theironaudi:

iamthefirechild:

“I’ve talked until I’m dizzy, and mostly what I hear is ‘why is it such a problem for you to be normal? why can’t you just do what they want?’ But it’s … you know, eventually, you do what’s wanted of you enough times and that’s all you are, you lose what you have for yourself. I don’t want to lose myself. /This/ is the person I choose to be, even though it cuts me off from everybody.” She sighed, hands coming up to scrub against her eyes. 

“Just for once it would be nice to find somebody who loves me the way I am, not the way they want be to be.” Summer gave a stiff, one-shouldered shrug, like shaking off an unseen grip, and looked back at Tony. “I’m really sorry. I’m standing here talking like my problems are anything like compared to yours, and filling your ears with my nonsense, when I should just be letting you work and getting out from underfoot.”

Tony listened intently, letting her get everything out in the open. He stood when she started back pedaling. “Hey, it’s fine. Really,” he said, hoping he sounded as convincing as he was trying to. “I honestly don’t get society’s obsession with trying to fix people. People that don’t need fixing,” he continued, a slight mix of anger and fatigue washing over his face and body language. He touched her shoulder gently, not knowing what else to do.

“Being yourself, in the long run, matters most. You’re stuck with you… Everyone else can come and go but at the end of the day…” He shrugged.

“Look at us both. Wound up in the way other people see us.” Summer’s laugh was a little broken. She laid her own hand atop Tony’s, squeezing a little.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I really want to stop thinking about all this. Can I drag you out for some food somewhere? Maybe go down the harborside and just walk for a while? We’ve rummaged around in each other’s emotions all unintentionally; maybe we could find out what the other one is like aside from all that.” A blush crept up her cheeks. “That is, if you want to spend time with a shattered character like me.”

theironaudi:

iamthefirechild:

theironaudi:

Tony shrugged. “Hell, it must be more power than I’ve got,” he commented, looking down. “And as for the barging in and all that, we’ve all got our quirks… I tend to blow things up. I think your behavior is a bit more socially acceptable, don’t you?”

“Oh, I do that too. Though I try to limit it to things that need blowing up.” Summer shook her head hard, red hair flying about. “Sorry. I came in here to help you feel better, not drop all my crap on you.”

“No, it’s quite all right if you want to talk,” he said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. “I may not be the best listener, and my advice is likely going to be questionable, but hey… I’m here.”

“I’ve talked until I’m dizzy, and mostly what I hear is ‘why is it such a problem for you to be normal? why can’t you just do what they want?’ But it’s … you know, eventually, you do what’s wanted of you enough times and that’s all you are, you lose what you have for yourself. I don’t want to lose myself. /This/ is the person I choose to be, even though it cuts me off from everybody.” She sighed, hands coming up to scrub against her eyes. 

“Just for once it would be nice to find somebody who loves me the way I am, not the way they want be to be.” Summer gave a stiff, one-shouldered shrug, like shaking off an unseen grip, and looked back at Tony. “I’m really sorry. I’m standing here talking like my problems are anything like compared to yours, and filling your ears with my nonsense, when I should just be letting you work and getting out from underfoot.”

theironaudi:

iamthefirechild:

theironaudi:

iamthefirechild:

“In more ways than you know that was luck. /I/ might have cleaned it up,” Summer laughed, completing her circuit of the space. Carefully tucking her hands behind her back, she looked over Tony’s shoulder, watching the way his hands moved and trying to stay out of the way of his elbows and the light.

“But then, I’m not a nice person.” She found a clear bit of workbench and leaned her hip on that, fishing a well-loved ereader out of her baby knapsack and turning it on.

Tony quirked a brow and looked over at her. “Not a nice person,” he repeated, looking her over. “From where I’m sitting you seem nicer than most… What makes you think you’re not nice?” He asked, giving her a funny look, honestly a little confused.

“I say what I mean, instead of the polite thing. I tell the truth instead of social lies. I don’t need a man to hold the door for me, I treat ‘hello, how are you?’ as the sentence it is instead of a single-word greeting, and I give short shrift to people who actually interrupt my reading to ask me what’s printed on the spine of the book.” Summer shrugged, tapping at her screen. “I’m not a nice person.”

Tony sat back, folded his arms across his chest, and just looked at her for a moment as she used her device. “You think that makes you mean? I don’t see anything wrong with that, but, well, remember who you’re talking to. You just seem honest—kissing ass doesn’t make someone nice, it makes you fake. You’re strong. You care about people, but you don’t put up with idiots,” he said with a chuckle. “Like I said, I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

Her eyes flicked up to him. “Very few people actually see it that way.” Lowering the tablet, she bit her lip, then went on, “It takes a certain amount of … power, I guess, to be permitted to flout society without being tagged as ‘mean’. I just … know who I am. And sometimes who I am means I end up barging into places I shouldn’t be, doing things I shouldn’t do. Messing with other peoples’ stuff.”

theironaudi:

iamthefirechild:

Questions? No. Half of what she’s looking at she can’t comprehend enough to have questions /about/. Moving her hand near things brings up holographic wireframes full of numbers and brilliant colours, AutoCAD drawings come to life. Every computer monitor is a bare frame until Tony touches it and then it’s moving light; she can’t even begin to parse the keyboards. But scattered in amongst these things are tools old and familiar, things that speak of her father’s own garage and workshop and the simple joy of creating something physical.

“It’s beautiful,” she said unthinkingly, smiling at her own memories, other words dammed up by the blaze of sheer admiration and awe.

Tony grinned at her appreciation of his workshop, but didn’t turn back yet. He had begun soldering something, and needed a good deal of his attention focused on that until he finished. “You’re lucky you weren’t here a few weeks ago. I just reorganized everything. Nat finally, er, convinced me to clean up…”

“In more ways than you know that was luck. /I/ might have cleaned it up,” Summer laughed, completing her circuit of the space. Carefully tucking her hands behind her back, she looked over Tony’s shoulder, watching the way his hands moved and trying to stay out of the way of his elbows and the light.

“But then, I’m not a nice person.” She found a clear bit of workbench and leaned her hip on that, fishing a well-loved ereader out of her baby knapsack and turning it on.

theironaudi:

iamthefirechild:

theironaudi:

iamthefirechild:

theironaudi:

You can stay if you’d like, I was just going to try to get back to work. Boring stuff, but like I said, you’re welcome here. And yes, I’ll do just that.

Summer’s pitch arcs up in surprise. “Truly? I would like to look around, if you don’t mind … “

He laughs a little. “Really. Did you want a tour or did you want to look around yourself? I can put off work a little longer if you want the full tour. Or I could get JARVIS to do it. Either way.”

“I really shouldn’t keep you from your work. Can I just … wander around for a little? I won’t touch anything.” It’s her turn to look a little hesitant, feel like maybe she’s trespassing a bit. One thing to jump in to help someone, but after that?

“Go right ahead then,” he said, smiling genuinely again as he sat himself at his bench. “I’ll be here if you’ve any questions.” There wasn’t much Tony was worried about her breaking or anything like that. Steve hadn’t managed to break anything, after all, and Cap was… well, Cap was Cap.

Questions? No. Half of what she’s looking at she can’t comprehend enough to have questions /about/. Moving her hand near things brings up holographic wireframes full of numbers and brilliant colours, AutoCAD drawings come to life. Every computer monitor is a bare frame until Tony touches it and then it’s moving light; she can’t even begin to parse the keyboards. But scattered in amongst these things are tools old and familiar, things that speak of her father’s own garage and workshop and the simple joy of creating something physical.

“It’s beautiful,” she said unthinkingly, smiling at her own memories, other words dammed up by the blaze of sheer admiration and awe.

theironaudi:

iamthefirechild:

theironaudi:

iamthefirechild:

theironaudi:

iamthefirechild:

theironaudi:

Ahh… You’re right. I don’t. I’m sorry. *he cringes a little at having opened up so much to someone unfamiliar to him, but it had helped.*

*sighs a little* I offered, remember? /This is what I do./ Don’t apologise for something you needed so badly. Is there aught else I can do?

Yes, I suppose you did. And anything else? *smiles* I’m not sure I could ask for anything else… This was more than I’d expected, really.

Shhh. Once again, I offered. Please don’t feel like you’re imposing on me, or asking too much, or anything like that. Just answer the question.

I actually think I’m good for now, but, I’ll let you know. All right? *smiles*

*teasingly* Thereby neatly allowing me to excuse myself. *smiles back* Truly, look up me up if you need a friendly ear or shoulder, or anything, really.

You can stay if you’d like, I was just going to try to get back to work. Boring stuff, but like I said, you’re welcome here. And yes, I’ll do just that.

Summer’s pitch arcs up in surprise. “Truly? I would like to look around, if you don’t mind … “