, “I’ve got an eidetic memory and I vividly remember you saying it first.”“Eidetic you say, but how does that work when you’re drunk off your ass.”Tony’s frown deepened.“The night of your birthday party, sir,” Jarvis supplied as if he couldn’t help himself.“Are you two conspiring against me?”She let out a laugh. “What is this? Game of Thrones?”The door clicked behind them and Liyah glanced up with wide eyes. “Uh, oh,”With their weight no longer supported the two fell backward. Tony caught himself on his hands before he could land on her, but she hit the floor with a thud. Feet appeared in her peripherals and she glanced up to find Letty staring down at them.“Wrong door,” Liyah said with a grin.Letty rolled her eyes. “Oh eww.”Tony pushed himself to his feet pulling her up as he went.Letting out a laugh, she pulled Tony into the room before closing the door. “Okay, listen,”Letty shook her head. “No way, babe, my threesome days are over. I’m a married woman.”Tony choked and Liyah pouted. “Oh, come on, for old times’ sake.”“Wait, you two have…”Liyah grinned and Letty rolled her eyes. “Of course not.”“Anyway,” she began returning her gaze back to Letty. “Do you feel like being a distraction with me.”“Sounds fun, I’m in.”Liyah bounced over to the bed. “Okay here’s the plan.”Finding her target on the patio Liyah approached slowly, clutching a bottle of Tony’s expensive liquor in one hand.The agent kept his gaze on the ocean view.She came to a stop at the railing, putting her back to it with a slight sway before taking a long pull. She held back a cough, it was terrible. With a grunt, she pulled herself onto the railing in a seated position.The agent beside her bristled but made no move to stop her.“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” she asked, taking another swig.“What’s that?” he asked, turning his head to look at her.“The view I mean.”The agent nodded slowly. “It is a nice view, dimmed a bit by the house sitting on its edge.”Liyah frowned as she took another sip, she loved this place. “What do you mean?”“Feels like it could slide off at any time,” he explained.Liyah made a noise of agreement. “You’d think he’d be more careful,” she said with a snort.The agent shifted to face her fully and she grinned. “I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm--”“Aaliyah Toretto, you're quite popular in the racing community both legal and illegal. Of course, your most notable race was more recent in the Grand Prix, unofficially of course.”Liyah took another drink from the bottle, fighting down a grimace as it went down.  “And you are?” She asked holding out her hand.The agent took it with a twitch of his lips. “Agent Phil Coulson.” She'd left her hand bare for this very reason as visions flared to life. She sorted through them quickly before he pulled away. It wasn't so much as a quick pull but it knocked her off balance slightly and her hand shot to the railing.Hands encircled her waist and she looked up startled to find the agent had moved closer.“Maybe you should come down from there.”“Sir has cleared the mansion,” Jarvis announced through the earpiece Tony had placed in her ear. Liyah nodded, answering both the agent and Jarvis. Agent Coulson helped her off the railing before moving back to his position.“Sorry it’s just been a long day,” she stated with a shrug, taking one last swig from the bottle before sitting it on the ground. As she glanced down at the pool a memory came to mind of the destroyed area, she was currently standing in. How long ago was that?“You got anything to eat in here that doesn’t require cooking?” Letty asked from behind her.Liyah turned around with a raised brow. “We could always order in.”“Communication outside of the house has been disabled,” Agent Coulson reminded them.Fighting the urge to scratch her arm, she reclaimed her bottle before going inside, “Bummer, guess you have to help me cook something.”“You know I can’t cook,” Letty grumbled.Liyah let out a laugh as they continued to the kitchen. “You are a married woman now, it’s about time you learned I think.” She glanced behind her at Agent Coulson. “You any good in the kitchen?”By the time they finished, the upstairs smelled of spices and stewing beef.Tony came down the stairs just as she sat down the plates.“Is that what I think it is?” he asked. Eyeing the shredded steak and rice plated on the table.Liyah grinned. “Ropa vieja. gotta teach my new sister in law the necessities.”Tony pressed a kiss to her cheek before taking a seat at the table, she moved to sit down as well but Tony pulled her until she was sitting in his lap. Letty let out a groan. “They’re adorable aren’t they.”Agent Coulson eyed the two of them as Tony attempted to steal her food.“I’m going to eat upstairs.” She grumbled, leaving the room with her plate.Agent Coulson stood as well. “I’m going to go ahead and do a perimeter check. Thank you for the meal, Ms. Toretto.”“Call me Liyah,” she called after him.Turning to Tony she took in his Jeans and t-shirt. He’d changed into a suit jacket before he’d left, he must’ve changed again before joining them she decided. “So, how’d it go? Did you tell Pepper?”Tony let out a sigh. “Couldn’t get it right. She’s pissed at me, didn’t help that I brought her strawberries.”Liyah frowned. “What’s wrong with strawberries?”“She’s allergic.”“Shit, did you at least find the Expo Model.”“Wasn’t hard to miss, she already started cleaning out my stuff from the office, practically kicked me out.”Liyah winced. “I’m sure it’ll all work out. Speaking of, you ready to finish saving your life?”Sitting on the bench she watched as Tony eyed the tabletop model of the New York Stark Expo. This one had been purposefully designed by Howard Stark, whereas the California version had been Tony’s baby.The room darkened slightly as the glowing blue 3-D render of the expo appeared in the center of the room.Watching Tony bounce ideas off of Jarvis was a thing of amazement as tiny glowing spheres formed an even larger sphere. Tony dropped his head into his hands but when he glanced up a grin was in place.Liyah stepped into the glowing sphere in amazement. “What is it?”“Dead all most twenty years and still taking me to school.”“The proposed element should serve as a viable replacement for Palladium.”Tony grinned.“Unfortunately, it is impossible to synthesize,” Jarvis finished.Liyah glanced down as worry gnawed at her. If he couldn’t create the element, re-discovering it would be pointless. When she glanced up Tony looked unperturbed by Jarvis’ words.“Get ready for a remodel, we’re back in hardware mode.”“How can I help?” she asked.After trading in shorts and sandals for a pair of loose-fitting pants and closed toe shoes, Tony had put her to work. He’d been worried, at first, about her assisting, but she quickly shut him up as she lifted one of the larger coils with little effort.He’d blinked and she raised a brow, then with a shrug he pointed her in the right direction. She was currently tightening the coils into place where Tony had mapped them out.Wiping the sweat from her brow, she turned at the sound of the lab door opening. Agent Coulson strolled in drawing Tony’s attention as well.“I heard you broke the perimeter,” he not so much accused as he did state. He glanced between the two.Tony crossed his arms. “That was, like, three weeks ago. Where have you been?”Coulson sent her a knowing look and she sent him a wink before resuming her work.“I was doing some stuff.”“Yeah? Me too, and it worked.” He crossed his arms. “We’re all playing for the same team here, so… you gonna let us finish or are you here to bust my balls.”Agent Coulson didn’t answer and Liyah glanced up to find him eyeing an object sticking out of one of the storage boxes Tony had brought home from his office.“What’s this doing here?”“That’s it! Bring it to me” Tony chirped, with deceptive cheer.Liyah frowned not missing the way his eyes tightened.Agent Coulson picked it up carefully, unearthing a disk-shaped object with a star at its center. Pieces of it seemed to be missing, but that didn’t stop the agent from holding it like the world was in his hands. “Do you know what this is?”Tony grabbed it precariously. “It’s exactly what I need to make this work. Lift the coil?”Agent Coulson frowned but did just that, adjusting his stance slightly as he took the weight. Tony slid the disk beneath it before allowing him to drop it.Pulling out a Level he placed it on top of the coil. “Perfectly level.” Tony stared a moment longer before glancing up as if surprised the agent was still there. “I’m busy, what do you want?”“Nothing, goodbye. Director Fury wants me in New Mexico.”“Land of enchantment. Heard it’s nice this time of the year.”“As nice as a desert can be in the summer,” the agent stated dryly.“Secret stuff?” Tony asked“Something like that.”“Goodbye, then guess I’ll be seeing you,” Tony offered, meeting him in a handshake.“We need you,” Agent Coulson stated seriously.Tony sniffed. “Yeah, more then you know.”Agent Coulson’s mouth twitched. “Not that much.” He turned to her with a nod. “It was a pleasure meeting you Liyah.”“Same to you Agent Coulson,” she said with a grin offering her hand.He clasped her hand in a firm handshake. “Call me Phil.”Liyah grinned. “See you around Phil. Take some leftovers on your way out!”Tony watched her with a frown. “His first name is Agent.”Letting out a peal of laughter, Liyah moved onto the next coil.Standing behind Tony, a pair of safety goggles firmly situated on her face, she looked on as he placed a small triangle at one end of the coil ring before standing beside a large wheel.“Initializing prismatic accelerator,” Jarvis announced.Tony had just removed his shirt, and he quickly rushed over to grab the wheel. As he attempted to turn it his fingers only slipped.She tried not to fidget. “Do you need me to-”“Got It!” Tony called, grabbing a wrench and attaching it to the wheel for a better grip. And just in time for the beam of light to shoot out, Tony realized a moment too late that it was pointed in the wrong direction.It slammed into the wall and then dragged across it as he maneuvered it into the proper position, cutting through shelves and what she hoped wasn’t a support beam in the process.Forcing herself to not close her eyes she continued watching in horrified amazement as the beam of light tore through the workshop.“Approaching maximum output,” Jarvis announced.Finally, the light hit the triangle with a metallic ping that reverberated louder and louder as it took on a blue glow. The beam of light stopped with less drama than when it started, leaving the triangle shining in its wake.“Did it work? Please tell me it worked,” she asked, just as the shelf collapsed in on itself.Tony turned to her with a sheepish grin. “That was easy.”Feeling slightly harried she propped herself up against the back of the couch as Tony approached what they hoped to be a new arc reactor core. Using a pair of pliers, he placed it into the waiting reactor.Jarvis’ voice broke through the silence. “Congratulations, you have created a new element. The reactor has accepted the modified core, I shall begin running diagnostics.”She released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding before allowing herself to fall over the edge of the couch. As her back hit the cushions she brought her legs over until she was properly laying down. Tony came around the couch with a wide smile, sending her heart into a frenzy.“You’re, kind of, amazing,” Liyah stated with a relieved smile of her own.“Kind of?” he asked.She rolled her eyes before opening her arms.He wrinkled his nose. “I’m covered in sweat, cupcake.”“Just get over here would ya?” she huffed grabbing his hand and pulling him closer.With an overdramatic put-upon sigh, Tony lowered himself until he was situated with his head resting on her chest.Running a hand through his hair, she didn’t realize she was crying until the third tear slid down her cheek. At the first sniffle, Tony glanced up.“What’s wrong?” Tony asked. “Please don’t cry,”“I was so scared that this wouldn’t work, that we wouldn’t figure it out in time. I-I Just,” Liyah broke off as a sob wracked her frame.Tony scooted back as he pulled her into his lap and she let out a wet laugh as he wiped away her tears. “I’m sorry, I just- I don’t want to lose you,” she murmured, finally managing to stop crying.“I’m sorry I put you through that.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “But I’m glad you were here, I couldn’t have done it without you. So, hey, cheer up you’re a co-founder of a new element.”Liyah shook her head adamantly. “No, that was all you, Tony. I swear I’ve never met anyone like you.”Tony’s lips twitched into her favorite smirk, the cocky one that screamed confidence. “That is because there’s no one else like me.”Liyah let out another laugh. The two curled back up on the couch, their positions switched as she listened to the sound of Tony’s heartbeat.“How soon can you switch out the old reactor for the new one?” she asked after a long beat of silence.When Tony didn’t answer she glanced up, finding his mouth partially open and his eyes closed. Knocked out, she noted with a grin.“The new reactor should be fully ready by tomorrow,” Jarvis announced through the earpiece she hadn’t realized was still in her ear.Tony jerked awake not even two hours later, his eyes flying open. Liyah startled, sitting up and searching the room.Rubbing his eyes Tony sat up beside her. “Sorry, weird dream.”Liyah nodded. “You want to take a shower?”Tony glanced at her. “Only if you’ll join me.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Another hour later found them back in the lab, Tony was already working on new designs for the lab and she offered input every now and then.Suddenly he glanced up at her, mischief dancing in his eyes.“You know, something you said has been bothering me, it just,” he brought up a finger, dragging it in a circle near his temple. “Keeps replaying in my mind like a broken record.”“In my defense, I don’t remember,” she pointed out.His gaze turned serious as he regarded her. “That doesn’t change the fact that—”“Pardon my interruption, but an incoming call with a blocked number is coming through,” Jarvis announced.Tony’s eyes widened. “Phone privileges must’ve been reinstated. Patch it through Jarvis.” He gently squeezed her knee, sending her a look that promised they’d finish their talk later. “Coulson, how’s the land of enchantment?”“Hey, Tony, how are you?” a heavily accented voice asked, “I duplicate cycles.”Tony stiffened and Liyah found herself sitting up. “You what?” he asked.“You told me double cycles; more powerful. Good advice.”Tony glanced at her, before moving over to the computers. “You sound pretty spritely for a dead guy.”“You too,” the voice quipped.He quickly pressed the mute button. “Trace the call.”“Who the hell is that?” she asked.“Now the true story of the Stark name will be revealed,” the man continued.Tony stared at the monitors, eyes hard. “Where is he, J?”“Accessing the Oracle network.” A map of the world appeared on the monitor with his words. Circles appeared and disappeared, searching for the location she realized. The map quickly zoomed in as Jarvis spoke. “I’m picking up the eastern seaboard.”“What your father did to my family over forty years, I will do to you in forty minutes.”Tony un-pressed the mute button. “Sounds good, let's hash it out.”“Tri-state area, surrounding Manhattan,” Jarvis announced.“I hope you’re ready,” the voice stated before the line disconnected.“Call trace incomplete,” Jarvis trilled.“What’s in Manhattan?” Liyah asked.Tony frowned. “Nothing.”“Then what’s surrounding Manhattan?” she pushed.Tony frowned as he faced her. “It’s where the original Stark Expo is. It re-opened alongside the L.A. one.”Her eyes widened. “Is there anything happening there tonight?”“It’s a day to day thing, but Pepper mentioned a demonstration tonight. Something with Justin Hammer…” Tony froze. “Shit.”“Shit?” Liyah hissed.  “What shit?”“Vanko’s going to the Expo,” he stated, moving around the lab.He said the name as if she should know it. “Who’s Vanko?”“The Whip guy from Monaco.” He offered.“The whi--” Liyah broke off as a vision flared in her mind. She squeezed her eyes against the pain but allowed it to play. “Whip guy, right,” she gasped.“Sir!”  Jarvis’ exclamation had her whipping around in time to watch as Tony pushed the shining reactor into his chest.“You want to run some test? Run em.” Tony let out a gasp of breath. “And assemble the suit while you’re at it.”Liyah watched it until she couldn’t, the light from the reactor filling the room in a blaze.“Sir I don’t know if—”“I don’t want to hear it, Jarvis!”“Tony?!” she called eyes still closed.“I’m fine it’-- Yeah,” he cheered. “It tastes like metal and coconuts!”Liyah waited until the room dimmed peaking open an eye to find Tony slipping into a body suit. “You’re going.”“That expo is full of people, Pepper, Rhodey.”“Rhodey?”“He has a suit, long story,” he added when confusion marred her features.“Well shorten it!” she huffed, holding out her hand.Tony turned to her, “You’ll probably get more then you bargained for,” he stated ignoring her hand as he stepped in front of her where she kneeled on the couch.She’d been pushing most of the visions away. Not because of the pain, she was used to physical pain. But heartache?  Finding out the man she loved had broken up with her hadn’t been the best. She hadn’t wanted to remember.She offered her hand againTony used it to pull her against him as he kissed her.Liyah welcomed the onslaught, vision after vision flared, pieces of a broken puzzle slotting together.She pulled back with a gasp. “You need to go, now!”Tony quickly approached the suit. “What did you see?” he asked as he stepped inside.“Go! I’ll tell you on the way!”“Right.” He allowed the helmet to close up, sending her a wave before taking off through the garage door.Liyah slouched into the couch.“Establishing a line of communication to the suit,” Jarvis stated through the earpiece.“Care to explain?” Tony asked sounding like he could be walking in the park.She let out a tsk. “I’m liking this Justin Hammer less and less.”“Talk to me.”“He plans to reveal a small army of suits, he calls them Hammer Drones.” She shook her head as the vision of destruction played over in her mind. “They’re going to tear the expo apart.”“Drones.”She could hear his exasperated annoyance over the line.“I guess we know who they’re being controlled by,” he continued. “How many are we talking?”She counted the line-up in her vision, four groups of eight. “About thirty-two.” About because there was one, more similar to Tony’s suit design, standing at their center.Tony cursed over the line.“That’s not even the worse part,” she murmured.He let out a dry laugh. “Oh, you mean there’s good news?”“Rhodey is a part of the demonstration.”He took moment to respond. “Hammer probably did the updates to the suit, which means they're on Hammer’s interface,” Tony stated, as he connected the dots.“Which I’m guessing means Vanko has access to it.”“Is there any actual good news?” he asked.“uh… I’ll keep looking.” Pushing from the couch she made her way over to the display of monitors. “You said Pepper was there? Is there any way we can shut the demonstration down? Cut down on the casualties with an evac?”One of the screens lit up with the call and she watched as it rang before going to voicemail.“Should I try again?” Jarvis asked.“She probably set her phone to silent. Give it a few more tries.” Sitting back in the chair Liyah was beginning to feel useless. “I feel like I’m blind can I get a visual of something?”The screen switched to a live display from Tony’s helmet.She let out a hum. “Better. How far out are we.”“ETA one hour.”Pulling up the web page for the stark expo Liyah found the time for the demonstration. “Show starts in forty minutes.”“I do love a grand entrance,” Tony chimed.                                                                                                           *********Right on time, the expo came into sight.“Oh, look they left the front door open,” Tony announced, flying through an archway meant for larger projects.He landed on the stage and she had Jarvis mute her side for audio as the crowd erupted into raucous cheers. “I’m feeling pretty useless Jarvis.”“Being that I was the one who alerted Sir to your lack of consciousness in the driveway, I’m inclined to disagree.”Liyah held back a wince. “eh, point.”She watched as her vision played out on the monitor as Tony took to the skies followed by the many drones and one armor occupied by Rhodey. “How’s that suit reboot going?” she asked.“I have been locked out of the suits mainframe.”Sitting back, she thought over her options, an idea came to mind, but she hesitated. Her mother had been very, thorough in her training. But to this day she hesitated to use it. “Let me get a crack at it?”On the third screen, lines of code appeared and as she looked it over, she couldn’t help but scoff. It was all in Russian because of course, it was. Pulling herself closer to the keyboard she started her process.Liyah spared a glance to watch as chaos continued to unfold until only Tony was left, only to be tackled from the sky by Rhodey.His scream of surprise made her flinch. “Tony? Are you alive?” she asked.“Yep.” Was her only confirmation as she continued to work on her coding sequence. Somewhere along the way, someone else began working alongside her as lines of code she knew she hadn’t altered began to change.Seconds later he was back on his feet and after a short scuffle, a redhead appeared on the screen. “Reboot complete, you’ve got your best friend back.”Liyah sat back with a huff, cracking her neck from her prolonged position.Tony nodded at the woman on the screen. “Thank you very much, Agent Romanoff.”She sat back in her chair. “How’d she get there?”“Agent Romanoff has been assisting Ms. Potts in sir’s absence,” Jarvis explained, "she acompanied Ms. Potts to the Expo."Liyah fought valiantly at the jealousy warring inside of her. She was stuck here while they got to have all the fun! She tried not to pout. “What’s she talking from?”“A computer in Hammer industries.”“Take it.”Immediately her display lit up on the screen, pinpoints for Rhodey and Tony appearing on the map, along with an array of marks indicating incoming suits.“If Vanko is gone…” she began.Jarvis immediately brought up an area map for hammer industries.Another triangle lit up on the map different in its indication of the drones, she watched confused as it headed in the opposite direction of the Expo.“Where is he going?” she murmured aloud. Watching as it picked up speed.“Keep an eye on that one,” She stated turning back to watch the live feed from Tony’s helmet. He and Rhodey were in the middle of a battle against what she assumed was the rest of the Hammer drones. Her focus narrowed in on the fight as the two battled it out. She nearly breathed a sigh of relief when Tony took them out at once.“You couldn’t have led with that one?” Rhodey asked, his voice coming through the comm.“Ms. Toretto?” Jarvis trilled.“What’s up?”“I have an idea as to where the rogue suit is headed.”Liyah turned to that screen with an interested hum. “Oh really?”“From its trajectory, the suit appears to be headed to your location.”Liyah closed her eyes with a sigh, she had to open her big mouth. “How sure are you?”“Ninety-seven percent.”Pushing from her seat she headed to the med kit, she dug through it until she found a pack of muscle relaxer. She dumped three in her hand before heading to the stairs. “Wake up Letty for me, will you? Let Tony know once he’s done at the expo.”“What will you do?”She took the stairs two at a time, in an attempt to warm up her muscles. “First I’m gonna get me some orange juice.”“Very good, the Electrolytes and Potassium should help with your muscle cramps.”Liyah frowned, she thought she’d been hiding that. Aside from the muscle spasms, her body had mostly healed from the accident. “That’s what I’m hoping. Now the second thing, tell me you’ve got some sort of armory.”Jarvis seemed to pause. “Sir is on the line.”“Hello darling,” she greeted, taking the pills with her glass of Orange juice.“I’m on my way, just lock down the place until I get there.”“Hear that J?”Immediately shutters closed around the mansion. Brighter lights lit up around the room as the natural light disappeared.“Tell me there’s something, anything in here to fight with.”“I’m on my way,” Tony assured her.A thud sounded on the roof.“He’s already here,” she announced, heading up the stairs to Letty’s room.“He won’t get in.”The roof rumbled above her.“Hundred bucks says he does.”A short silence settled over the line before Tony let out a curse. “Jarvis, let her in.”“See you soon!” She trilled, before banging on the bedroom door.Letty jerked it open with a growl. “What the hell is happening?”“I’m almost positive there’s a man here to blow us off the cliff.”Letty blinked.“But we’ve got toys!” Liyah chimed. “Lead the way, Jarvis.”Blue lights lit up along the floor, leading her back towards the living room. A closed door off to the side coming into view. She'd seen it a few times but had never paid it much attention, assuming it was a broom closet of sorts.“Place your hand on the scanner.”As she did the panel flashed green before the door opened. She and Letty stepped into the empty room.“It’s empty,” Letty announced, her words echoing in the room.“uh, Jarvis?” Liyah asked.Immediately walls began to turn, along with the center of the floor raising up. The two-watched amazed as weapons filled the room along with what she hoped were bullet proof body suits.Liyah let out a hum. “Strap up.”Whatever material the suits were made of they were flexible and light weight. Armed with guns and knives she turned to Letty who was eyeing a bazooka. “We are on the edge of a cliff. We’re not trying to help him.”Letty nodded, “But when’s the next time I’l--”“Let it go,” Liyah cut in exiting the room. Pulling on the night vision goggles they’d found the two stepped into the hall. “Kill the lights.”Immediately the room darkened, just as a loud thump sounded in the living room.“Seal his entrance and the lab. We’re going to keep this contained to the living room.”They rounded the bend finding the large suit standing in the middle of the room.He looked around as if scoping the place out, deeming it empty, his helmet retracted and a familiar face came into view. She shared a glance with Letty.Ivan Vanko, her brain supplied.She led Letty into the living room ducking behind a couch as he looked around.He held out his hands and two electrical whips slid out burning the floor where ever they touched. He raised it into the air and the flare of a vision had her grabbing Letty and diving out from behind the couch.Ivan caught site of them and the two immediately opened fire.Instantaneously his helmet slammed shut over his head and the two rolled apart as the whip went sailing toward them.She knew to stand in the whips long range was bad news, but with his helmet closed it would be pointless to get closer. They needed to get him to open the helmet again.A whip wrapped around Letty’s ankle before she went soaring into the stair case. Liyah rushed after her, diving away from the down swing of a whip as he tried to hit her.She was going to kill Tony for offering upgrade adjustments.She reached Letty a moment before the slash of a whip bore down upon them. Grabbing Letty around her mid-section she threw them over the railing. They landed with a thud and twin groans on the hardwood floor.Letty let out a hissed breath. “This is bullshit.”She groaned from her position beneath her. “You’re telling me.”“Landing a hit on that thing is going to be pointless.”Silently she agreed, but electricity singed the air around them. Tightening her hold on Letty, she rolled them further under the stairs as the whip slammed into their vacated spot.Ivan let out a laugh. “Выходите, девушка, вы не можете прятаться навсегда Come out girl, you cannot hide forever.”Letty let out a groan. “What’s he saying?”“уйти или умереть,” she yelled in return.The man let out a laugh.“What did you say?” Letty hissed.She bit her lip nervously. “I think I told him to leave or die. Either that or I told him to go to sleep.”Letty shook her head. “What’s the game plan here Liy?”“We need to get him to open up the helmet again.”With a grin, Letty reached beneath her vest pulling out a spherical device.Her eyes widened. “I already said no bombs!”“Relax it’s a flash grenade, close your eyes” She stated, pulling the pin and throwing it.Instead of the flash they expected, the hissing sound of smoke escaping filled the room.Liyah frowned at Letty who sent her a sheepish grin.“Smoke grenade, flash grenade-”The sound of mechanical whirring and then Vanko coughing sounded from the center of the room. He’d opened the helmet, she realized.“Stay here,” Liyah warned.Coming out from behind the stair case she realized she couldn’t see anything through the smoke even with the goggles. Closing her eyes, she forced a vision, that along with her memory of the room guided her around.The whir of electrical whips sounded and she dove forward bringing herself closer to Vanko, before he could close the helmet, she aimed her gun before pulling the trigger.The shot reverberated around the room and she blinked away the vision. The room was still dark and covered with smoke and for a moment she thought she’d missed.The floorboards creaked as the suit shifted and she tried to move a step back but, suddenly she was bearing its weight. She let out a startled yelp as her legs gave out and she along with the suit dropped to the floor.Panic ebbed its way into her chest as she found she was unable to move, pinned beneath the metal suit. She let out a pained shout when a shuffle of movement to her right alerted her to Letty’s position.“Liyah? Where are you? did you get him?”“I- Yeah, but I’m stuck,” she managed to get out between gritted teeth.“Stuck? What the hell? Is there a way to get rid of this smoke?”The sound of a large exhaust fan sounded before light filtered into the room as the shutters lifted. Letty found her just as the smoke cleared and Liyah found herself staring into the blank eyes of Ivan Vanko. Blood dripped from the bullet hole in his head, continuing down to her neck in a warm trickle.Liyah let out a whimper.‘Oh shit,” Letty blurted, dropping down beside her, she attempted to push the suit off but only succeeded in rocking it against her torso.“Leave it, leave it!” she groaned, “Tony should be here, I- I can wait.”“He’s dripping brain all over you, Chica.”She sent her a glare. “You are not helping.”The sound of beeping filled the room and Liyah paled as she stared into Letty’s wide eyes.“We’ve got to get you out of there,” Letty stated with a renewed conviction.Liyah bit her lip, shaking her head adamantly, “You- You’ve gotta get out of here,” she managed to get out as she struggled to breathe beneath the weight of the suit.Letty crossed her arms. “You’re out of your mind if you think I’m leaving you here.”The beeping intensified.“Go, Letty, please!” she tried again, black spots dancing in her vision as she struggled to take in a full breath.“I’m not-”“Liyah!” Tony’s shout was followed by two resounding thumps.Liyah realized she must’ve blanked out as suddenly the weight was lifting off of her.“Fuck, Rhodes, lift!”She let out a gasp as air flooded her lungs before delving into a coughing fit. She looked up just in time to see Tony and Rhodey fly the suit through the hole in the ceiling.Seconds later the explosion sounded, shattering the glass on the patio in its intensity. She ducked down as shards of glass blew past her. She rolled to her knees with a cough, relatively unscathed in her protective gear. Letty leaned into her and the two struggled into a standing position.Looking up at the hole in the ceiling, for a second, she felt her stomach drop. Then the sound of repulsors firing sounded as Tony and Rhodey dropped through the hole.Relief flooded her and she found herself slipping from Letty’s hold as she fell to her knees. Tony was in front of her in a blink and she grinned up at him as the faceplate lifted on the suit.“Are you bleeding?” he asked his eyes on the blood on her neck.She shook her head, “s’not mines.”Tony let out a choked exhale pressing his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling together. “Jesus, you can’t- you know I have a heart problem, right?”Liyah let out a chuckle that turned into a cough, a mix of the lingering smoke and her adjusting lungs.Tony eased her back into a seated position. “Take it easy.”She waved him off as she took in a measured breath. “I’m fine.”Tony shook his head glancing around the room, “This is the second time I’m going to have to redo this room.”“Sorry about that.”Tony shook his head. “I’m- This is all my fault. I’m so sorry, Liyah.”She grinned despite the situation, “¿vas a componer a mí, Papi?” Tony’s gaze shifted and Letty groaned behind them.  He let out a laugh. “I’ll make it up to you, cupcake,” he returned, before kissing her.*************************************Sitting in the passenger seat of Tony’s Audi, she fought valiantly to keep from fidgeting. Letty sat in the backseat as the three of them drove to Los Angeles.“Jesus, Liy, would you calm down.”“I’m not doing anything.”“You’re stiff as a board.”Exhaling she forced herself to relax. Everything would be fine, she hoped.The Audi pulled up to the house, it barely came to a stop before Letty was jumping out of the car. Liyah quickly followed with Tony bringing up the rear.Letty had just put the key into the door when it jerked open, a second later a hand pulled her inside leaving the door ajar.Picking up her pace Liyah burst through the door, “Letty!”Liyah paused as she took in the scene. Dom had Letty clutched to his chest, almost painfully it seemed, his face buried in her hair. At her entrance his eye flew open, she opened her mouth to apologize but all that escaped was a choked off gasp as someone tackled into her, she twisted as they fell onto the couch.Mia pulled back from the embrace to glare at her. “Oh my god Aaliyah, I swear if I weren’t so relieved, I’d kill you.”Liyah let out a breath. “I’m sorry.”“Where were you?” Mia asked practically pinning her to the couch with her body weight as she refused to release her.“We needed to lay low, so we stayed with Tony.”Her siblings froze, before turning to the doorway.Tony glanced at her before looking at Dominic. “It’s nice to finally meet you, I think.”“You,” Dom huffed.Before he moved three steps, Liyah was in front of Tony, she realized a moment later she was flanked by Mia and Letty.Dom stopped and crossed his arms. “What’s this?”“Tony’s family, Dom,” Letty stated as she crossed her arms.Dominic seemed to take a moment to reevaluate the situation. “Can I at least give him a proper shovel talk?”Mia sent him a glare, “I think you did enough of that with Brian, Dom.”Dominic let out a huff. “That wasn’t a shovel talk! I thought he’d gotten them killed.”Liyah paled. “Please tell me he’s alive, tell me you didn’t kill a cop.”“Of course, the busters still alive!”Liyah glanced at Mia who glanced at the top of the stairs. Following her gaze, she found O’Connor making his way down the steps a slight limp to his step. “Glad to know you care Aaliyah.”“Don’t be ridiculous,” she huffed, taking in the bruises she turned to Dom. “What’d you do run him over?”“Don’t look at me.”Liyah turned her question to Brian who shrugged as he took a seat on the couch.“Courtesy of Fenix,” he supplied.Liyah frowned, “I’m going to need you to fill us in the rest of the way.”Mia moved to sit down beside Brian when it was clear Dominic was no longer an issue.“After you and Letty were declared dead, I had to start over on leads, one of which Dom decided to hold out a window,” Brian explained.Dominic shrugged. “I like to think of it as intense interrogation.”“We both ended up in a race to get into Campos’ crew.” He sent her brother a glare. “Which Dom cheated to get in.”“Can’t cheat if there are no rules,” Dominic huffed, grabbing Letty and pulling her into his lap as he sat in a chair.“Whatever man, so after we realized that Campos shoots his drivers, which I’m guessing is how you two ended up disappearing, we took his money and stashed it in the impound lot and then we made him meet up for a trade.”“What kind of trade?” Letty asked.“His money,” Dominic stated, “for a one on one with Braga.”Liyah’s eye widened.“So, we go to the meetup and of course the bureau sent in agents,” Brian continued, eyes wide with excitement, “but the guy he brings in isn’t Braga. Of course, we get that info a second too late and the place is swarming before I get the call that Campos is Braga.”“No shit?” Liyah huffed, “That bastard.”Brian grinned. “So, our covers completely blown, but Dom and Giselle take off after them. In the end, we cornered them at the border.”Liyah decided she’d get the rest from Dominic later, turning to said brother she looked at him with a smile. “So, what’s for dinner?”Standing beside Dominic in the kitchen she nudged him with her arm. “So, what’re you going to do?”He shrugged. “I’ve got a court date in two days to decide it all.”Stirring the vegetables in the pan she kept her gaze down. “So, you’re going then?”Dom shook his head. “I’m done running.”“They’ll put you in jail. Thirty years.”“You’ve seen it then?” he asked with a raised brow.She didn’t answer as she transferred the vegetables to a bowl. “Thirty years. Of course, we jailbreak you.”He shifted beside her. “Then what?”She looked up to match his stare. “You run.”He shook his head.“You run, with Letty, Mia, and Brian.’“You don’t come?”She shook her head as tears began to pool in her eyes. “I- I can’t… I don’t”Dominic dropped a hand on her head with a grin. “My little sister is in a stable relationship.”Liyah let out a laugh. “Mostly.”“There’s no other way?” he asked.The sound of footsteps reached them and they glanced up as Tony rounded the corner.Wiping at her tears she sent him a smile, when she glanced back up Dom was already watching her, his expression soft.  He turned to Tony but spoke to her. “Can you give us a moment.”Liyah sent him a glare, “A single hair out of place,” she ended the threat at that.As she passed Tony, she placed a gentle hand over his chest, directly over the reactor. His hand came up to cover hers and he sent her a reassuring squeeze before she slipped away to the living room.Mia shook her head when she saw her. “You left them alone?”She sent her sister a shrug. “He can handle himself. I just like threatening Dom.”The trio laughed and she grabbed a seat on the other side of Letty. “Feels good.”“Feels good,” Mia repeated with a grin.*****
Tony’s Pov
“Tony Stark as I live and breathe,” The elder Toretto huffed, cutting off the stove and turning around to face him.“In the flesh.” Tony glanced around the kitchen, it was… quaint he supposed, enough room for a table for four, outdated appliances that were well worn.Dominic continued to watch him and he sighed. “Isn’t this the part where you threaten me if I break her heart?”He let out a laugh. “That goes without saying. I wanted to thank you.”Tony glanced up sharply. “Thank me?”“She doesn’t usually realize how deep the shit she’s in is, her visions don’t show her the big picture if she ain’t looking for it.”“She wasn’t?”“No, she was looking after Letty.” Dominic wiped his hands off on a towel before taking a seat at the table. “I got a tip that Braga wasn’t sure she and Liyah were dead. That they were searching the area hospitals for them. When he didn’t find them, he let it go, for the time being, enough time for me and Brian to settle things.”“Are they?” Tony couldn’t help but ask.“For now. Braga’s in Jail, Fenix is dead.”Tony nodded, then he’d still be a problem in the future. People like that didn’t stay in jail for long.“So, thank you, for keeping them safe.”“Can’t really take credit but sure.”Dominic nodded, leaning back in his chair. “I need one more favor.”“Yeah?” He met the man’s gaze, “What’s that?”“Sounds like I’ll be going away for a long time, keep an eye on her for me? On all of them?”Tony nodded slowly and the tightness eased from around Dominic’s eyes, though a heaviness remained.He looked around the kitchen again then back to the man who’d done everything in his power to take care of his family. He could respect that in a person. “I’ll do you one better, though.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Liyah stepped out of the car and into the workshop. Looking around she couldn’t help but frown, Tony wasn’t in here. She took a step toward the door but hesitated.She remembered. The distance, the breakup, and everything that had happened in between. Logically she knew he hadn’t meant the words he’d said to her that day, but there was a part of her that also knew with every lie there was a grain of truth. Right?She took in a breath, steeling her spine as she made her way upstairs. As soon as she stepped out of the shop music flowed down to her, piano notes she realized.The source she found wasn’t a radio, but Tony. Lights dim, he sat at the piano playing a tune she didn’t recognize, but the notes still managed to strike their cords. He glanced over his shoulder urging her to come closer from the spot she’d stopped at on the stairs.As she moved forward, she took in the candles placed around the room. Her eyes settled on the dining room, the table set for two. And if she strained her ears, she could hear the shuffle of movement in the kitchen.“What’s going on?” she asked, coming to a stop beside him.“Ricky, you mind taking over now?”A man stepped into view, a suit over his large frame, and a pair of glasses perched on his nose. He slid onto the bench beside Tony, his fingers deftly picking up the tune, without losing rhythm. Tony stepped away from the piano, holding out his arm for her to take.She took it without hesitation, “What is all this?”Tony patted her hand as he led her into the dining room. He stepped away to pull out her chair. “Dinner, of course, didn’t I mention this?”She took her seat, shaking her head. “No, I don’t think you did.”“Hmm, must’ve slipped my mind. Alex,” he called into the kitchen, “how’s the first course coming?”He took the seat across from her, and as if on cue Alex, she presumed, brought out two platters.As the chef returned to the kitchen, she found Tony watching her expectantly and with a small smile, she let herself relax.They laughed, and talked, about mundane things like her day, about his new projects. And by dessert, she couldn’t remember why she’d had any doubts to begin with.He led her out onto the balcony, a slight chill in the air that came as a relief from the temperature it’d been earlier in the day.Her gaze went to the ocean below, a slight breeze bringing with it the smell of the sea. Tony left the patio door open, allowing the notes from the piano to reach them outside.He held out a hand, and she took it allowing him to bring her in close as his free hand wrapped around her waist to lead her into a sway.Resting her head on his shoulder, she allowed her hand to settle in the crook of his arm.“Aaliyah?” Tony murmured softly.She glanced up to find his eyes on her. “Yes, Anthony?”He held back an eye roll, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Are you being cheeky, when I’m trying to be romantic?”She buried a laugh into his shoulder.“Aaliyah,” he began again, “you have made me the happiest man alive. Knowing you, changed my life in the best way possible.”She glanced away from the intensity of his gaze, but a finger at her chin returned her gaze to his.“But apparently, in my haste to keep you in my life, I forgot, to ask, literally the most basic of questions.” He stopped swaying, releasing her hand to bring it to her waist.She was sure he could see the question in her eyes as she smoothed a hand along the base of his neck.He held her gaze, the warmth of it searing deep into her soul. “Aaliyah Toretto, ¿Serás mi novia?”She didn’t fight the smile or the tears that followed. She nodded, sending the tears slipping down her cheeks. “Oh, Tony, is this--” she let out a laugh as she thought back on the day she'd yelled the spiteful words, “Yes. Por supuesto, seré tu novia, ¿pero solo si tú serás mi novio?” She asked, returning the question. He sent her a grin. “An offer I can’t refuse?” he pretended to mull it over before stealing a kiss. “Deal,” he murmured against her lips before reclaiming the kiss. ******************************One week laterBefore she could put the key in the door it flew open and she was yanked into a hug.“Jessie!” She squeaked.Jessie pulled back to glare at her. “Where have you been, Liy?”“Sorry, I went to Japan with Tony while he took care of some business.”His eyes widened as he reopened the door he just closed. “Do I finally get to meet Tony Stark?” he asked checking the area.Liyah only smiled. “Yeah, he’ll be by a bit later, don’t get your panties in a twist, man.” She looked around the empty living room. “Where is everybody?”“Outback.” He sent her a mischievous grin. “Come on, you have got to meet Brian’s friends.”With a raised brow she followed him out of the side door that led into the yard. She spotted Mia wrapped under Brian’s arm as he laughed at something Dom said. Letty was seated at the table with two men she didn’t recognize.Surprisingly Giselle stood at the bottom of the stairs. The woman pulled her into a hug, pressing a kiss to her cheek in greeting. Giselle pulled back to smile down at her. “Dom invited me. I knew as soon as he stepped into the room, that he was your brother.”Liyah let out a laugh. “How so?”She shook her head with a smile. “He has your charm.”Jesse snorted beside her and Liyah shoved him. “I see you’ve met the family.”Letty waved them over and she dragged Giselle and Jessie along.The two men with them stood, eyeing her with a shared glance. Keeping an eye on the two she pressed a kiss to Letty’s cheek.Brian was quick to come over with a wide smile. “Liyah, these are my boys, Tej Parker and this is Roman Pierce. Tej, Rome, this is Dom’s other sister Aaliyah.” He sent her grin. “Try not to hurt them too much.”Roman smiled. “She can hurt me any day of the week.”Liyah let out a laugh. “Only their egos, I swear.”Tej reached for her hand and she clasped it with a smirk. “It’s a pleasure, to meet you.”“The pleasure is all mine,” he stated with a grin.Roman pulled her hand from Tej’s grasp to press a kiss to her knuckle. “A pleasure.”Liyah held in a laugh, they were… cute. Roman was tall, dark-skinned, and handsome. Sexy even with his flannel shirt open to a white undershirt. Tej was slightly shorter, though his large afro made up for his lack of height.“Be right back,” she promised, going to her brother and sister stationed at the grill. Her eyes went to the metal ankle bracelet on his left leg.“You told me all the bodies were in Florida, but had I known you’d been hiding them in LA I would’ve been out here months ago,” Roman continued, unaware that she could still hear him.“I’m telling you she has a boyfriend,” she heard Brian iterate.“So!” The two men chorused.She shook her head, finding Mia already smiling. “They’re ridiculous, but I think they’ll fit right in.”Dominic nodded as she gave him a quick hug. He noticed her gaze and pressed a kiss to her head. “It’s not too bad, thanks to Tony and his lawyers I’ve got some leeway.”With a nod, she peaked at the grill, her mouthwatering at its contents.She reached a hand to the top rack and Mia smacked it away. “You’re saying grace.”“If I’m saying grace, I should get the chicken then!”“Is Stark not feeding you over there,” Dom joked.She stuck her tongue out and snatched a piece of chicken from the grill. Shoving the chicken breast strip into her mouth, and burning her tongue, she quickly darted away as her sister’s shouts chased her from the area. She returned to stand beside Letty, Giselle, and Jessie; the group turning to her as she did.They glanced at Roman, and he seemed to steel himself before stepping forward. “Okay, listen I get you’ve got a boyfriend, but he ain’t me, I mean for real. If he was good to you, he’d be here, wouldn’t he?”Right on cue, the sound of repulsors sounded and they all looked up, she could here Letty snickering behind her.“What’s that noise?” Roman looked up, “ya’ll live near an airbase or somethin’?”The noise grew louder, much to his confusion. She glanced at him with a barely repressed smile as two metallic ‘clanks’ signaled the suits’ landing.She was only slightly surprised by the second. She’d given Rhodey, Pepper and Happy an invite but the latter two were busy with meetings all weekend. And Tony had moved his schedule around just to make it. She hadn’t heard back from Rhodey so she assumed he couldn’t make it.She was pleasantly surprised to find him standing in the War machine armor beside Tony.Roman let out a groan behind her. “Iron Man? Why didn’t you say she was dating Iron man?”The armor disassembled around Tony, neatly folding into its suitcase. Rhodey’s armor opened and he stepped out, it closed behind him and he left it to stand in sentry mode.Tony caught her in a hug as she rushed over. “You made it!”Rhodey watched them with a smile. “That’s it, I can’t take it,” he murmured, pulling them both into a hug. “You two are adorable.”Tony laughed. “You just wanted a hug, gumdrop, admit it.”Squeezing between the two she wrapped her arm around both of their waists to guide them closer to the group.“The sooner we sit down the sooner we can eat.” She hadn’t eaten lunch, not wanting to spoil her appetite, but now her metabolism was punishing her. She should have brought a snack.“Do you have a tapeworm?” Rhodey joked.Tony laughed, “Don’t let her size fool you.”She sent him a glare, but before she could comment they’d reached the table. Mia met them there pulling Tony into a hug before stepping away.“Rhodey, this is my sister Mia, Mia, this is Colonel James Rhodes.”“War machine and Iron man?” Roman blurted.Letty, still laughing, sent the two a wave.Liyah quickly ran through introductions before practically shoving people into chairs. She sat down with a huff beside Tony.Dom cleared his throat and she rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah.” Closing her eyes, she clasped her hands on the table.  “Thank you, Lord, for food, family, and friends. Amen,” she prayed.The group looked at her and she shrugged already putting food on her plate. “You didn’t say it had to be a long prayer. Stop looking at me and eat.”Mia laughed first, followed by Letty and Giselle. As if in a domino effect the group laughed. Liyah sat back with a small smile.“Amens,” Chorused around the table and they began to eat only to pause as the back door opened with a bang.They all turned and Liyah gaped, nearly choking on her chicken. “X?”Xander smiled, but just as suddenly as it appeared, it dropped into a frown. “You started Sunday dinner without me?”Dominic pushed away from the table. “No one knew you were coming. If we waited for you every Sunday we’d starve.”Liyah shared a glance with Mia and they both picked up a roll before chucking it at their heads. Hers hit Xander square in the face while Mia’s smacked Dominic on the forehead. In tandem, they raised hands to their heads as they turned to glare.Mia matched them with a glare of her own. “Will you two sit down so we can eat!”Xander shook his head. “They had Twins, we were perfect.”“More than enough,” Dominic agreed as the two sat down.“Shut up,” She and Mia chorused with a shared grin.
Pow wow
She stepped out of the car, following Tony up to the address he’d been sent not even an hour ago. Liyah pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head as she took in the red-bricked warehouse with its boarded-up windows. “This guy’s got shady location down pat. I’ll wait outside the door.”Tony tilted his sunglasses down his nose to look at her. “You came all this way, to wait outside?”She moved to lean against the wall but stopped herself at the strong smell of piss that seemed to be deeply embedded into the bricks. Fighting down a grimace she crossed her arms. “He won’t talk as freely with me in the room.”“Good, we can be in and out of this place in half the time it would take fury to convince me to do whatever it is he thinks he can get me to do.” With that, he sent her a pointed glare.Liyah only smiled.“Fine,” he huffed, knocking on the door with three quick raps. “Can’t believe he gave me a secret knock, what am I ten?” He twisted back towards her to point at the Audi. “Don’t let anybody steal the tires off the car, I am not taking a taxi home.”She nodded solemnly. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”Tony came out not fifteen minutes later, barely glancing in her direction as he made a beeline for the car. She tried not to sigh as she followed after him. “What’d he say?”He paused in his movement to get inside the car. “Like you don’t already know?”She did know, so with a frown, she silently slid into the passenger seat. It wasn’t until they stopped at a red light that she finally spoke up. “They’re wrong, you know.”Tony only scoffed, his eyes boring into traffic light above them as if willing it to flash green.“They are, wrong,” she insisted, “they came at the eleventh hour. If they judge you based off of that, they’re idiots.” She let out a tsk. “Iron man yes, Tony Stark not recommended? Iron man is Tony Stark.”The corner of his mouth twitched with a repressed smile, and she counted it as a win. Grabbing his free hand where it rested on the center console, she intertwined their fingers. “But you, Tony, are more than just Iron man.”  She pressed a soft kiss to his knuckles, grinning when his hand tightened around her own. “Mucho más.”