Ghost of You

e l e v e n

I was standing outside the door of a familiar office, a door I had knocked on countless times. It was an action that should have felt normal. Only it didn't. 

Being back in that states after Sokovia felt different and not a good kind of different. I had only been home a week, so I had hoped it was just a phase I'd learn to grow out of but deep down I knew it wasn't. Being on the ground there had changed me in a permanent way. Things that had once seemed simple now felt loaded and complicated. It was a hard feeling to describe, but it was a little like constantly living with the feeling that I had forgotten I was supposed to be somewhere doing something important, only I couldn't remember where it was that I was supposed to be or what it was that I was supposed to be doing. I was in a constant state of restlessness, not being able to sit still for more than a few minutes before running off to do something that probably didn't need to be done. It was an exhausting way to live, but I'd rather have kept busy than do nothing at all.

Raising my hand, I knocked twice on the door. 

"Come in." I heard a voice call out from the other side. 

I swung the door open to see Tony sitting at his desk. He looked up from whatever he was writing, then at the watch, then back up to me. 

"You know it wouldn't kill you to be a minute late every once in a while, shake things up." He gave me a knowing smile, motioning with his free hand for me to take the chair across from him. 

"Old habits." I shrugged, pulling out the seat and sitting down. 

As I took in my surroundings I realized that a few things had changed since the last time I had sat here. The wall decor and plants were gone and a few boxes were stacked in the back corner. His desk was noticeably barren except for a few papers and his desktop.

"Are you moving offices?" I asked.

"We all are." He replied, shutting down his computer then swiveling in his chair to face me directly. "That's actually why I asked you here."

I nodded, my interest peaking as I waited for him to continue. 

"I've decided I'm going to take a step back from things for a little while." He said, cuffing and rolling up the sleeves of his button-down. "I talked about it with Pepper and we both agreed it was time for me to tap out."

I tried to keep my composure but was internally screaming. Tony Stark, tap out? 

"I bought some real estate upstate and am in the process of setting up a new Avengers training facility. That's where you come in." He stood up from his chair, walking around to the front of his desk, and leaned against it so that he was still facing me. 

"I know things between you and Rogers were pretty tense before Ultron and before Sokovia. If you still want to resign, you have every right. I'll give you whatever references you need and can recommend you to some people if you'd like." He crossed his arms, giving me an intense stare. "That being said you're exactly the kind of person I'd want upstate, running my operations there now that I'm leaving."

My mouth fell open slightly.

"Are you serious?"

"I'm always serious, serious is my middle name." He said, playfully offended. 

"I thought it was Edward?"

He rolled his eyes. 

"I'd love to have you move out there, but you should know that Rogers will be living there too." I bit the inside of my lip as I continued to listen. "He's going to be spearheading the training of the more enhanced individuals. Romanoff will also be up there assisting him."