ＩＭＰＥＲＩＡＬ ◼TONY STARK◼

ｎｉｎｅｔｙ－ｆｏｕｒ

Aurora Motter was curled up into her mother's side on the couch in the living room area of the new upstate Avengers Compound. Though it didn't feel like it was for the Avengers, as the hallways were empty with no superheroes roaming them.

"Why does she use a bow and arrow?" Rora questioned her mother as she watched Katniss run across the screen before her. "Aren't guns better?"

"Remember in the beginning, she was hunting?" Audelia commented, not looking away from the scene before them. "She's just comfortable with it, she's very good with it, that's why she uses it."

"Like Uncle Steve with his shield?"

Audelia flinched at the mention of Steve, her heart still hanging heavy.

"Yes, baby. Like Uncle Steve,"

"I miss him. And Auntie Nattie,"

"...I miss them too, Rora,"

There was a small knock on the wall behind them as the pair turned, seeing Pepper and Nathan standing there. Pepper shot her friend a small smile, hoping that it was comforting at least in the slightest.

"Sorry to interrupt this fantastic movie night," Nathan commented. "But we gotta get going. Sure you don't want Rora to stay here-"

"No no, it's okay. You guys can go, I'll be fine," Audelia swept her daughter into her arms, planting kisses along her face as she laughed. "Bye baby, I'll see you tomorrow. I love you."

"Bye mom, I love you too," Aurora said back as she put her daughter back on the ground. Aurora gave her another hug before skipping off toward Nathan and Pepper. The pair gave her a wave before they were gone, leaving Audelia alone once more.

She was starting to get used to the feeling of being alone, not that she enjoyed it in the slightest. Between not speaking to Tony, Aurora having to split her time, and her family being gone...she found comfort in her little conversations with Peter, and her short phone calls with her father.

Audelia found herself making a cup of coffee in the kitchen, sitting at the island counter with a photo album in front of her, music playing from her phone next to her as she flipped through the old photos. The scent of Tony invaded her, surrounded her, as she was still wearing that old MIT sweatshirt.

"I forgot that sweatshirt even existed," Audelia looked up at the sound of the familiar voice of Tony Stark, sighing as she saw that it was just one of his suits standing before her, the voice projecting from it. "You used to wear it all the time."

"So this is how you'll talk to me? Through a suit?" Deli commented, raising an eyebrow as she closed the photo album, scoffing at the sight of the suit before her. "You run off to India for work without a single word in my direction, but you'll speak to me through a suit? That's what you did all this for?"

"I actually did it first to save the kid's ass from drowning in a lake, so you might want to call him," Tony retorted, sarcasm and a hint of venom present in his voice. The suit walked forward, throwing a magazine cover onto the counter as Audelia picked it up. "Also here for this, though. Didn't think to say something?"

"They're a gossip magazine. Plus, it's called retirement," Deli shot back, throwing the magazine to the side as she glared at the suit before her. "And if I was considering retirement, I haven't made any official statements, so don't attack me over gossip magazine covers that just want to make money."

"You've said before though that you want to be done with all of this, so they're getting it from somewhere," the suit leaned over the counter into her face. "You think you can make that kind of decision without me?"

"I can make ANY decision I want without you, I don't need your approval!" 

Audelia stood up from her seat, leaning over the counter and getting right in the suits face. She glared at the stupid red and gold suit before her, wishing it was actual Tony standing before her to yell at.

"Not something like this-"

"You don't OWN me, you don't CONTROL me, I don't have to run any of my decisions through you," Deli shoved her finger into the suit as she walked around the counter to stand right in front of it. "We are partners, we are equal, I can make any decision I want on my own. If i choose to retire, then that's on my and I don't need ANYONE's approval. I make my own decisions."

"Like not telling me about Barnes?"

Audelia scoffed, shaking her head as she turned away, walking back toward the living room with a mutter under her breath about how unbelievable he was.

"I'm done with this right now,"

"So you're just going to walk away from me-"

"You're not even HERE!" her voice cracked as she turned back around to face the suit, quickly wiping away a stray tear, though knowing that Tony could see it all. "You show up, speaking through a suit just so you can yell at me. You want to have this conversation? Then say fuck it to India and fucking COME HOME! Come home, stand in front of me, and have an actual conversation with me about this shit and maybe, just MAYBE, we can solve something. But right now, I'm done with this Tony, and I don't want to speak to you."

There was silence, Audelia and the suit having a stand off for a minute. Not a word was spoken as the suit powered down, Tony logging off of it as FRIDAY informed her that Tony was no longer active and took the suit away for storage.

The second the suit was gone Audelia let her tears fall. She gripped at her hair, desperately just wanting to bang her head against the wall.

But she shook it off, brought her composure back, and grabbed her phone to shoot the kid a text, knowing they needed to speak.

The last thing she wanted right now was to think about Tony Stark.

◼ ◼ ◼

I'm ready for them to make up already.